{"id":50,"date":"2026-10-14T07:51:30","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T07:51:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.scmgalaxy.com\/tutorials\/2015\/08\/26\/nant-training\/"},"modified":"2026-10-14T07:51:30","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T07:51:30","slug":"nant-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/nant-training\/","title":{"rendered":"NAnt Training Guide for Build and Release Engineers: Syllabus, Labs, and Workflow"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/nant-training.png\" alt=\"NAnt training\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Originally published on 2015-08-26; fully revised and updated.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you are moving into configuration management, build engineering, or release engineering for .NET-oriented stacks, this guide shows what a practical NAnt course should cover. You will learn the expected outcomes, workshop structure, core NAnt topics, and how NAnt tasks map into a CI build flow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who this training is for<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>SCM engineers and build\/release engineers transitioning into automation-heavy roles.<\/li><li>Developers who need to read, maintain, or modernize existing NAnt build scripts.<\/li><li>Teams that want hands-on workshop delivery with lab-driven learning.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Course objectives and expected outcomes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Based on the original listing, the course intent is job-oriented and focused on practical build-and-release capability. By the end of training, participants should be able to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Understand core NAnt concepts such as projects, targets, tasks, and properties.<\/li><li>Run and troubleshoot NAnt builds from the command line.<\/li><li>Structure reusable build files for compile, test, package, and artifact publishing stages.<\/li><li>Integrate NAnt scripts into a broader CI\/CD pipeline.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Delivery formats and schedule from the original listing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The original post mentions online\/classroom in the title, and also describes intensive 1-day and 2-day workshops with on-site customization. Treat these as historical details and confirm current availability with the provider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Format or duration<\/th><th>Best for<\/th><th>What the original post stated<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Online instructor-led<\/td><td>Remote participants<\/td><td>Mentioned in the title<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Classroom<\/td><td>In-person guided learning<\/td><td>Mentioned in the title and city references<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>On-site corporate workshop<\/td><td>Team-specific customization<\/td><td>Described as available and tailorable to requirements<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>1-day intensive<\/td><td>Fast orientation<\/td><td>Listed as a workshop option<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2-day intensive with labs<\/td><td>Deeper practical coverage<\/td><td>Listed as a workshop option<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How NAnt fits into a build and release workflow<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In most teams, NAnt acts as the build orchestration layer invoked by CI. A typical flow is shown below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"mermaid\">\nflowchart TD\n    A[Developer commit] --> B[CI job starts]\n    B --> C[Run NAnt clean target]\n    C --> D[Run compile target]\n    D --> E[Run test target]\n    E --> F{Build and tests pass}\n    F -- no --> G[Fix build script or code]\n    G --> A\n    F -- yes --> H[Run package target]\n    H --> I[Publish artifact]\n    I --> J[Release pipeline]\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hands-on example: minimal NAnt build file<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This sample is intentionally small for training labs and shows clean, compile, and package targets.<\/p>\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-1\" data-shcb-language-name=\"HTML, XML\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"xml\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-xml language-xml\"><span class=\"hljs-tag\">&lt;<span class=\"hljs-name\">project<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-attr\">name<\/span>=<span class=\"hljs-string\">\"SampleApp\"<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-attr\">default<\/span>=<span class=\"hljs-string\">\"package\"<\/span>&gt;<\/span>\n  <span class=\"hljs-tag\">&lt;<span class=\"hljs-name\">property<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-attr\">name<\/span>=<span class=\"hljs-string\">\"build.dir\"<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-attr\">value<\/span>=<span class=\"hljs-string\">\"build\"<\/span> \/&gt;<\/span>\n\n  <span class=\"hljs-tag\">&lt;<span class=\"hljs-name\">target<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-attr\">name<\/span>=<span class=\"hljs-string\">\"clean\"<\/span>&gt;<\/span>\n    <span class=\"hljs-tag\">&lt;<span class=\"hljs-name\">delete<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-attr\">dir<\/span>=<span class=\"hljs-string\">\"${build.dir}\"<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-attr\">failonerror<\/span>=<span class=\"hljs-string\">\"false\"<\/span> \/&gt;<\/span>\n  <span class=\"hljs-tag\">&lt;\/<span class=\"hljs-name\">target<\/span>&gt;<\/span>\n\n  <span class=\"hljs-tag\">&lt;<span class=\"hljs-name\">target<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-attr\">name<\/span>=<span class=\"hljs-string\">\"compile\"<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-attr\">depends<\/span>=<span class=\"hljs-string\">\"clean\"<\/span>&gt;<\/span>\n    <span class=\"hljs-tag\">&lt;<span class=\"hljs-name\">mkdir<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-attr\">dir<\/span>=<span