I have an IIS web application with a structure roughly similar to:
wwww.mysite.com
file1.asp
file2.asp
\DotNet
file3.aspx
file3.aspx
We are setting up TeamCity to do auto deployments. I have an MSBuild build step that deploys to the \DotNet folder (the aspx files), and in a separate build configuration I have another MSBuild build step that deploys to the root (the asp files).
I want to allow MSDeploy to delete unnecessary files, e.g. if I remove file2.asp from VCS, I want it to delete it from the target IIS server.
However, I do NOT want it to wipe the \DotNet subfolder.
Can I get something more granular than the command line switch "SkipExtraFilesOnServer", or is this an all-or-nothing deal?
It turns out that the answer to my question was much simpler than I expected
When deploying to the root folder of an application using the MSDeployPublish target via MSBuild, by default, extra subfolders that happen to be on the filesystem of the target IIS server are deleted.
To avoid this, I simply moved the contents of my DotNet folder to a totally separate location under C:\InetPub, but retained my original virtual folder/application structure under IIS Mgr. Of course!
Now I can publish to either location as much as I please, and one won't try and delete the other because one is no longer a filesystem subfolder of the other.
If anything - this highlights how primitive our earlier folder structure was, and what a doofus I am for not realising.