MSBuild Reference – Preemptive Support Center

This article describes the MSBuild targets, properties, and item metadata supported by Dotfuscator.

For an introduction to integrating Dotfuscator with MSBuild, see Protect Your App with MSBuild.

Install Location

The location of the Dotfuscator MSBuild components depends on how Dotfuscator was installed.

Installation Package	Directory
Windows Installer	`$(MSBuildProgramFiles32)\MSBuild\PreEmptive\Dotfuscator\7`
NuGet Package	`{install dir}/tools/msbuilddir`

where:

Variable	Description
`$(MSBuildProgramFiles32)`	Reserved MSBuild property that points to `C:\Program Files (x86)` on 64-bit Windows or `C:\Program Files` on 32-bit Windows.
`{install dir}`	Directory where the Dotfuscator NuGet package was installed.

MSBuild Targets

Dotfuscator provides the PreEmptive.Dotfuscator.Common.targets MSBuild targets file to integrate protection into an MSBuild project.

The targets run Dotfuscator after the project is built and before the application is packaged.

MSBuild Targets Properties

The following properties are recognized by the Dotfuscator MSBuild targets.

Property	Description	Default
`DotfuscatorEnabled`	Enables or disables Dotfuscator during the build. When `true`, Dotfuscator protects the project. When `false`, Dotfuscator is skipped. Available in the project that imports the Dotfuscator MSBuild targets.	`false`
`DotfuscatorConfigPath`	Specifies the path to the Dotfuscator configuration file relative to the project file. If `DotfuscatorGenerateConfigFileIfMissing` is `true`, the file does not need to exist before the build.	`DotfuscatorConfig.xml`
`DotfuscatorGenerateConfigFileIfMissing`	Determines how Dotfuscator behaves when the configuration file is missing. When `true`, Dotfuscator generates a new configuration file. When `false`, the build fails.	`true`
`DotfuscatorAndroidSigningCertFingerprint`	Specifies the SHA-1 fingerprint of the certificate used to sign a Xamarin.Android application. Required only when injecting Tamper Check into a Xamarin.Android application. If key rotation is enabled and the application targets Android Pie (API 28) or later, specify the last alias in the rotation; otherwise, specify the first alias.	Not set
`DotfuscatorLicense`	Specifies the Dotfuscator license string to use during the build, typically for a Floating License. This value overrides licenses supplied through environment variables or license files.	Not set
`DotfuscatorIncludeAsInput`	Determines whether the current project's assembly is included as an input when another project integrates Dotfuscator and references this project. Available only in referenced project files.	`true`

Warning: Do not enclose property values in quotation marks or end directory paths with a forward slash (/) or backslash (\).

Item Metadata

The following metadata are recognized by the Dotfuscator MSBuild targets.

Metadata	Description	Applies To	Default
`DotfuscatorIncludeAsInput`	Determines whether a referenced assembly is included as an input to Dotfuscator. Supported only on `Reference` items. Setting this metadata on `ProjectReference` or `PackageReference` items is not supported and causes the build to fail.	`Reference` items	`false`

MSBuild Tasks

Dotfuscator provides an MSBuild interface through two task libraries.

Legacy Library: legacy/PreEmptive.Dotfuscator.Tasks.dll
Modern Library: PreEmptive.Dotfuscator.Tasks.dll

The two libraries contain the same task definitions but target different sets of MSBuild flavors and versions. The table below summarizes what MSBuild installations support each version.

MSBuild Flavor	MSBuild Version	Legacy Library	Modern Library
.NET Framework	4 - 14	✅	❌
.NET Framework	15 +	✅	✅
.NET Core	16 +	❌	✅
Mono	16 +	❌	✅

Dotfuscate Task

You can run Dotfuscator from MSBuild using the Dotfuscate task. Below are the properties provided by the Dotfuscate task.

Property	Type	Direction	Description
`ConfigPath`	`string`	Input	Required. Sets the path to the Dotfuscator config.
`DebugSymbols`	`string[]`	Output	Exposes PDB files associated with output assemblies. The PreEmptive.Dotfuscator.targets file exposes this property as an output Item named DotfuscatedDebugSymbols
`InputAssemblies`	`ITaskItem[]`	Input	Sets the input assemblies. Inputs specified in InputAssemblies are merged with the inputs listed in the Dotfuscator config.
`InputManagement`	`string`	Input	Sets how the Dotfuscate task uses inputs. If `automatic` Dotfuscator gets inputs only from the InputAssemblies property and updates the inputs in the config to match. If `manual` or unspecified, Dotfuscator merges the inputs specified in InputAssemblies and specified in the config.
`License`	`string`	Input	Specifies a Dotfuscator license string to activate and use for this run of Dotfuscator. Typically this property is used for a Floating License. The value of this property is used even if another license is specified by an environment variable or in the license file.
`MappingFile`	`string`	Output	Exposes the renaming map file. The PreEmptive.Dotfuscator.targets file exposes this property as an output Item named DotfuscatorMappingFile.
`OutputAssemblies`	`string[]`	Output	Exposes output assemblies. The PreEmptive.Dotfuscator.targets file exposes this property as an output Item named DotfuscatedAssemblies.
`OutputDirectory`	`string`	Input	Sets the directory where Dotfuscator writes the output assemblies. This overrides the output directory specified in the Dotfuscator config.
`Properties`	`string`	Input	Sets user-defined external properties. The string should consist of XML elements, with the name and element value mapped to the property name and value respectively. For example: `<Property1>Value1</Property1><Property2>2</Property2>` The use of XML elements allows the properties to be defined intuitively in MSBuild project files as MSBuild properties like so: `<PropertyGroup>` `<MyDotfuscatorProperties>` `<Property1>Value1</Property1>` `<Property2>2</Property2>` `</MyDotfuscatorProperties>` `</PropertyGroup>` You can then pass `$(MyDotfuscatorProperties)` to this property
`ReportFiles`	`string[]`	Output	Exposes report files such as renaming HTML report and removal reports.
`SatelliteAssemblies`	`string[]`	Output	Exposes satellite assemblies associated with output assemblies. The PreEmptive.Dotfuscator.targets file exposes this property as an output Item named DotfuscatedSatelliteAssemblies.