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TargetFramework change from netcoreapp to net

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The value for the MSBuild TargetFramework property changed from netcoreapp3.1 to net5.0. This can break code that relies on parsing the value of TargetFramework.

Version introduced

5.0

Change description

In .NET Core 1.0 - 3.1, the value for the MSBuild TargetFramework property starts with netcoreapp, for example, netcoreapp3.1 for apps that target .NET Core 3.1. Starting in .NET 5, this value is simplified to just start with net, for example, net5.0 for .NET 5.0.

For more information, see The future of .NET Standard and Target framework names in .NET 5.

Reason for change

  • Simplifies the TargetFramework value.
  • Enables projects to include a TargetPlatform in the TargetFramework property.

If you have logic that parses the value of TargetFramework, you'll need to update it. For example, the following MSBuild condition relies on the value of TargetFramework.

<PropertyGroup Condition="$(TargetFramework.StartsWith('netcoreapp'))">

For this requirement, you can update the code to compare the target framework identifier instead.

<PropertyGroup Condition="'$([MSBuild]::GetTargetFrameworkIdentifier('$(TargetFramework)'))' == '.NETCoreApp'">

Affected APIs

N/A