Check this code sample:
Build Visual Studio project through the command line
This will give you a little mini "build script". You can build your code without opening up Visual Studio.
Here is the code from the URL:
Create a .bat file called:
Manual_MSBuild_ReleaseVersion.bat
Put this in the .bat file.
rd .\BuildResults /S /Q
md .\BuildResults
REM set msBuildDir=%WINDIR%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v3.5
set msBuildDir=%WINDIR%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319
call %msBuildDir%\msbuild.exe MySolution.sln /p:Configuration=Release /l:FileLogger,Microsoft.Build.Engine;logfile=Manual_MSBuild_ReleaseVersion_LOG.log
set msBuildDir=
XCOPY .\MyProject\Bin\Release\*.* .\BuildResults\
You can build a .sln file or a .csproj file.
MySolution.sln or MyProject.csproj
See How to: Use MSBuild to Create a Web Package for more information.
That way, you remove a directory (just to make sure you get a super clean build), create it, build the solution/project and then copy the results of the build to the fresh directory.
Super fresh, every time. And if the build blows up, the \BuildResults directory is empty.
And a subtle little indicator, the datetime of the \BuildResults directory is the last time you built (or tried to build) the solution/project. Subtle, but sometimes helpful.