How to include MSBUILD dependencies?

[tpetricek]

When you get the FSharp.Compiler.Service NuGet package and install it as part of some application on Azure VM, the application will fail, because F# Compiler Service depends on MSBUILD assemblies that are not part of .NET Framework:

• Microsoft.Build
• Microsoft.Build.Engine
• Microsoft.Build.Framework
• Microsoft.Build.Utilities.v12.0
• Microsoft.Build.Tasks.v12.0

This is a bit unfortunate, because it measn that FSharp.Compiler.Service will not work on non-dev machines. I'm not sure what the best solution is?

• Bundle the libraries with FSharp.Compiler.Service NuGet package? (but it's about 5 MB that most people won't need...)
• Have a NuGet dependency? (if MSBUILD was on NuGet... which I don't think it is)
• ILMERGE ALL THE THINGS! (that is, just the MSBUILD assemblies using the nice ILMerge tool that sometimes does not crash...)
• Give up and tell people to install MSBUILD on their deployment machines?

[See also my comment in: https://github.com/fsharp/fsharp/pull/409]

[7sharp9]

The msbuild 12 bits are for the project file cracking stuff, but msbuild is also used for reference resolution. Why would that never be installed?

[tpetricek]

MSBUILD is now (well, for the last 3 years) a part of Visual Studio and so we cannot expect it to be installed...

[7sharp9]

These are the bits that added the v12 dependencies: https://github.com/fsharp/FSharp.Compiler.Service/blob/master/src/fsharp/vs/service.fs#L2336-L2454

[7sharp9]

I have a pcl version of FCS that Im working on that has no msbuild dependencies, not yet finished I might add.

[dsyme]

I suppose the appropriate DLLs should be bundled as part of the FCS package for now, that seems reasonable, similar to here: fsharp/fsharp#409. Could you send a PR to adjust?

[cognociente]

It seems that the intention here was to add the relevant MSBUILD dependencies/dlls into the FSCS nuget package - this does not seem to have been implemented though as my usage of FSCS via nuget has just downloaded fsharp.compiler.services.dll.

[simra]

Up-vote for this issue. simra/IfSharp#7.
I'll try the options suggested in #424.

[rneatherway]

This should be addressed by #470.