The problem stated simply:
using tfspreview.com account linked to Azure website.
using continuous deployment build provided by Azure team.
All works perfectly, when I check in:
code is uploaded to tfs server
Remote Host is used to build code
A drop folder is created with the compiled code
code from drop folder is published to Azure website
Now this is all good, but it always overwrites any external folders (not part of project) that are on the server. I went into the process template and changed 'Clean Workspace' setting to 'None', but that didn't help.
If I build locally and publish using web deploy, things don't get overwritten. What am I missing here? obviously it's something with the build process or drop folders not being aware of the publish settings. Any ideas?
Related
I have an MVC project being published to Azure from Visual Studio as a web app. In the solution I have a project set up as a "plugin" which is used by the web application and installed using Unity DI. Locally this works but when I publish to azure the plugin files aren't being deployed. This is how my solution and project structure is setup:
Solution MyProject
>nuget
>...
>Plugins
>Plugin.Widget.GoogleAnalytics
>MyProject.Web
>Properties
>References
>...
>Plugins
>bin
>Plugin.Widget.GoogleAnalytics (excluded from project but copied to this directory after project is built above)
>Views
>...
Web.config
Running locally if I delete Solution MyProject/MyProject.Web/Plugins/Plugin.Widget.GoogleAnalytics after is compiled the plugin doesn't appear. If I copy the contents of Solution MyProject/Plugins/Plugin.Widget.GoogleAnalytics/bin back into Solution MyProject/MyProject.Web/Plugins/Plugin.Widget.GoogleAnalytics, the plugin reappears.
The problem is, when I publish to my azure web app, it doesn't include Solution MyProject/MyProject.Web/Plugins/Plugin.Widget.GoogleAnalytics. If I FTP that directory up from my computer is still doesn't load it after restarting the app.
I've tried to include Solution MyProject/MyProject.Web/Plugins/Plugin.Widget.GoogleAnalytics in the project but it causes compilation problems since it's supposed to be added by DI and it also doesn't work after publish.
Is there a way to include the necessary files (not included in the project) during a publish so what works locally will work on azure? Or is there another way to go about this.
If I don't check the option on publish to Remove additional files at destination it usually throws this error when the site tries to load:
Method not found: 'Microsoft.Practices.Unity.IUnityContainer MyProject.Core.ContainerManager.GetConfiguredContainer()'
I've tried to debug that but it's very difficult since it only happens on the azure web app.
I found this question but it didn't give any information for this issues.
EDIT
I was able to get the plugin to work on azure by following these steps.
1) Run in dev environment locally in Debug mode.
2) Publish to azure as debug build.
3) FTP web application plugin directory to azure.
4) Restart azure app. It runs in azure but it's a debug build.
5) Publish from local dev environment as release build.
After this, I was able to publish as release build and check Remove additional files at destination. This removes the plugins in azure. Then I FTP'd the web application plugin directory to azure and start and stop web app and it works. Maybe I can take the debug steps out of this but this is working now.
Heinrich,
Can you please try this below step and see it works.
Make sure you set the build action to Content and they will get deployed.
Try deploying in release mode.
Hope it helps.
MV
When I started writing this question, my problem was that after a successful VSTS Build, I wasn't able to see the files relating to my web application project for release. Only the files from certain other projects in the solution were present. However, I just came across this question, which has helped.
I can now see the compiled .dll files for my web application project, after altering the configuration of the Content setting in the Build - that is, the contents of the Bin folder under that project. But I can't see anywhere the other files I need to copy the built web application to my server - the views, the scripts, the css, etc.
I'm finding the power and flexibility of VSTS's Build and Release functionality very confusing as it's complete overkill for our requirements. Up until now, I've just right-clicked on the web app project in Visual Studio selected Publish and used the File System publish method. Easy. Now that I want to automate the building and deploying of the application, it's many times more complicated!
So, can anybody tell me how I can get the solution to build in VSTS in such a way that I can then use a Copy Files task in the Release Definition to copy the files to our web server (the server isn't visible to the Internet so I'm using a locally-hosted Agent)?
