a·gen·tic a·gil·i·ty

TFS Error: MSB4018 The “BuildShadowTask” task failed unexpectedly

Explains the MSB4018 “BuildShadowTask” error in TFS when using Accessors in unit test projects, its cause, and how removing .accessor files resolves build issues.

Published on
2 minute read
Image
https://nkdagility.com/resources/xi_wQ8zFW_U
Subscribe

There seams to be a problem in MSBuild when you add an “Accessor” as part of a Unit Test project.

 1C:Program FilesMSBuildMicrosoftVisualStudiov9.0TeamTestMicrosoft.TeamTest.targets(14,5): error MSB4018: The "BuildShadowTask" task failed unexpectedly.
 2System.IO.FileLoadException: API restriction: The assembly 'file:///C:WINDOWSMicrosoft.NETFrameworkv2.0.50727System.Web.dll' has already loaded from a different location. It cannot be loaded from a new location within the same appdomain.
 3   at System.Reflection.Assembly._nLoad(AssemblyName fileName, String codeBase, Evidence assemblySecurity, Assembly locationHint, StackCrawlMark& stackMark, Boolean throwOnFileNotFound, Boolean forIntrospection)
 4   at System.Reflection.Assembly.nLoad(AssemblyName fileName, String codeBase, Evidence assemblySecurity, Assembly locationHint, StackCrawlMark& stackMark, Boolean throwOnFileNotFound, Boolean forIntrospection)
 5   at System.Reflection.Assembly.InternalLoad(AssemblyName assemblyRef, Evidence assemblySecurity, StackCrawlMark& stackMark, Boolean forIntrospection)
 6   at System.Reflection.Assembly.InternalLoadFrom(String assemblyFile, Evidence securityEvidence, Byte[] hashValue, AssemblyHashAlgorithm hashAlgorithm, Boolean forIntrospection, StackCrawlMark& stackMark)
 7   at System.Reflection.Assembly.ReflectionOnlyLoadFrom(String assemblyFile)
 8   at Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UnitTesting.Publicize.WebBinder.LoadData()
 9   at Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UnitTesting.Publicize.WebBinder.Init()
10   at Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UnitTesting.Publicize.Shadower..ctor()
11   at Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.BuildShadowReferences.BuildShadowTask.Execute()
12   at Microsoft.Build.BuildEngine.TaskEngine.ExecuteInstantiatedTask(EngineProxy engineProxy, ItemBucket bucket, TaskExecutionMode howToExecuteTask, ITask task, Boolean& taskResult)

An Accessor allows your test project to access code that would normally be “Private” or “Friend” from outside the Assembly that it resides in.

TFS Error: MSB4018 The "BuildShadowTask" task failed unexpectedly

It creates a little file with the “.accessor” extension that is the same name as your DLL, and contains the name of the DLL.

TFS Error: MSB4018 The "BuildShadowTask" task failed unexpectedly

If you remove this file then your remote MSBuild server will then build you solution successfully again including running your Unit Tests.

Reference:

Re: BuildShadowTask Failed unexpectedly - Accessor Problem (Upconvert VS 2005 to 2008) – URGENT

BuildShadowTask Failed unexpectedly - Accessor Problem (Upconvert VS 2005 to 2008) – URGENT

Technorati Tags: ALM   TFBS   TFS 2008   VS 2005

Troubleshooting Windows
Subscribe

Related Blog

No related videos found.

Connect with Martin Hinshelwood

If you've made it this far, it's worth connecting with our principal consultant and coach, Martin Hinshelwood, for a 30-minute 'ask me anything' call.

Our Happy Clients​

We partner with businesses across diverse industries, including finance, insurance, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, technology, engineering, transportation, hospitality, entertainment, legal, government, and military sectors.​

Healthgrades Logo

Healthgrades

Illumina Logo

Illumina

Kongsberg Maritime Logo

Kongsberg Maritime

Slicedbread Logo

Slicedbread

DFDS Logo

DFDS

Boeing Logo

Boeing

Hubtel Ghana Logo

Hubtel Ghana

Brandes Investment Partners L.P. Logo

Brandes Investment Partners L.P.

Graham & Brown Logo

Graham & Brown

Slaughter and May Logo

Slaughter and May

MacDonald Humfrey (Automation) Ltd. Logo

MacDonald Humfrey (Automation) Ltd.

Epic Games Logo

Epic Games

Bistech Logo

Bistech

Schlumberger Logo

Schlumberger

Capita Secure Information Solutions Ltd Logo

Capita Secure Information Solutions Ltd

Emerson Process Management Logo

Emerson Process Management

YearUp.org Logo

YearUp.org

Genus Breeding Ltd Logo

Genus Breeding Ltd

New Hampshire Supreme Court Logo

New Hampshire Supreme Court

Nottingham County Council Logo

Nottingham County Council

Royal Air Force Logo

Royal Air Force

Washington Department of Enterprise Services Logo

Washington Department of Enterprise Services

Washington Department of Transport Logo

Washington Department of Transport

Department of Work and Pensions (UK) Logo

Department of Work and Pensions (UK)

Slicedbread Logo

Slicedbread

Alignment Healthcare Logo

Alignment Healthcare

Schlumberger Logo

Schlumberger

Akaditi Logo

Akaditi

New Signature Logo

New Signature

Qualco Logo

Qualco