dotnet/msbuild

Better diagnostic logging in RAR when marking CopyLocal=false

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#1,485 opened on Dec 15, 2016

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 (1 comment) (4 reactions) (0 assignees)C# (5,062 stars) (1,364 forks)batch import
Area: DebuggabilityArea: LoggingArea: Task: Resolve Assembly References (RAR)User Experiencehelp wantedtriaged

Description

Sometimes it is very difficult to understand why some transitive dependencies are copied to the output directory while others aren't.

It would greatly help to improve logging in this code: https://github.com/Microsoft/msbuild/blob/xplat/src/XMakeTasks/AssemblyDependency/Reference.cs#L1226-L1247

Specifically, we already list all source items in the log: https://github.com/Microsoft/msbuild/blob/xplat/src/XMakeTasks/AssemblyDependency/ResolveAssemblyReference.cs#L1645 It would be nice to also print their Private metadata if present.

This way we can know which one specified their Private=false and let to exclusion. Otherwise we have to double-check in the log elsewhere what the metadata was. It's possible but hard to use.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
csharp
Domain
build systemtooling
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
half day
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
C#MSBuild internals
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
60
Research direction
The issue requests improved diagnostic logging in MSBuild's ResolveAssemblyReference task. Specifically, when marking CopyLocal=false, the logging should print the Private metadata of source items to help understand why transitive dependencies are excluded. The code to modify is in Reference.cs lines 1226-1247 and ResolveAssemblyReference.cs line 1645. The goal is to add logging of Private metadata when present, without changing behavior. Look at the linked code and add appropriate diagnostic messages.