Can't build using VS Build Tools 2022 version 17.0.1

[thansen24]

I have an existing F# library that is targeting 4.7.2 .net framework. This compiles fine in the VS 2022 IDE, but it won't compile using the VS Build Tools 2022 on our build server. Using VS 2017 and 2019 it compiled in both the IDE and Build Tools.

I receive the following error:

The target "Clean" does not exist in the project.

I think what's missing from the Build Tools install is:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\BuildTools\MSBuild\Microsoft\VisualStudio\v17.0\FSharp\Microsoft.FSharp.targets

When I look at the IDE install paths, they look correct. This does exist:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Professional\MSBuild\Microsoft\VisualStudio\v17.0\FSharp\Microsoft.FSharp.targets

[thansen24]

Is there any resolution to this? It's preventing upgrading to VS 2022 because our CI pipeline uses the VS Build Tools instead of the IDE.

[ngyukman]

We just faced the same issue

As a workaround, copying

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Professional\MSBuild\Microsoft\VisualStudio\v17.0\FSharp\,
to
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\BuildTools\MSBuild\Microsoft\VisualStudio\v17.0\

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Professional\Common7\IDE\CommonExtensions\Microsoft\FSharp and
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Professional\Common7\IDE\CommonExtensions\Microsoft\FSharpSdk
to
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\BuildTools\Common7\IDE\CommonExtensions\Microsoft\

to the build machine temporary fix the issue

[KevinRansom]

Oh is this the build tools install? I will take a look.

[KevinRansom]

Somehow F# is no longer installed with the build tools sku. @brettfo will do the foo to put us back. It will probably arrive in preview 3.

[KevinRansom]

We have found the fix and merged it. It will be published in
VS Build Tools 2022 17.2 Preview 3.

[stewienj]

Was this fix included in VS Build Tools 2022 17.2.1 ? We still seem to have this issue, and I have to trust that our CI server admins installed F# like I requested. It appears the payloads are now downloaded in 17.2.1, I can see they weren't with version 17.1.

[stewienj]

Was this fix included in VS Build Tools 2022 17.2.1?

Quick answer: Yes.

I've worked out what happened, if you just select the ".NET desktop build tools" Workload in the Visual Studio Build Tools installer it doesn't install F# by default, even though the description for that workload is "Tools for building WPF, Windows Forms, and console applications using C#, Visual Basic, and F#." To include F# in the installation you have to check the F# compiler box on the right side of the installer dialog. This step was missed by the person doing the installation.