c# - VS2008 - Outputting a different file name for Debug/Release configurations

Question

When building a C# application with Visual Studio 2008, is it possible to set a different output filename per configuration?

e.g.

MyApp_Debug.exe
MyApp_Release.exe

I tried a post-build step to rename the file by appending the current configuration, but that seems a scrappy approach. Plus it meant that Visual Studio could no longer find the file when pressing F5 to start debugging.

Answer 1

You can achieve this by editing your project file by hand. Locate the <AssemblyName> node and add a conditional attribute to it:

<AssemblyName Condition="'$(Configuration)'=='Debug'">MyApp_Debug.exe</AssemblyName>
<AssemblyName Condition="'$(Configuration)'=='Release'">MyApp_Release.exe</AssemblyName>

You'll have to duplicate it also to add another conditional attribute for the release version.

Whilst it is possible, it may cause problems. There is an AssemblyConfiguration attribute that can be applied to your assembly. In AssemblyInfo.cs, put:

#if DEBUG
[assembly: AssemblyConfiguration("Debug")]
#else
[assembly: AssemblyConfiguration("Release")]
#endif

This will add a property to your compiled assembly that will tell you which build configuration your application was built using.