Custom Build Numbers in Team Build

The Team Build service in Team Foundation Server includes the current date in the build number by default. To me, the string looks like the random gibberish of a disk head crash.

FooBarBuild_20060928.1 FooBarBuild_20060928.2 …

I know some people are fond of including the date in a build label, but it's a turn off for me. Build labels have a tendency to show up in many places, and a friendly number is easier on the eyes.

FooBar_2.5.1 FooBar_2.5.2 … FooBar_2.5.176

Fortunately, it's easier to change Team Build with a custom MSBuild task. There are some examples of how to do this out there, but none that generate a truly friendly name. Ideally, the task will start with a base name like "FooBar_2.5" and just generate an extra identity digit. One of the properties in play during a team build is LastBuildNumber, which we can inspect during the task and use to generate the build number we want http://odetocode.com/Blogs/scott/archive/2006/09/28/7203.aspx http://blogs.vertigosoftware.com/teamsystem/archive/2006/07/06/Adding_the_Build_Number_to_your_binaries.aspx http://msdn2.microsoft.com/zh-cn/library/aa395241.aspx