Build from source

The phone application can only be built where Windows Phone 8.1 Silverlight MSBuild targets and references are available. The Docusaurus site has a separate Node.js build described in Documentation development.

Required application toolchain

• Windows
• Visual Studio/MSBuild with Windows Phone 8.1 Silverlight targets
• Windows Phone 8.1 SDK/reference assemblies
• Silverlight development components
• PowerShell (for repository scripts)

Preserve a working environment

These installers are retired. Use legally obtained, integrity-checked media and isolate legacy development environments. Files in required_stuff_to_install_b4_building/ are historical shortcuts/links, not trusted bundled installers.

Compiler version

Although the project declares Visual Studio 2013 (12.0) as its minimum, the checked-in C# uses later syntax such as null-conditional access, auto-property initializers, and expression-bodied methods. A stock C# 5 compiler can reject it. Use a compatible newer compiler that can still load the phone targets, or backport those expressions before attempting a strict VS2013 build.

Visual Studio build

1. Open WebRadioFM.sln.
2. Select Debug or Release.
3. Select a platform (x86, x64, or ARM; AnyCPU also exists in the project).
4. Choose Build → Build Solution.
5. Deploy with F5 if a compatible destination is configured.

The project imports:

Microsoft.WindowsPhone.v8.1.Overrides.targets
Microsoft.WindowsPhone.v8.1.CSharp.targets

The precise paths are resolved under $(MSBuildExtensionsPath). “Imported project not found” means the required phone targets are absent or not registered.

Standard build script

build.ps1 locates MSBuild in known Visual Studio 2022/18 and MSBuild 12 paths, falling back to Get-Command msbuild.exe.

# Defaults: Release, x86 and x64
.\build.ps1

# Physical-device package
.\build.ps1 -Configuration Release -Platforms ARM

# Multiple explicit targets
.\build.ps1 -Configuration Debug -Platforms x86,ARM

# Remove BuildOutput and invoke MSBuild Clean
.\build.ps1 -Clean -Platforms x86,ARM

Unlike older README wording, the script default is currently x86 and x64, not ARM. Pass -Platforms ARM explicitly for a physical-device package.

The script:

1. locates MSBuild;
2. optionally restores with .nuget/NuGet.exe if that file exists;
3. builds each requested platform;
4. looks for the generated XAP under WebRadioFM/Bin/...;
5. copies found packages into BuildOutput/<platform>/; and
6. exits nonzero if any MSBuild invocation failed.

A “XAP not found” line is only a warning in the copy phase.

Batch launcher

simple_build_all.bat is a legacy convenience wrapper around PowerShell. Inspect it before use and prefer direct build.ps1 invocation when you need explicit configuration/platform control.

Advanced compatibility script

build_no_silverlight.ps1 attempts to repair an incomplete modern Windows environment by:

• creating a Windows Phone v8.1 reference-assembly junction to v8.0;
• writing 64-bit Silverlight and Windows Phone SDK registry keys;
• invoking MSBuild; and
• patching generated XAP manifests to claim Windows Phone 8.0/runtime compatibility.

It supports:

.\build_no_silverlight.ps1 -SetupOnly
.\build_no_silverlight.ps1 -Configuration Release -Platforms x86

Experimental and invasive

The script elevates, writes HKLM, creates a system directory junction, and rewrites package manifests. A package produced this way is not equivalent to a true Windows Phone 8.1 SDK build and can fail at compile, install, or runtime. Use only in a disposable environment after reviewing the script.

Build outputs

The project property is:

<XapFilename>WebRadioFM_$(Configuration)_$(Platform).xap</XapFilename>

Expected copied paths therefore follow:

BuildOutput/<platform>/WebRadioFM_<Configuration>_<platform>.xap

Examples:

BuildOutput/ARM/WebRadioFM_Release_ARM.xap
BuildOutput/x86/WebRadioFM_Debug_x86.xap

Common failures

Failure	Meaning / next action
MSBuild not found	Install/register compatible build tools or expose msbuild.exe on PATH.
Imported WP targets missing	The Windows Phone SDK targets are not installed/resolvable.
Reference Microsoft.Xna.Framework unresolved	XNA/phone reference assemblies are missing.
XAML validation errors	Check target SDK resources, names, and event handler signatures.
Build succeeds, XAP copy warns	Locate Bin output and compare actual path/name with script assumptions.
Package rejected on device	Check architecture, manifest platform version, signing, and developer unlock.

What does not work

These commands do not supply the legacy target framework:

dotnet build WebRadioFM.sln

Nor can a UWP workload emit this project's XAP unchanged. Producing APPX/MSIX requires a migration to a different application model, not a build flag.