What is the msbuild property containing the name of a .Net self-contained single-file application accessible to a target that runs after the publish event?

Hi @RLWA32

There is an MSBuild property that directly contains the path to the final single-file binary. You can use the $(PublishedSingleFilePath) property.

I have tested this and it works as expected. This property is populated during the Publish target specifically when creating a single-file bundle.

Because this property is created during the publish process, it will be empty if you define your <ItemGroup> at the top level of your project. You need to move your <ItemGroup> inside your target so MSBuild evaluates it after the publish process is complete and the property has a value.

Here is a general example of how to use it for a copy task:

  <!-- Define the target to run after publish -->
  <Target Name="MyPostPublishCopy" AfterTargets="Publish">

    <!-- The ItemGroup must be inside the target to get the populated value -->
    <ItemGroup>
      <MySourceFile Include="$(PublishedSingleFilePath)" />
      <MyDestFolder Include="C:\MyDestinationFolder\" />
    </ItemGroup>

    <Copy SkipUnchangedFiles="true" 
          SourceFiles="@(MySourceFile)" 
          DestinationFolder="@(MyDestFolder)" />

  </Target>

By doing this, you will dynamically get the exact path and filename of the single-file application, regardless of the operating system or runtime identifier.

For more information on single-file deployments, you can refer to the official documentation on creating a single file for application deployment.If you found my response helpful or informative, I would greatly appreciate it if you could follow this guidance or provide feedback.

Thank you.