Metadata should support instance methods

[cdmihai]

Property functions allow string instance methods, like $(prop.Replace('foo', 'bar')). It would be nice if metadata could also support this: %(Filename.Replace('foo', 'bar')).

Because this is not currently supported, users have to do an ugly workaround: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5103026/in-msbuild-can-i-use-the-string-replace-function-on-a-metadata-item/8904902#8904902

To the the string instance functions we could, maybe, also add Combine and ChangeExtension from Path.

[rainersigwald]

Note that this should be fixed for:

• Bare metadata references (%(MetadataName) outside of a @())
• Item transforms (@(ItemName->'%(MetadataName)'))
• Batching expressions ('%(ItemName.MetadataName)')

[ericstj]

Any update on this?

[livarcocc]

@ericstj not at this point. We have other, more blocking issues to look at for dev16 and .net core 3.0, unfortunately. This would be a nice change to get in.

[0xced]

I would have spared so much time if this was implemented. It took me hours to find the Stack Overflow answer mentioned by the original poster, and some time again to adapt it for my purpose inside a Condition.

This would be the intuitive way to write it:

<EmbeddedResource Include="@(SQLiteInteropFiles)">
  <Link Condition="%(Identity.Contains('x86'))">costura32\%(Filename)%(Extension)</Link>
  <Link Condition="%(Identity.Contains('x64'))">costura64\%(Filename)%(Extension)</Link>
</EmbeddedResource>

but that gets you:

error MSB4113: Specified condition "%(Identity.Contains('x86'))" evaluates to "%(Identity.Contains('x86'))" instead of a boolean.

Instead you have to use this convoluted way:

<EmbeddedResource Include="@(SQLiteInteropFiles)">
  <Link Condition="$([MSBuild]::ValueOrDefault('%(Identity)', '').Contains('x86'))">costura32\%(Filename)%(Extension)</Link>
  <Link Condition="$([MSBuild]::ValueOrDefault('%(Identity)', '').Contains('x64'))">costura64\%(Filename)%(Extension)</Link>
</EmbeddedResource>