C# Custom Tool 'SettingsSingleFileGenerator' output not found

Question

I downloaded the source code for this JiraSVN plugin, and opened the .sln file in VS2010. I was immediately greeted by this warning:

A custom tool 'SettingsSingleFileGenerator' is associated with file 'Properties\Settings.settings', but the output of the custom tool was not found in the project. You may try re-running the custom tool by right-clicking on the file in the Solution Explorer and choosing Run Custom Tool.

I'm not familiar at all with this custom tool or what it is supposed to do, nor how to resolve the problem. (I tried the suggestion to right-click and re-run the custom tool, but nothing happened.)

When I attempt to build, it fails with this error:

Source file 'C:...\Properties\Settings.Designer.cs' could not be opened ('Unspecified error ')

Taking a look at the Solution Explorer, I see the following entry under one of the projects:

    └─Properties
        └─/!\ Settings.settings
           └─/!\ Settings.Designer.cs

(where the last two entries have exclamation point warning icons.)

I tried to exclude those two entries from the project, but got many more errors.

How do I resolve this? Is the build broke, or have I just failed to set something correctly?

Answer 1

Well, the build was indeed broken. There is a fork by PatrickMauer that reconstructs the missing files.

Answer 2

I suddenly encountered this same error while attempting to compile my own saved code. The code would no longer compile, even though the last time I had saved it, everything was fine.

I simply deleted "SettingsSingleFileGenerator" from the Custom Tool line of the properties of the Settings file (mine was in My Project/Settings folder, your error message should tell you where this is located). Removing this allowed me to compile again smoothly.

Answer 3

In the context menu of your project go to Properties - Settings - "Click here to create ...". This created an empty properties file which sufficed for my project.

Answer 4

Open the .csproj file in a text editor and remove the LastGenOutput tag. Visual Studio thinks that there was some error during settings file generation if the LastGenOutput tag is present and keeps issuing a warning during build.

<None Include="Properties\Settings.settings">
  <Generator>SettingsSingleFileGenerator</Generator>
  <LastGenOutput>Settings1.Designer.cs</LastGenOutput>
</None>