class=\"hljs-string\">\"${build.dir}\"<\/span> \/&gt;<\/span>\n    <span class=\"hljs-tag\">&lt;<span class=\"hljs-name\">echo<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-attr\">message<\/span>=<span class=\"hljs-string\">\"Compile step goes here\"<\/span> \/&gt;<\/span>\n  <span class=\"hljs-tag\">&lt;\/<span class=\"hljs-name\">target<\/span>&gt;<\/span>\n\n  <span class=\"hljs-tag\">&lt;<span class=\"hljs-name\">target<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-attr\">name<\/span>=<span class=\"hljs-string\">\"package\"<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-attr\">depends<\/span>=<span class=\"hljs-string\">\"compile\"<\/span>&gt;<\/span>\n    <span class=\"hljs-tag\">&lt;<span class=\"hljs-name\">zip<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-attr\">zipfile<\/span>=<span class=\"hljs-string\">\"${build.dir}\/sample.zip\"<\/span>&gt;<\/span>\n      <span class=\"hljs-tag\">&lt;<span class=\"hljs-name\">fileset<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-attr\">basedir<\/span>=<span class=\"hljs-string\">\".\"<\/span>&gt;<\/span>\n        <span class=\"hljs-tag\">&lt;<span class=\"hljs-name\">include<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-attr\">name<\/span>=<span class=\"hljs-string\">\"src\/**\"<\/span> \/&gt;<\/span>\n      <span class=\"hljs-tag\">&lt;\/<span class=\"hljs-name\">fileset<\/span>&gt;<\/span>\n    <span class=\"hljs-tag\">&lt;\/<span class=\"hljs-name\">zip<\/span>&gt;<\/span>\n  <span class=\"hljs-tag\">&lt;\/<span class=\"hljs-name\">target<\/span>&gt;<\/span>\n<span class=\"hljs-tag\">&lt;\/<span class=\"hljs-name\">project<\/span>&gt;<\/span><\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-1\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">HTML, XML<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">xml<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Example commands used in labs:<\/p>\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-bash\">nant -buildfile:build.xml clean\nnant -buildfile:build.xml compile\nnant -buildfile:build.xml package -D:build.dir=output<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Common NAnt commands used during training<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Command<\/th><th>Purpose<\/th><th>Typical training use<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>nant -help<\/td><td>Show available options<\/td><td>Initial CLI orientation<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>nant -buildfile:build.xml clean<\/td><td>Run cleanup target<\/td><td>Reset lab environment between exercises<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>nant -buildfile:build.xml compile<\/td><td>Execute compile stage<\/td><td>Validate target dependencies<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>nant -buildfile:build.xml package<\/td><td>Create distributable artifact<\/td><td>Practice artifact creation and handoff<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Course outline from the original syllabus<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Why NAnt<\/li><li>System requirements<\/li><li>Installation<\/li><li>Getting started<\/li><li>Ant users migration perspective<\/li><li>Running NAnt<\/li><li>Build files<\/li><li>Projects<\/li><li>Targets<\/li><li>Tasks<\/li><li>Properties<\/li><li>Loggers and listeners<\/li><li>Expressions<\/li><li>Functions<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lab model, prerequisites, and learning resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The source material describes a strongly hands-on approach (about 80% practical lab work), with modular content that can be tailored to team needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Prerequisites:<\/strong> reasonable programming experience and basic SDLC familiarity.<\/li><li><strong>Lab style:<\/strong> instructor-led exercises focused on real build\/release scenarios.<\/li><li><strong>Resources:<\/strong> student notes, lab solutions, completion certificate, and a bundled toolset (originally referenced as CD media).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Contact and enrollment details (as listed in the original post)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For continuity with the original article, the following details are preserved. Verify before use:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Email: <a href=\"mailto:info@scmGalaxy.com\">info@scmGalaxy.com<\/a><\/li><li>Phone: (+91) 700 483 5930<\/li><li>Skype: scmGalaxy<\/li><li>Registration link from original post: <a href=\"events\/register\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">events\/register\/index.html<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Common pitfalls when learning NAnt<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Mixing ad-hoc scripts and NAnt targets without clear dependency order.<\/li><li>Hardcoding environment-specific paths instead of using properties.<\/li><li>Skipping clean builds in CI, which hides dependency or packaging issues.<\/li><li>Treating build logs as optional instead of using them for fast root-cause analysis.<\/li><li>Not validating whether NAnt is the right long-term fit for new projects versus existing legacy needs.<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A revised NAnt training page focused on practical skills for SCM, build, and release engineers. It includes the original syllabus topics, delivery options, a CI workflow diagram, and hands-on NAnt examples.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3390,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[884,1542,883,1536,1538,1537,1540,1539,94,1541,96],"class_list":["post-50","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-training","tag-classroom","tag-classroom-nant-training","tag-course","tag-nant","tag-nant-course","tag-nant-training","tag-nant-training-classroom","tag-nant-training-online","tag-online","tag-online-nant-training","tag-training"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79299,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50\/revisions\/79299"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}