## Updating the `MinimumRequiredVersion` Automatically


### Introduction to Project Editor


1. In Solution Explorer, right click on your project and select unload project.

 ![Screenshot of Unloading][unload]

2. Once the project has become unavailable, right click again and select edit *`<project_name>.<lang>`* proj.

 ![Screenshot of Opening Editor][edit]


### Introduction to MSBuild

3. Properties use key/value pairs to extract information

 * Using the property name as an alias, you can use `$(OutputPath)` to obtain the value for the element `<OutputPath>.\bin</OutputPath>`

4. We’ll use the following properties generated for a ClickOnce deployment

    
    
        <MinimumRequiredVersion>1.0.0.6</MinimumRequiredVersion>
        <ApplicationRevision>7</ApplicationRevision>
        <ApplicationVersion>1.0.0.%2a</ApplicationVersion>


5. `MSBuild Tasks` can be specified in the project (*.proj) file and invoked during a build event.

 * [`FormatVersion`](http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff595162.aspx) is a built-in task for .NET 4.0 and later that formats the ApplicationVersion and ApplicationRevision into a single version number.


### Implementation


6. Copy and Paste the following code into the opened project file as a child element to the root `<Project>` element.


    
    
    
        <Target Name="AutoSetMinimumRequiredVersion" BeforeTargets="GenerateDeploymentManifest">
          <FormatVersion Version="$(ApplicationVersion)" Revision="$(ApplicationRevision)">
            <Output PropertyName="MinimumRequiredVersion" TaskParameter="OutputVersion"  />
          </FormatVersion>
          <FormatVersion Version="$(ApplicationVersion)" Revision="$(ApplicationRevision)">
            <Output PropertyName="_DeploymentBuiltMinimumRequiredVersion" TaskParameter="OutputVersion"  />
          </FormatVersion>
        </Target>


  This code will take ApplicationVersion and ApplicationRevision as parameters in the Format Version task and will save the output by overwriting the MinimumRequiredVersion with the full publish version.

7. Save and reload your project.  Every ClickOnce deployment will now automatically update to the most recently published version.

---

*Many thanks to Kev for [their answer][answer] which I have basically rehashed here with a little bit of added clarification for any beginners.* Here's a [blog post][blog] I made about the issue that expands even more on my answer here.

 [album]:  http://imgur.com/a/ipDKy
 [unload]: http://i.stack.imgur.com/7nAnm.png
 [edit]:   http://i.stack.imgur.com/bgcUL.png
 [answer]: https://stackoverflow.com/a/13483142/1366033
 [blog]:   http://www.codingeverything.com/2013/05/automatically-increment-minimum.html

We have an [NAnt][1] script that checks out from [CVS][2] and then runs [MSBuild][3] to publish the application. The problem is we have to remember to always increment the version in Visual Studio.

We have the option to auto increment this on publish, but this gets wiped on the next checkout and I would rather not have to get the build script to check in the project file.

Is there a simple way to do this?

  [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAnt
  [2]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concurrent_Versions_System
  [3]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MSBuild
