PowerShell script is not executed BeforeBuild anymore

[vsfeedback]

This issue has been moved from a ticket on Developer Community.

---

[severity:It's more difficult to complete my work] [regression] [worked-in:17.13]
It is a Blazor Wasm PWA with AOT.
I created a PowerShell script that is executed before build when it is during publish:

My *.csproj contains:

	<!--Before a build but only when it is during publish, execute a PowerShell script, that ...-->
	<Target Name="PrePublishScript" BeforeTargets="BeforeBuild" Condition="'$(IsPublishing)' == 'True'">
		<Exec Command="powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File myScript.ps1" />
	</Target>

It worked with 17.13 and does not work after the update to 17.14.

---

Original Comments

Philipp Rollmann on 5/27/2025, 11:46 AM:

I just found out, deleting Condition="'$(IsPublishing)' == 'True'" makes the script run, but of course during every build and not only publish builds.
I want to run the script only during a publish build.

Feedback Bot on 5/28/2025, 05:25 AM:

We have directed your feedback to the appropriate engineering team for further evaluation. The team will review the feedback and notify you about the next steps.

Philipp Rollmann on 7/28/2025, 03:08 PM:

I just tested it with 17.14.8 and it is still not working.
Any news on this?

[javiercn]

Thanks for contacting us.

Have you checked the build log with MSBuildStructuredLogViewer
To capture the binary log:
For Visual Studio, set the following environment variables and launch visual studio, the logs will be in the folder

SET MSBUILDDEBUGENGINE=1
SET MSBUILDDEBUGPATH=C:\MSBuildReproLogs

From the command line use dotnet build /bl to capture the binlog.

It should give you an idea of why the target is not executing, if you still have issues we can take a look.

[PhilippJR]

Please excuse the late response. I was on vacation.

I created the binlog and examined it.
There is no IsPublishing but only _IsPublishing. So, adding the underscore makes the script execute BeforeBuild. Sounds like the solution, but if I remember correctly, the underscore means that it is actually for internal use only, and it could be renamed or deleted. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Some weeks ago, when I created the original bug report, it worked with IsPublishing.

I also tried Condition="'$(PublishAot)' == 'True'", Condition="'$(IsPublish)' == 'True'" and Condition="'$(WasmIsPublishing)' == 'True'" because I found these properties in the binlog and they sounded suitable. They did not work.

[PhilippJR]

Any news on this?