Unable to build project output group Content Files from

Question

currently I'm trying to create an WebSetup Project for one of our ASP.net4/Silverlight-Web Applications using Visual Studio 2010.

I created the setup Project according to this tutorial, but when I'm trying to build the Setup Project (I did a build of the whole solution before), I get the following error:

Unable to build project output group 'Content Files from MyWebProject (Active)'

According to this and almost any other site I found, this error refers to items that are included in the web-project but missing on disk.

I checked all my projects twice, there is no missing file. Are there any other solutions to this problem?

Other things I tried:

This post: I do have .xml Files accompanying our .dlls. I also removed the xml File from my project, but it didn't help either
This post: Setting the startup project to my web application changed nothing.

Both of the above Posts are from this thread on forums.asp.net.

Thanks - the link was a life saver. Hope you found your issue? — StuartLC, May 22 '12 at 14:54
Nope, not yet. For the time being, we are writing a custom setup application to avoid this issue. — Vertigo, May 22 '12 at 15:33

score 48 · Answer 1 · answered Sep 25 '12 at 18:08

48

I had this problem also. (Visual Studio 2010 Pro, .Net 4.0) I found the missing file using "Publish..." option. Right click on the web app. Up near the top of the menu (5th from the top for me) is "Publish...". Click that. I did "Publish method: File System". Publish fails for the same reason that building the setup fails. The difference is that when Publish fails, it gives an error message.

answered Sep 25 '12 at 18:08

user1698125

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@user1698125 Thanks for the tip! Worked like a charm! – Saxophonist Oct 09 '13 at 16:23
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@user1698125 Brilliant, many thanks for the tip, saved a lot of time. This should be marked as the answer. – Apogee Jan 13 '14 at 15:04
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Superb! Better than http://www.hanselman.com/blog/VisualStudioMSIProblemsUnableToBuildProjectOutputGroupContentFilesFromSOMEWEBActive.aspx – Greg Woods Jan 21 '16 at 17:12
You have my gratitude – Dave Halsall Feb 03 '16 at 11:04
@user1698125 Thanks for the tip! Worked like a charm! – MeerArtefakt Dec 16 '20 at 13:09
That tip helped identify the issue quickly. – amassani Mar 31 '21 at 15:07

score 14 · Answer 2 · answered Dec 10 '12 at 17:11

14

In most cases it's due to missing files. Expand all your projects and check that none of them is marked with the Yellow Exclamation mark. For web applications the usual suspect is config.web and more specifically the Debug/Release versions , click on the '+' next to the Web.Config and see if they are marked as missing. Good luck

answered Dec 10 '12 at 17:11

AshMan

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If the VS does not know a missing file, it will not mark it with yellow exclamation. So, better check every content file. – Mert Akcakaya Feb 21 '13 at 09:22
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You save my life. I have a demo in an hour. – honzajscz Oct 01 '13 at 12:16

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Mar 16 '22 at 08:46

0

I have faced the same issue at my side. `

[how to resolve ERROR: Unable to build project output group 'Content Files from XYZ.xyz (Active)]

so solution ==> as per my project resolution I was just removed the reference file same name as the reference shown in the error block as [XYZ.xyz (Active) ] from the WCFSetup project followed by clean with Rebuild the solution.

The problem will be resolved and .MSI, as well as .setup file, will generated

answered Mar 16 '22 at 08:46

Kundan Jaiswal

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As it’s currently written, your answer is unclear. Please [edit] to add additional details that will help others understand how this addresses the question asked. You can find more information on how to write good answers [in the help center](/help/how-to-answer). – Community Mar 20 '22 at 11:35

Unable to build project output group Content Files from

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