Error Reading Resource File for any WPF Project in VS2012

Question

Whenever I try to compile any WPF project in VS2012 I have the following compile error:

Error reading resource file 'c:\Users\mysuerID\Documents\Visual Studio 2012\Projects\MyAppNAme\MyAppNAme\obj\Debug\' -- 'The system cannot find the path specified. ' C:\Users\mysuerID\Documents\Visual Studio 2012\Projects\MyAppNAme\MyAppNAme\CSC MyAppNAme

The problem is when VS generates the CSC command it contains an extra partial duplicated /resource parameter like this:

/resource:obj\Debug\ /resource:obj\Debug\MyAppName.Properties.Resources.resources

CSC looks only at the first parameter and since no file name is specified it throws the error. I went to command line mode and tested with and without the extra parameter and verified it is the problem. I don't want to have to manually compile my projects!

Anyone know how VS comes up with these parameters and how I could get rid of this extra invalid parameter?

The Build Output Looks Like this (Framework 4.5)

1>Target "MainResourcesGeneration" in file "C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\Microsoft.WinFX.targets" from project "C:\Users\jws15592\Documents\Visual Studio 2012\Projects\MyAppName\MyAppName\MyAppName.csproj" (target "PrepareResources" depends on it):
1>Building target "MainResourcesGeneration" completely.
1>Input file "C:\Users\jws15592\Documents\Visual Studio 2012\Projects\MyAppName\MyAppName\obj\Debug\MainWindow.baml" is newer than output file "obj\Debug\".
1>Task "Message" skipped, due to false condition; ('$(MSBuildTargetsVerbose)'=='true') was evaluated as (''=='true').
1>Using "ResourcesGenerator" task from assembly "PresentationBuildTasks, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35".
1>Task "ResourcesGenerator"
1>  
1>  
1>  Microsoft (R) Build Task 'ResourcesGenerator' Version '4.0.30319.17929 built by: FX45RTMREL'.
1>  Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation 2005. All rights reserved.
1>  
1>  
1>  Generating .resources file: 'obj\Debug\'...
1>C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\Microsoft.WinFX.targets(709,5): error RG1000: Unknown build error, 'Could not find a part of the path 'C:\Users\jws15592\Documents\Visual Studio 2012\Projects\MyAppName\MyAppName\obj\Debug\'.' 
1>Done executing task "ResourcesGenerator" -- FAILED.
1>Done building target "MainResourcesGeneration" in project "MyAppName.csproj" -- FAILED.

The ItemGroup in the Project File:

  <ItemGroup>
    <Compile Include="Properties\AssemblyInfo.cs">
      <SubType>Code</SubType>
    </Compile>
    <Compile Include="Properties\Resources.Designer.cs">
      <AutoGen>True</AutoGen>
      <DesignTime>True</DesignTime>
      <DependentUpon>Resources.resx</DependentUpon>
    </Compile>
    <Compile Include="Properties\Settings.Designer.cs">
      <AutoGen>True</AutoGen>
      <DependentUpon>Settings.settings</DependentUpon>
      <DesignTimeSharedInput>True</DesignTimeSharedInput>
    </Compile>
    <EmbeddedResource Include="Properties\Resources.resx">
      <Generator>ResXFileCodeGenerator</Generator>
      <LastGenOutput>Resources.Designer.cs</LastGenOutput>
    </EmbeddedResource>
    <None Include="app.config" />
    <None Include="Properties\Settings.settings">
      <Generator>SettingsSingleFileGenerator</Generator>
      <LastGenOutput>Settings.Designer.cs</LastGenOutput>
    </None>
    <AppDesigner Include="Properties\" />
  </ItemGroup>

BTW, I tried uninstalling Visual Studio and re-installing. No effect at all. — Jeff, Jul 22 '13 at 14:29

Hans Passant · Accepted Answer · 2013-07-22T15:55:06.813

It is not an extra argument, it is an incomplete one. You'd normally expect to see /resource:obj\Debug\MyAppName.g.resources there. Something makes that filename evaluate to an empty string. It is generated from the .xaml files in your app.

Tools + Options, Projects and Solution, Build and Run, "MSBuild project build output verbosity" setting, change it to Detailed. You'll now get a very detailed trace of the build steps. Copy/paste it into Notepad and turn on Format + Word Wrap so you can see everything.

