InheritDoc only runs on one target

[KeithHxGN]

I have a project that is multi-targeted.

<TargetFrameworks>net48;net8.0-windows</TargetFrameworks>

Each target generates its own xmldoc file:

<GenerateDocumentationFile>true</GenerateDocumentationFile>

When I do a build, InheritDoc is only running on the net48 target.

I have the following set so that InheritDoc runs on debug builds:

<InheritDocEnabled>true</InheritDocEnabled>

Am I missing something?

[saucecontrol]

How are you building?

dotnet build -c Release should run it for all TFMs.

If you build from VS, it may only run all targets for a subset of TFMs. This could be only the TFM selected in the drop-down, or in some cases, the first one in the TargetFrameworks list. It also depends on the project type. For example, a library project that produces a NuGet package will build all targets in order to create the package.

[KeithHxGN]

Also, I just wanted to say "Thank you" for making this project. It is a huge help to me!

[saucecontrol]

You were too quick, I was editing the reply to add more info. What kind of project is it?

[KeithHxGN]

It's a WPF library project.

[KeithHxGN]

I can make this work as-is. My xmldoc files are the same across targets. I wrote a tool that parses the xmldoc file and generates markdown API documentation for my library. So I can use the net48 one with no issue.

[saucecontrol]

Good to hear you have a workable solution.

I'm not sure of all the scenarios that force VS to build all TFMs, but I know for sure that if you're packaging the library (<GeneratePackageOnBuild>true</GeneratePackageOnBuild>), it has no choice but to build them all.

Basically, what's looking like a failure in the InheritDoc task is an optimization in VS; it's only going to build the minimum amount it needs to in order to run your startup project in most cases.

[KeithHxGN]

That makes sense! Thank you so much for your help and explanations. 🫡