How to disable MSBuild <RegisterOutput> target environment for each user?

Question

I like to do my development as a regular (non-admin) user. Our VS2010 project does not work with "Failed to register output. Try enabling redirection for each user or register the component from the elevated command prompt."

Since I cannot change the project file , is there a way I can add MSBuild targets or properties for a specific user that disabled this step on a specific machine, or for a specific user? I would prefer not to crack the core MSBuild files.

I do not want to modify the project file, because then I could accidentally check it. I also do not want to hack the core MSBuild files because they can be overwritten by the service pack.

Given that the Visual C ++ project files (and their associated .targets and .props files) have about a million places to change the assembly order and to import arbitrary files, I was hoping for something in these lines.

MSBuild imports / evaluates the project file as follows (I looked only at the branches that interest me):

Foo.vcxproj Microsoft.Cpp.Default.props Microsoft.Cpp.props $(UserRootDir)\Microsoft.Cpp.$(Platform).user.props Microsoft.Cpp.targets Microsoft.Cpp.$(Platform).targets ImportBefore\* Microsoft.CppCommon.targets 

The purpose of "RegisterOutput" is defined in Microsoft.CppCommon.targets . I was hoping to replace this by setting the "RegisterOutput" do-nothing target to $(UserRootDir)\Microsoft.Cpp.$(Platform).user.props , which is %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\MSBuild\v4.0\Microsoft.Cpp.Win32.user.props (UserRootDir is installed in Microsoft.Cpp.Default.props , if it is not already installed).

Unfortunately, MSBuild uses an end goal, which means mine gets an overridden inline.

Alternatively, I could try setting the %(Link.RegisterOutput) metadata %(Link.RegisterOutput) , but I would have to do this on all Link elements. Any idea how to do this, or even if it will work?

madgnome suggested that I can do something in the .vcxproj.user file. Unfortunately, this is at the beginning of the assembly process, which means that replacing the target will not work.

Answer 1

Final decision

RegisterOutput is called during the communication process defined by $ (BuildLinkTargets) (Microsoft.CppBuild.targets) as follows:

 <BuildLinkTargets Condition="'$(ConfigurationType)'!='Utility'"> $(BuildLinkTargets); _Link; _ALink; _Manifest; RegisterOutput; _XdcMake; _BscMake; </BuildLinkTargets> 

If you do not want to perform RegisterOutput, you just need to remove this step in the BuildLinkTargets definition:

 <PropertyGroup> <BuildLinkTargets Condition="'$(ConfigurationType)'!='Utility'"> $(BuildLinkTargets); _Link; _ALink; _Manifest; _XdcMake; _BscMake; </BuildLinkTargets> 

• If you do not want to execute RegisterOutput for one project , you need to redefine it in the file: PROJECT_NAME.vcxproj.user (next to your project file, this file depends on the user and the project)
• If you never want to execute RegisterOutput in your entire project , you need to override it in the file: $ (UserRootDir) \ Microsoft.Cpp. $ (Platform) .user. props (this file is user-specific)