I work a lot with MSBuild files, mostly to automate numerous processes in the development lifecycle. I wrote a tool to help me work with MSBuild and today I’ve uploaded it to the web in the hope that it will make the lives of those who use MSBuild every day a little bit easier.

The tool is called MSBuild Explorer and it provides the following features:

• Explore the makeup of your MSBuild files.
• Save Favourites to quickly execute your pre-configured MSBuild Scripts.
• Quickly run a snippet of MSBuild.
• Quickly create a new MSBuild file.

The quickest way to see what the tool really does is to spend a minute or two reading the Example Usage Walkthrough.

You can download Version 1 of MSBuild Explorer here. You will need .Net 3.5.

Version 2 will Require .Net 4.0 and will be available in H1 2010.

Mike