Align SDK-Style and MSBuild-Style Builds By Default

Preflight Checklist

• I have installed the latest version of Power Query SDK.
• I have checked existing resources, including the common issues and the release notes.
• I have searched for similar issues.

Problem

The current auto-generated .proj (MSBuild) file specifies a hard coded list of files to include in the connector .mez. This list is not automatically updated as files are added or removed from the extension.

In contrast, the SDK build process uses a wildcard approach to identify the files to include in its build, which results in it dynamically including new files and no longer including deleted files.

Desired Solution

For symmetry and simplicity, could the MSBuild/.proj-style build default to working exactly the same as SDK-style builds?

Alternatives and Workarounds

No response

Additional Context

This could almost be achieved by changing the default .proj file template from containing along the lines of:

<ItemGroup>
  <MezContent Include="TestConn.pq" />
  <MezContent Include="TestConn16.png" />
  <MezContent Include="TestConn20.png" />
  <MezContent Include="TestConn24.png" />
  <MezContent Include="TestConn32.png" />
  <MezContent Include="TestConn40.png" />
  <MezContent Include="TestConn48.png" />
  <MezContent Include="TestConn64.png" />
  <MezContent Include="TestConn80.png" />
  <MezContent Include="resources.resx" />
</ItemGroup>

to

<ItemGroup>
  <MezContent Include="*" Exclude="*.test.pq" />
</ItemGroup>

A catch with the above is that is allows the possibility for multiple .pq files to be included in the .mez, something that MakePQX.exe compile disallows.

Idea: Create a true custom C# build task for packaging .mez files. Internally, this task would call MakePQX.exe compile (or its underlying DLL). This way, MSBuild-style and SDK-style builds will go through exactly the same core build/validation process.

Start by locating the auto-generated .proj file template and comparing its hard-coded MezContent entries with the SDK-style wildcard build. Review the MakePQX.exe compile entry point and the linked custom MSBuild task guidance. Done means MSBuild-style packaging follows the same inclusion and validation behavior as SDK-style builds without allowing multiple .pq files.