In vNext build, to publish your build artifacts with the Copy files or Publish build artifacts steps. Try to use the local path on the agent where any artifacts are copied to before being pushed to their destination. For example：
Add /p:DeployOnBuild=true
/p:OutDir="$(build.artifactstagingdirectory)\" arguments in Visual
Studio Build step；
Change "Path to Publish" of Publish Build Artifacts task to
$(build.artifactstagingdirectory)\_PublishedWebsites\ProjectName:
Details please check the screenshot of build step with this question: How do I get the the expected output from a TFS 2015 build (to match my XAML build)?
Base on your comments, you have published the web app from Visual Studio. Usually, this action will generate a publish profile under Project/Properties/PublishProfiles folder. The settings you used to publish the web app is stored in the profile. So you just need to make sure this publish profile is checked into source control. And then in the TFS build, add following MSBuild arguments:
/p:DeployOnBuild=true /p:PublishProfile="publishprofile.pubxml"
I've been trying for a week to deploy a webrole to Azure Clous Services without quite getting there.
Here is my setup:
I've got a cloud solution with a cloud project and a MVC application (standard no changes to template yet). Its under source control in Visual Studio Online.
I'm using octopack to try generating the nuget package
I'm using the buildt in nuget repo from Octopus
The Octopus server and tentacle is hosted on a VM in azure
I've created a step-template for my deployment step (see this article)
My plan:
I'd like to have a CI build to a dev-service and a seperate build to push my project to the staging environment and roll it onto the production environment using Octopus.
My problem:
The packages that are produced by Octopack seems to not contain what they should. And I've tried to play around with the nuspec file included in my webrole to get it just right. Something ends up missing either way i try.
Have anyone gotten this to work? I'd appreciate any tips pointing me in the right direction as I've slowly been running out of ideas. So i turn to you my fellow nerdlings for some much needed help.
Regards
ZiGGstern
Correct me if I'm wrong but it looks like you're in need of the octo.exe to automate deployments after build within Visual Studio/TFS Online to your target environments.
I'm trying to focus on this statement:
I'd like to have a CI build to a dev-service and a seperate build to
push my project to the staging environment and roll it onto the
production environment using Octopus.
You can configure within your build-template, using the "Post-Deploy Script Path" a PowerShell script to call the Octo.exe (with an API Key) and fire off a deployment for your desired environment(s). You can customize this per build if you so choose. I've used this method by creating a folder within the root of my Solution (I call it 'Tools' but the name doesn't matter). Within that Tools folder, I add a PowerShell script AND the octo.exe. The PS script fires the Octo.exe which makes a call to my Octopus Server and with the "create release" option, I'm able to automatically deploy to whatever environment AFTER my build finishes within TFS. Make sure to always include those files (right-click in VS and in file properties select 'always copy').
I'm not quite sure why your NuGet packages would not be configured correctly, but that should be remedied first. Your question is trying to ask for two things and it's not clear which is more important to you; NuGet package or the Deployment from CI build. Having said that, I think you need to give more details on why you think your NuGet package is inadequate or not working correctly for your Azure services.
Please note, the site you supplied is using a custom PowerShell script in the form of a step template. It may be best to try the default Azure step within Octopus first before using a customized script. Just a thought.
Read more about the Octo.exe here: http://docs.octopusdeploy.com/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=360596
I keep getting this error everytime I try to setup TFS plublishing with my Azure Cloud Services Account:
Unable to find AzureContinuousDeployment.11.xaml
And links to this post:
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/bharry/archive/2012/06/07/announcing-continuous-deployment-to-azure-with-team-foundation-service.aspx
I had removed the BuildProcessTemplates folder to another path inside TFS. I just restored it to "$//BuildProcessTemplates" just like the article said, but I keep getting the same error from the Windows Azure Management portal.
The publishing templates haven't been modified.
OK so apparently, I needed at least one Build Configuration defined in the "Builds" section of Team Explorer for this to work.
I added a new configuration called TEMP and directed the process template xaml to the root folder.
Once that was configured I went back to the Azure Management Site, retried the "Setup TFS Publishing" option and everything worked fine.
I need to publish a specific folder in my project to my web site using tfs builds. I know tfs copies to a drop folder but I also need it to publish to my web server when I queue a new build. Is there anyway I can do this? I currently have web deploy installed on my server and I have tested it and know it works. Would these be some type of build definition? I can only find sample definitions that copy to a UNC path.