TeamCity 5.0 Help

Using Properties

The properties of a Build Configuration can be used:

Also, Predefined Properties are used in the 7.Agent Requirements.

The properties fall into two categories:

  • environment variables - defined in the corresponding section of the Build Configuration settings. Within TeamCity the properties that correspond to the environment variables have names starting with "env." prefix.

  • system properties - defined in the corresponding section of the Build Configuration settings. Names start with "system." prefix.

Using Properties in the build

The properties are passed to the build as environment variables and as system properties of the build script (for supported runners: Ant, NAnt, MSBuild, Maven). The full properties set is also saved in the file so that the file can be parsed from the build process.

Environment variables passed to the build process consist of a combined set of:

  • environment variables of the Build Agent process itself

  • env.* properties defined in the agent's buildAgent.properties file

  • env.* properties defined in the Build Configuration

  • env.* properties redefined in the Run Custom Build dialog

  • Predefined Properties environment variables

  • env.* properties that came from teamcity.default.properties file

env. prefix is trimmed from the properties before passing them into environment.

System properties passed to the script engine consist of a combined set of:

  • system.* properties defined in the agent's buildAgent.properties file

  • system.* properties defined in the Build Configuration

  • system.* properties redefined in the Run Custom Build dialog

  • Predefined Properties system properties

  • system.* properties that came from teamcity.default.properties file

system. prefix is trimmed from the properties before passing them into the build script.

Any system property (system.<property name>) can be referenced in a build script by the property name:

  • For Ant, Maven and NAnt use ${<property name>}

  • For MSBuild (Visual Studio 2005/2008 Project Files) use $(<property name>)

To get the file names that store the full set of properties, use can use teamcity.build.properties.file system property of TEAMCITY_BUILD_PROPERTIES_FILE environment variable. see Predefined Properties for details.

Using Properties in Build Configuration Settings

Many settings of a build configuration allow to use a reference to the Build Configuration properties. Before being passed into a build, all the references will be resolved with the available properties. If there will be references that cannot be resolved, they will be left as is and a warning will be logged into the build log.

The properties should be referenced as system.<property_name> for system properties and env.<variable_name> for environment variable.

Values of the following settings support references:

Group of settings

References notes

Build Runner settings, artifact specification

any of the properties that are passed into the build

User-defined properties and Environment variables

any of the properties that are passed into the build

Build Number format

only Predefined Properties

VCS label pattern

system.build.number and Predefined Properties

Artifact dependency settings

only Predefined Properties

The references are made by enclosing the full property name including env./system. prefixes into percentage signs. Any user-defined property can reference other properties by using the following format:

%[env|system].property_name% For example: system.tomcat.libs=%env.CATALINA_HOME%/lib/*.jar

Any property that is referenced in a build configuration, but is not defined, becomes an Agent Requirements for the configuration. The build configuration will be run only on agents that have this property defined.

Using Properties in VCS Labeling Pattern and Build Number

In Build number pattern and VCS labeling pattern you can use %[env|system].property_name% syntax to reference the properties that are known on the server-side. These are Predefined Properties and Predefined Properties predefined properties and properties defined in the settings of the build configuration on 6.Properties and environment variables page.

Last modified: 20 April 2023