using AppSdk's 1.8 packages (Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK.*) fail to build when a dependency references AppSdk main package

[marticliment]

Describe the bug

Trying to build a package referencing AppSdk subpackages (even when referencing all of them) crashes with error, when other dependencies have do reference AppSdk

26>Microsoft.Windows.SDK.BuildTools.MSIX.targets(33,5): Error  : The MSIX build tools use the 'CustomBeforeMicrosoftCommonTargets' MSBuild property to wire up a custom .props file that sets some necessary properties. This .props file does not appear to have been imported correctly. This likely means that someone has also overridden 'CustomBeforeMicrosoftCommonTargets', without ensuring to also chain the import of the previously assigned .props and .targets set to that property. You can use a binlog to learn more about where that assignment was done (set the verbosity to diagnostics, and search for 'reassignment: $(CustomBeforeMicrosoftCommonTargets').

Using the base Metapackage instead (Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK) works fine.

Steps to reproduce the bug

Have a project with dependencies that depend on AppSdk: Any of the following examples work

<PackageReference Include="CommunityToolkit.WinUI.Controls.SettingsControls" Version="8.2.250402" />
<PackageReference Include="H.NotifyIcon.WinUI" Version="2.3.0" />

Expected behavior

Build process to work

Screenshots

No response

NuGet package version

Windows App SDK 1.8.0: 1.8.250907003

Packaging type

Unpackaged

Windows version

Windows 11 version 24H2 LTSC (26100, June Update)

IDE

Other, Visual Studio 2022

Additional context

No response

[ghost1372]

I’m experiencing the same issue. I’m using the single meta package: <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK.WinUI" Version="1.8.250906003" />

However, when I install the Win2D NuGet package, I encounter the following error. It looks like Win2D is still based on Windows App SDK 1.6.

[ghost1372]

@Scottj1s @RDMacLachlan is there any workaround?

[nocanstillbb]

When I changed a MSIX-packaged win app sdk project to an unpackaged (self containerd) project,After I installed winappsdk with nuget, I also encountered this error

[Leisvan]

@ghost1372 . Did you find any workaround to make the build work with Win2D?

[ghost1372]

@ghost1372 . Did you find any workaround to make the build work with Win2D?

No

[ryanlua]

<PackageReference Include="CommunityToolkit.WinUI.Controls.SettingsControls" Version="8.2.250402" />

From my testing, removing the reference to CommunityToolkit fixed this issue for me. Maybe an issue with CommunityToolkit?

This solution isn't really a solution since my app requires the SettingsControls from CommunityToolkit

[manodasanW]

Potential workaround: https://github.com/microsoft/WindowsAppSDK/issues/6015#issuecomment-3549860736

[michael-hawker]

Thanks @manodasanW, yeah it seems like the 1.8 meta package change is a break and requires dependencies to update without your provided workaround. We're waiting on other dependencies like Win2D and XAML Behaviors to be updated before the toolkit can update to 1.8 as well. At least with the move to SemVer in 2.0, hopefully incompatibilities like these will be easier to communicate moving forward.