dotnet/msbuild

Feature Request: Add System.Diagnostics.FileVersionInfo.GetVersionInfo() to "allow list" as Property Function

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#3,457 opened on Jun 27, 2018

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 (7 comments) (4 reactions) (0 assignees)C# (5,062 stars) (1,364 forks)batch import
Area: Languagehelp wantedtriaged

Description

Steps to reproduce

Project file

<Project xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
<Target Name="Start">
  <Message Text="$([System.DateTime]::Now.ToString('yyyy.MM.dd'))" />
  <Message Text="$([System.Diagnostics.FileVersionInfo]::GetVersionInfo('C:\Windows\System32\notepad.exe').FileVersion)" />
</Target>
</Project>

Expected behavior

Run

Actual behavior

Build started 6/25/2018 7:20:06 PM. Project "C:\Test\test.proj" on node 1 (default targets). Start: 2018.06.25 C:\Test\test.proj(5,12): error MSB4212: Invalid static method invocation syntax: "[System.Diagnostics.FileVersionInfo]::GetVersionInfo('notepad.exe').FileVersion". The type "System.Dia gnostics.FileVersionInfo" is either not available for execution in an MSBuild property function or could not be found. Done Building Project "C:\Test\test.proj" (default targets) -- FAILED. Build FAILED.

Justification

My SDK is built in a strange way, in which, timestamp is not a reliable way to tracked incremental build nor updates. The solution is to either create a version.txt on disk that changes every run or get the version from an adjacent .dll or .exe. System.Diagnostics.FileVersionInfo offer such feature as a direct static call. It returns a string that represents the version.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
csharp
Domain
build system
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#MSBuildProperty functions
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
55
Research direction
The issue is about adding System.Diagnostics.FileVersionInfo to the allow list of types for MSBuild property functions. Look in the MSBuild source code (likely in the property evaluation or function resolution logic) for the list of permitted types. The existing entries can be found by searching for 'System.' in that code. Add the new type following the same pattern. Test the change by building the provided XML project file and verifying it produces the version output.