dotnet/msbuild

CodeTaskFactory error on missing attributes does not contain element name

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#2,072 opened on May 7, 2017

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Description

When using CodeTaskFactory, if a Reference element is missing the Include attribute, or a Using element is missing the Namespace attribute, an error is printed about an empty attribute value.

This error isn't great for a few reasons

  1. It doesn't say which element the attribute is on
  2. It says "The "Include" attribute has been set but is empty" even when it's missing
  3. It's emitted at the point the task is used, not declared, so the message about the Include attribute is easily confused for referring to the Items passed to the task

Contributor guide

Tech stack
csharp
Domain
build systemdeveloper experience
Issue type
bug
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.
1-3 hours
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#MSBuildXML
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
65
Research direction
Investigate the CodeTaskFactory class in the MSBuild source code to locate where the error messages for missing attributes are generated. Examine the error message formatting to include the element name (e.g., 'Reference' or 'Using') and differentiate between missing and empty attribute values. Review the comments in the issue for additional context and suggested approaches.
CodeTaskFactory error on missing attributes does not contain element name · dotnet/msbuild#2072 | Good First Issue