revit-build

name	revit-build
description	Build and test Revit add-ins with correct configurations for Revit 2022-2027 (NET 4.8, NET 8.0, NET 10.0). Use when building, compiling, testing, packaging Revit projects, or when the user mentions Revit versions, build configurations, testing across multiple Revit versions, or the ModularPipelines build system.

Revit Build Configuration

Supported Versions

Revit Version	Target Framework	Configuration Pattern
2022-2024	net48	*.Autodesk.20XX
2025-2026	net8.0-windows	*.Autodesk.20XX
2027	net10.0-windows	*.Autodesk.2027

Configurations follow {Debug|Release}.Autodesk.{year} (e.g. Release.Autodesk.2025).

Solution file: RevitDevTool.slnx (XML-based slnx format, not legacy .sln).

MSBuild Structure

Directory.Build.props (repo root)

• Central package management (ManagePackageVersionsCentrally)
• LangVersion: latest, Nullable: enable, ImplicitUsings: true, TreatWarningsAsErrors: true
• Maps configuration year → RevitVersion, TargetFramework, plus AutoCadVersion, Civil3dVersion, NavisworksVersion
• AppendTargetFrameworkToOutputPath: false for Autodesk configurations

Directory.Build.targets (repo root)

Conditionally imports product-specific props/targets based on project flags:

<Import Condition="'$(UseRevit)' == 'true'" Project="props\Revit.props" />
<Import Condition="'$(UseRevit)' == 'true'" Project="props\Revit.targets" />

Projects opt in by setting <UseRevit>true</UseRevit> in their .csproj.

props/Revit.props

Imports Common.props then adds Revit API packages:

• Revit_All_Main_Versions_API_x64 — main Revit API (replaces the old Nice3point.Revit.Api.* packages), with ExcludeAssets="runtime"
• Nice3point.Revit.Extensions — extension helpers
• Nice3point.Revit.Api.UIFrameworkServices — UI framework interop

All use VersionOverride="$(RevitVersion).*" for version-per-configuration resolution.

Also defines global usings: Autodesk.Revit.DB, Autodesk.Revit.UI, JetBrains.Annotations, System.

props/Revit.targets

Provides MSBuild targets for Revit add-in projects:

1. Debug/Release detection — sets DebugSymbols/Optimize and DefineConstants for custom configurations
2. ILRepack — merges assemblies post-build when IsRepackable=true (disabled for Revit 2027 due to isolated context)
3. Publish/Deploy — copies addin files to $(PublishDir) and optionally deploys to %AppData%\Autodesk\Revit\Addins\$(RevitVersion)\
4. Define constants — auto-generates REVIT20XX and REVIT20XX_OR_GREATER preprocessor symbols

Polyfill Package

Uses Polyfill (GlobalPackageReference in Directory.Packages.props) for modern C# features on older frameworks. PolySharp has been removed — do not reference or suggest PolySharp.

Build System (ModularPipelines)

Build project: build/Build.csproj targeting net10.0.

CLI Commands

Command	Modules
(no args)	CompileProjectModule + PublishMcpServerModule
test	TestProjectModule
pack	CleanProjectModule → CreateBundleModule + PublishMcpServerModule → CreateInstallerModule
publish	PublishGithubModule

Key Modules

• ResolveConfigurationsModule: Reads Release.Autodesk.* configs from the .slnx solution file
• ResolveVersioningModule: Resolves version from BuildOptions.Version or GitVersion tool
• CompileProjectModule: Builds solution for each resolved configuration with version properties
• PublishMcpServerModule: Publishes MCPServer as trimmed self-contained single-file (~52MB). Csproj DeployMcpServer target auto-kills running instance and copies to %AppData%\...\RevitDevTool.bundle\Contents\
• TestProjectModule: Runs tests per configuration (skipped in CI)
• CleanProjectModule: Cleans bin/obj and output directory (skipped in CI)
• CreateBundleModule: Creates Autodesk .bundle package from publish outputs (uses PublishMcpServerModule result for MCPServer.exe)
• CreateInstallerModule: Creates installer via Inno Setup
• PublishGithubModule: Creates GitHub release with changelog and uploads artifacts

Build Commands

CRITICAL: Kill host process before build+deploy

The built DLL is loaded into the Revit/AutoCAD process. A running host locks the DLL file and prevents overwrite. Before building a configuration that deploys to the addin folder, you MUST kill the corresponding process:

# Find and kill Revit for a specific version before building that version
Get-Process -Name "Revit" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Stop-Process -Force

# If you know the specific PID (e.g. from Named Pipe name Revit_2025_16544):
Stop-Process -Id 16544 -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

# For AutoCAD:
Get-Process -Name "acad" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Stop-Process -Force

When to kill:

• Before scripts/agent/build-host.ps1 (always deploys to addin folder)
• Before dotnet build with DeployRevitAddin=true (default for Debug builds)
• Before dotnet run --project build/Build.csproj -- pack
• NOT needed for builds with -p:DeployRevitAddin=false

Flow: Kill process → Build → (optionally) Restart host to test

Commands

# Compile all Release configurations
dotnet run --project build/Build.csproj

# Run tests
dotnet run --project build/Build.csproj -- test

# Pack (clean + bundle + MCP server + installer)
dotnet run --project build/Build.csproj -- pack

# Publish to GitHub
dotnet run --project build/Build.csproj -- publish

# Build specific configuration manually
dotnet build RevitDevTool.slnx -c "Release.Autodesk.2025"

IDE run configs: .run/Compile.run.xml (no args) and .run/Pack.run.xml (pack arg) for JetBrains Rider.

Testing Workflow

For fast test builds (compile-only, skip ILRepack and deploy), disable IsRepackable and DeployRevitAddin:

dotnet build RevitDevTool.slnx -c "Release.Autodesk.2024" -p:IsRepackable=false -p:DeployRevitAddin=false
dotnet build RevitDevTool.slnx -c "Release.Autodesk.2025" -p:IsRepackable=false -p:DeployRevitAddin=false

For release builds that deploy into Revit's addin folder, use defaults (no property overrides):

dotnet build RevitDevTool.slnx -c "Release.Autodesk.2024"
dotnet build RevitDevTool.slnx -c "Release.Autodesk.2025"

Build at minimum two configurations spanning both framework eras (net48 + net8.0-windows).

Or run the full compile pipeline: dotnet run --project build/Build.csproj

Troubleshooting

• Build fails: Verify NuGet packages available. Revit API packages use VersionOverride="$(RevitVersion).*".
• Framework mismatch: Configuration must match pattern Release.Autodesk.2025, not old Release R25.
• ILRepack fails on Revit 2027: Expected — IsRepackable is disabled for 2027 due to isolated context causing System.BadImageFormatException.
• Polyfill issues on net48: Ensure Polyfill GlobalPackageReference is in Directory.Packages.props. Do not use PolySharp.
• Missing Revit API: This project uses Revit_All_Main_Versions_API_x64. Both this and Nice3point.Revit.Api.* packages are valid choices.