SHFB: Error BE0065: BUILD FAILED:

[DanielaGran]

The imported project "C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild\Microsoft\VisualStudio\v10.0\WebApplications\Microsoft.WebApplication.targets"

I just installed SHFB today and I am stuck on this error. Did I miss installing a tool or setting dependencies? I am working with a VS 2013 project and SHFB correctly recognized this.

[EWSoftware]

The error message doesn't look complete. There should be more after the targets filename stating what the problem is. More likely than not it couldn't be found. Does the named file exist on the system on which you are doing the build? It may not be evaluating the import correctly.

[DanielaGran]

This is the complete log from the build job:
SHFB: Error BE0065: BUILD FAILED: The imported project "C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild\Microsoft\VisualStudio\v10.0\WebApplications\Microsoft.WebApplication.targets" was not found. Confirm that the path in the declaration is correct, and that the file exists on disk. C:\Users\dandruszkiewicz\Documents\Visual Studio 2013\Projects\Metalogix.ContentAnalysis\Metalogix.ContentAnalysis\Metalogix.ContentAnalysis.FileSubmitService\Metalogix.ContentAnalysis.FileSubmitService.csproj
at Microsoft.Build.Shared.ProjectErrorUtilities.ThrowInvalidProject(String errorSubCategoryResourceName, IElementLocation elementLocation, String resourceName, Object[] args)
at Microsoft.Build.Shared.ProjectErrorUtilities.ThrowInvalidProject(IElementLocation elementLocation, String resourceName, Object arg0)
at Microsoft.Build.Evaluation.Evaluator4.ExpandAndLoadImports(String directoryOfImportingFile, String importExpressionEscaped, ProjectImportElement importElement) at Microsoft.Build.Evaluation.Evaluator4.EvaluateImportElement(String directoryOfImportingFile, ProjectImportElement importElement)
at Microsoft.Build.Evaluation.Evaluator4.PerformDepthFirstPass(ProjectRootElement currentProjectOrImport) at Microsoft.Build.Evaluation.Evaluator4.Evaluate()
at Microsoft.Build.Evaluation.Evaluator4.Evaluate(IEvaluatorData4 data, ProjectRootElement root, ProjectLoadSettings loadSettings, Int32 maxNodeCount, PropertyDictionary1 environmentProperties, ILoggingService loggingService, IItemFactory2 itemFactory, IToolsetProvider toolsetProvider, ProjectRootElementCache projectRootElementCache, BuildEventContext buildEventContext, ProjectInstance projectInstanceIfAnyForDebuggerOnly)
at Microsoft.Build.Evaluation.Project.ReevaluateIfNecessary(ILoggingService loggingServiceForEvaluation)
at Microsoft.Build.Evaluation.Project.Initialize(IDictionary2 globalProperties, String toolsVersion, String subToolsetVersion, ProjectLoadSettings loadSettings) at Microsoft.Build.Evaluation.Project..ctor(String projectFile, IDictionary2 globalProperties, String toolsVersion, String subToolsetVersion, ProjectCollection projectCollection, ProjectLoadSettings loadSettings)
at Microsoft.Build.Evaluation.Project..ctor(String projectFile, IDictionary2 globalProperties, String toolsVersion, ProjectCollection projectCollection, ProjectLoadSettings loadSettings) at Microsoft.Build.Evaluation.Project..ctor(String projectFile, IDictionary2 globalProperties, String toolsVersion, ProjectCollection projectCollection)
at Microsoft.Build.Evaluation.Project..ctor(String projectFile, IDictionary`2 globalProperties, String toolsVersion)
at SandcastleBuilder.Utils.MSBuild.MSBuildProject..ctor(String projectFile)
at SandcastleBuilder.Utils.BuildEngine.BuildProcess.ValidateDocumentationSources()
at SandcastleBuilder.Utils.BuildEngine.BuildProcess.Build()

[EWSoftware]

As mentioned above, check the given file path and make sure the targets file actually exists there. Does it? If not, you may need to copy or install something that's missing.

[Guson]

You probably have an old project-file, and upgraded to a newer Visual Studio. Maybe the project file is interpreted differently by Visual Studio, MSBuild and SHFB?

Check your project file for the following line:

  <Import Project="$(VSToolsPath)\WebApplications\Microsoft.WebApplication.targets" Condition="'$(VSToolsPath)' != ''" />

For Visual Studio 2013 the $(VSToolsPath) normally is

C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild\Microsoft\VisualStudio\v12.0

In your project file you may find

  <PropertyGroup>
    <VisualStudioVersion Condition="'$(VisualStudioVersion)' == ''">12.0</VisualStudioVersion>
    <VSToolsPath Condition="'$(VSToolsPath)' == ''">$(MSBuildExtensionsPath32)\Microsoft\VisualStudio\v$(VisualStudioVersion)</VSToolsPath>
  </PropertyGroup>

Normally the $(MSBuildExtensionsPath32) points to

C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild

MSBuild Reserved and Well-Known Properties
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms164309.aspx

[kamenlitchev]

This is the way a Windows 8.1 Class Library project is created in VS2015. To reproduce, just use New Project -> Class Library (Windows 8.1)

Not a problem with upgrade or something.

[anwaramoon]

I agree with Guson's comment. This is only happening for upgraded projects. One easy way to fix this is, copy web applications folder from v12.0 to v11.0.

from
C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild\Microsoft\VisualStudio\v12.0\WebApplications
to
C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild\Microsoft\VisualStudio\v11.0\WebApplications

[coldacid]

@EWSoftware the problem here is that $(VSToolsPath) and/or $(VisualStudioVersion) are being set by SHFB when passing the source projects through MSBuild. If it didn't, the path to Microsoft.WebApplication.targets would exist for me and probably these other users including OP.

[EWSoftware]

@coldacid: SHFB doesn't set either of those explicitly.

[coldacid]

Any idea where they'd be set then? It's annoying having to hand-edit project files just to get my documentation built and then restore them afterwards, every time.

If it's possible to explicitly set the values within the SHFB project to pass into MSBuild as part of the project configuration, that would be a good workaround for this whole issue, too.

[EWSoftware]

Since SHFB isn't setting them they're most likely inherited (I don't know from where) or they're undefined. If undefined and conditional, they're probably assuming the default value which is perhaps incorrect. You can try adding them to the SHFB project (they can be added using the User Defined Properties category) but don't be surprised if they don't get inherited by the loaded project.

[coldacid]

Looks like dotnet/msbuild#52 explains why this happens. Unfortunately using User Defined Properties doesn't help, but that MSBuild issue gave me the hint for the proper workaround for people facing this problem.

The project file block

  <PropertyGroup>
    <VisualStudioVersion Condition="'$(VisualStudioVersion)' == ''">12.0</VisualStudioVersion>
    <VSToolsPath Condition="'$(VSToolsPath)' == ''">$(MSBuildExtensionsPath32)\Microsoft\VisualStudio\v$(VisualStudioVersion)</VSToolsPath>
  </PropertyGroup>

should be changed so that the condition for <VisualStudioVersion> will succeed when $(MSBuildAssemblyVersion) is empty, like so:
'$(VisualStudioVersion)' == '' or '$(MSBuildAssemblyVersion)' == ''