TFS 2015 pass variable to Wix at build

Question

I'm working on creating build definition on TFS 2015. We have *.sln file and referenced *.wixprojthere. In Wix proj we are using variables as follows: <File Id="MyFile" Name="MyFile.dll" Source="$(var.SourceLocation)" Vital="yes"/> This variable $(var.SourceLocation) is passed to candle.exe:

C:\Program Files (x86)\WiX Toolset v3.10\bin\candle.exe -d"SourceLocation=D:\agent_work\2\SomeLocation\bin\Debug\"

It work locally because we have such code there:

    <Project ToolsVersion="4.0" DefaultTargets="Build" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
  <PropertyGroup>
    <Configuration Condition=" '$(Configuration)' == '' ">Debug</Configuration>
    <Platform Condition=" '$(Platform)' == '' ">x86</Platform>
    <ProductVersion>3.8</ProductVersion>
    <ProjectGuid>{63f50ecb-3c8f-448c-ad0d-43739e6ad5f1}</ProjectGuid>
    <SchemaVersion>2.0</SchemaVersion>
    <OutputName>Setup AddIn</OutputName>
    <OutputType>Package</OutputType>
    <WixTargetsPath Condition=" '$(WixTargetsPath)' == '' AND '$(MSBuildExtensionsPath32)' != '' ">$(MSBuildExtensionsPath32)\Microsoft\WiX\v3.x\Wix.targets</WixTargetsPath>
    <WixTargetsPath Condition=" '$(WixTargetsPath)' == '' ">$(MSBuildExtensionsPath)\Microsoft\WiX\v3.x\Wix.targets</WixTargetsPath>
    <SccProjectName>SAK</SccProjectName>
    <SccProvider>SAK</SccProvider>
    <SccAuxPath>SAK</SccAuxPath>
    <SccLocalPath>SAK</SccLocalPath>
    <SourceLocation Condition="$(SourceLocation) == '' ">$(SolutionDir)SomeLocation\bin\$(Configuration)\</SourceLocationAddIn>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Debug|x86' ">
    <OutputPath>$(SolutionDir)OutPutpathLocation\bin\$(Configuration)\</OutputPath>
    <IntermediateOutputPath>obj\$(Configuration)\</IntermediateOutputPath>
    <DefineConstants>SourceLocation=$(SourceLocation)</DefineConstants>
    <SuppressIces>ICE30;ICE91</SuppressIces>
    <Cultures>
    </Cultures>
    <LinkerAdditionalOptions>-cultures:en-us%3b</LinkerAdditionalOptions>
    <CompilerAdditionalOptions>
    </CompilerAdditionalOptions>
    <SuppressValidation>True</SuppressValidation>
  </PropertyGroup>

---

When I try run this in TFS 2015 I pass SourceLocation via /p: arguments:

If I look at msbuild arguments it evaluated:

But it failed.

2017-01-19T13:39:47.3202914Z 57>D:\agent_work\2\s\Setup\Installation\Installation\Sequences.wxs(11): error LGHT0103: The system cannot find the file '$(Build.BinariesDirectory)MyFile.dll'. [D:\agent_work\2\s\Setup\Installation\Installation\Installation.wixproj]

How to pass my own variables to wixproj in TFS 2015 (vNext) build?

---

Update: Finally I fixed it. As suggested Arkady I just created new <PropertyGroup> without conditions and removed <DefineConstants> from other places:

<Project ToolsVersion="4.0" DefaultTargets="Build" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
  <PropertyGroup>
    <Configuration Condition=" '$(Configuration)' == '' ">Debug</Configuration>
    <Platform Condition=" '$(Platform)' == '' ">x86</Platform>
    <ProductVersion>3.8</ProductVersion>
    <ProjectGuid>{63f50ecb-3c8f-448c-ad0d-43739e6ad5f1}</ProjectGuid>
    <SchemaVersion>2.0</SchemaVersion>
    <OutputName>Setup AddIn</OutputName>
    <OutputType>Package</OutputType>
    <WixTargetsPath Condition=" '$(WixTargetsPath)' == '' AND '$(MSBuildExtensionsPath32)' != '' ">$(MSBuildExtensionsPath32)\Microsoft\WiX\v3.x\Wix.targets</WixTargetsPath>
    <WixTargetsPath Condition=" '$(WixTargetsPath)' == '' ">$(MSBuildExtensionsPath)\Microsoft\WiX\v3.x\Wix.targets</WixTargetsPath>
    <SccProjectName>SAK</SccProjectName>
    <SccProvider>SAK</SccProvider>
    <SccAuxPath>SAK</SccAuxPath>
    <SccLocalPath>SAK</SccLocalPath>
    <SourceLocation Condition="$(SourceLocation) == '' ">$(SolutionDir)SomeLocation\bin\$(Configuration)\</SourceLocationAddIn>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <PropertyGroup>
   <DefineConstants>$(DefineConstants);SourceLocationAddIn=$(SourceLocationAddIn);SourceLocationCA=$(SourceLocationCA)</DefineConstants>
  </PropertyGroup>
   ...

It looks $(DefineConstants); did the trick. Without this my build doesn't get any parameters. In addition, I added extra slash at all items in *.wxs file as follows:

<File Id="MyFile" Name="MyFile.dll" Source="$(var.SourceLocation)\" Vital="yes"/>

Look at $(var.SourceLocation)\. (I tried changed this in VS build step but it didn't take any effect). Now I have working solution for development at my PC and CI at build server.

Answer 1

You can add this without the condition of configuration and platform.

 <PropertyGroup>
    <DefineConstants>
      $(DefineConstants);SourceLocation=$(SourceLocation)
    </DefineConstants>
 </PropertyGroup>

This way it apply always to all configurations.