Windows Developer Power Tools

12.5 Managing Your Build Process Visually with MSBuild Sidekick

MSBuild, Microsoft’s build engine, was a great addition to Version 2.0 of the .NET Framework. It provides a way to create and manage complex build procedures using well-structured XML files. Unfortunately, as the build process grows in complexity, creating and maintaining these files can become extremely difficult. Additionally, working in straight XML can often be confusing, especially with complex files.

MSBuild Sidekick, created by Trivium Technologies, is a GUI for authoring MSBuild files (known as project files) that saves you the time it takes to master the MSBuild schema and provides an easy way to review and edit the build process. MSBuild Sidekick lets you construct the build process by selecting menu items and filling out properties forms, while keeping the hierarchical structure of the build process visible at all times. MSBuild Sidekick also provides a great way for investigating an existing build process by exposing its dependencies and allowing you to drill down through them with a click of the mouse.

MSBuild Sidekick at a Glance
Tool	MSBuild Sidekick
Version covered	1.0
Home page	http://www.3vium.com/sidekicks/msbuild/
Power Tools page	http://www.windevpowertools.com/tools/53
Summary	A visual editor for creating and managing MSBuild and TFS Build Type files
License type	Freeware
Online resources	Tutorials, blog, email ...