dotnet/msbuild

"Only one project" error should indicate all projects from the command line

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#2,121 opened on May 22, 2017

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 (0 comments) (4 reactions) (0 assignees)C# (5,062 stars) (1,364 forks)batch import
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Description

If some combination of the MSBuild command line and response file list multiple projects, MSBuild emits an error:

MSBUILD : error MSB1008: Only one project can be specified.
Switch: .\msbuild.binlog

But that error only lists one project. It would be nice if it listed all of the projects, to make it easier to figure out what intent was.

Issues like #2112 would be more easily debugged if this was the case.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
csharp
Domain
clibuild system
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
2
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.
mostly clear
Prerequisites
C# basicsMSBuild command line parsing
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
70
Research direction
The issue requests that the error message 'Only one project can be specified' list all projects specified on the command line rather than just one. To implement this, first locate where error MSB1008 is emitted in the MSBuild source code (likely in the command line parsing logic, e.g., in files like MSBuildApp.cs or related). The current behavior truncates the list; the fix would accumulate all project specifications and include them in the error. Review the linked issue #2112 for context. No existing PRs or assignees, making this available for a newcomer.