The expected build step that generates the MyAppName.g.resources file look like this:

1>Output file "obj\Debug\MyAppName.g.resources" does not exist.
1>Task "Message" skipped, due to false condition; ('$(MSBuildTargetsVerbose)'=='true') was evaluated as (''=='true').
1>Using "ResourcesGenerator" task from assembly "PresentationBuildTasks, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35".
1>Task "ResourcesGenerator"
1>  
1>  
1>  Microsoft (R) Build Task 'ResourcesGenerator' Version '4.0.30319.17929 built by: FX45RTMREL'.
1>  Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation 2005. All rights reserved.
1>  
1>  
1>  Generating .resources file: 'obj\Debug\MyAppName.g.resources'...
1>  Reading Resource file: 'C:\Users\hpass_000\AppData\Local\Temporary Projects\MyAppName\obj\Debug\MainWindow.baml'...
1>  Resource ID is 'mainwindow.baml'.
1>  Generated .resources file: 'obj\Debug\MyAppName.g.resources'.

Compare it with yours and tell us what you see different.

UPDATE: clearly this build step goes wrong for the exact same reason. The input file is generated correctly. I can narrow it down to a MSBuild variable that has an empty string, it is $(_ResourceNameInMainAssembly).

Explaining why is much harder however, I don't see any scenario where it could be empty. Use a text editor to look at C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\Microsoft.WinFx.targets. The part of the file that assigns the variable looks like this:

 <_ResourceNameInMainAssembly Condition="'$(UICulture)' == ''">$(AssemblyName).g.resources</_ResourceNameInMainAssembly>

 <_ResourceNameInMainAssembly Condition="'$(UICulture)' != ''">$(AssemblyName).unlocalizable.g.resources</_ResourceNameInMainAssembly>

That .targets file is 42567 bytes long and is dated 06/06/12 on my machine. I do have .NET 4.5 installed.

Mine looks quite bit different. I've added it to the problem description above. It looks like mine is trying to generate the file from the incomplete parameter I came across in the CSC command earlier. — Jeff, Jul 22 '13 at 14:28
Yup, this goes wrong at that exact step, same basic problem. The .baml input file is generated correctly. But the $(_ResourceNameInMainAssembly) variable is an empty string. That's very hard to explain, it is assigned in C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\Microsoft.WinFx.targets and there's no scenario I can see that would leave it empty. Have a look at that file and search for the name. Compare the date/size of the file with one on another machine. — Hans Passant, Jul 22 '13 at 14:56
That was it. The following line was missing from the WinFx.targets file: <_ResourceNameInMainAssembly Condition="'$(UICulture)' == ''">$(AssemblyName).g.resources — Jeff, Jul 22 '13 at 16:23

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Sep 14 '13 at 05:07

As a workaround you can symlink your actual resources file to the "missing" resources.resources file. I ran into the same problem and fixed it by simply typing the following in to an elevated command prompt.

mklink c:\MySolution\MyLibrary\MyLibrary\Properties\Resources.resources c:\MySolution\MyLibrary\MyLibrary\Properties\Resources.Designer.cs

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Jul 21 '13 at 17:02

0

That's an odd one.

I don't know if there are any settings that you can fiddle with directly from the IDE which could affect this bizarre behavior. After checking the command-line parameters, as you did, I would get my hands dirty and open the project file in some text editor (like notepad, for instance). There I would check all the <ItemGroup> nodes with an <EmbeddedResource> or <Content Include="Something"> as child elements until the culprit is found. Other files you should check are the *.resx ones in the Properties folder.

Hope it helps.

answered Jul 21 '13 at 17:02

Leandro

1,560
17
35

The project file is the default one created by VS. (The project itself MyAppName is a brand new empty WPF project. Since all my WPF projects show this error I thought it best to debug with a simple/new project.) Just because it's default though doesn't mean it didn't auto generate an error based on some mal-configuration I have somewhere else I suppose. I've added the relevant section to the problem description above. Is there something there that's a problem that I'm not seeing? – Jeff Jul 22 '13 at 14:24
1

It might be relevant for some other user with similar error, but different cause. I have seen answers like this on other posts and it seems to have helped other users. I guess my vote it to leave it here. Thanks – Jeff Jul 22 '13 at 16:25

Error Reading Resource File for any WPF Project in VS2012

3 Answers3

Linked