Proof of concept PowerShell Script for Building TwinCAT Solutions via C# DTE to dte.ToolWindows.ErrorList.ErrorItems

Disclaimer

This guide is a personal project and not a peer-reviewed publication or sponsored document. It is provided “as is,” without any warranties—express or implied—including, but not limited to, accuracy, completeness, reliability, or suitability for any purpose. The author(s) shall not be held liable for any errors, omissions, delays, or damages arising from the use or display of this information.

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Description

This repository provides a PowerShell script that bypasses the limitation of accessing dte.ToolWindows.ErrorList.ErrorItems. Instead of attempting a direct cast from DTE to DTE2, it uses embedded C# to create the DTE instance and retrieve build errors. Normal DTE operations remain fully supported.

Getting Started

Dependencies

• Windows PowerShell 5.1 or PowerShell 7+ (must run with -STA).
• TwinCAT XAE Shell installed, with:
  • EnvDTE.dll
  • EnvDTE80.dll
    Typically found under:
    C:\Program Files (x86)\Beckhoff\TcXaeShell\Common7\IDE\PublicAssemblies\
• TwinCAT 3 Solution file (.sln) to build.

Configuration

Adjust the following variables in the script:

$SolutionPath = "$env:UserProfile\Desktop\ps-dte-errorlist\example\example.sln"
$ProgId       = "TcXaeShell.DTE.15.0"
$MakeVisible  = $true
$envDte       = "C:\Program Files (x86)\Beckhoff\TcXaeShell\Common7\IDE\PublicAssemblies\EnvDTE.dll"
$envDte80     = "C:\Program Files (x86)\Beckhoff\TcXaeShell\Common7\IDE\PublicAssemblies\EnvDTE80.dll"

• $SolutionPath: Absolute path to your .sln file.
• $ProgId: ProgID for the TwinCAT XAE shell. Adjust version as needed.
• $MakeVisible: Set to $true to make the Visual Studio window visible during build.
• $envDte / $envDte80: Paths to EnvDTE assemblies.

Installation

Clone or copy the script into your local environment. No package installation is required.

Usage

Run the script in an STA PowerShell session:

pwsh -STA -File .\Build-TwinCAT.ps1

The script will:

1. Launch a new TwinCAT XAE instance (DTE).
2. Open the configured .sln solution file.
3. Trigger a build.
4. Wait for build completion.
5. Output build status:
   • Success → "Build succeeded."
   • Failure → Prints error list entries with file, line, column, and description.