[BUG]: FileTransform@1 breaks string values with double-quotes

[C-Wal]

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• I searched for existing GitHub issues
• I read pipeline troubleshooting guide
• I checked how to collect logs

Task name

FileTransform@1

Task version

1

Issue Description

This seems to have broken sometime between September 2024 and now.
I have a FileTransform@1 task in a classic pipeline transforming a web.config with release variables.
One release variable has a double-quote in the value.
When this is processed the resulting value in the web.config has a single-quote instead of a double-quote.

Environment type (Please select at least one enviroment where you face this issue)

• Self-Hosted
• Microsoft Hosted
• VMSS Pool
• Container

Azure DevOps Server type

dev.azure.com (formerly visualstudio.com)

Azure DevOps Server Version (if applicable)

TFS 2018

Operation system

Windows Server 2019

Relevant log output

No errors logged, it just munges the value.
Using a self-hosted build agent invoked by devops.azure.com.
Classic pipleline, not yaml.

Full task logs with system.debug enabled

No response

Repro steps

Add a FileTransform@1 task to update web.config values.
Use a double-quote in the variable value.
Watch as the double-quote becomes a single-quote in the transformed file.

[EshitaD]

Hi @C-Wal , Replacing double quotes with single quotes helps avoid escaping issues in XML or JSON. Could you briefly explain why we might want to keep double quotes in some cases?

[C-Wal]

In essence, if Azure DevOps allows a release variable to contain double quotes, it's reasonable to expect that the exact value entered will be preserved and output as-is. If the system intends to transform or escape such characters, it should provide a clear warning at the point of entry—something like, "This value will be escaped." The current behavior of accepting the value without warning, then altering it during pipeline execution is inconsistent and unexpected.

[EshitaD]

Hi @C-Wal, A warning message has been added to the FileTransformV2 task XML under the target file parameter. Please check and let us know if you have any questions.