Visual Studio 2022 Invalid expression term

You aren’t able to build and debug test due to loads of error in xml even though it valid xml. You get like Invalid expression term ‘<‘ ‘?’ and so on CS1525. CS1525. CS1003. CS1525.

Invalid expression

Go to the Solution Explorer and select the file. Here it was a newly added xml file that gives the errors. The reason for the issue is that Visual Studio is handling the build action on it for C# compiler but it should just ignore it.

Visual Studio 2022 Invalid expression term

Select the build action and in the dropdown select None

Visual Studio 2022 Invalid expression term

Troubleshooting

If it is not the Visual Studio build action then take a look at these options.

  1. Make sure that your XML code is properly formatted and doesn’t contain any syntax errors. One way to do this is to use an XML validator tool or plugin, which can check your code for errors and highlight them for you.
  2. Check that you’re using the correct syntax for XML elements, attributes, and values. For example, make sure that you’re using the correct case for element and attribute names, and that you’re using the correct syntax for comments and CDATA sections.
  3. If you’re using Visual Studio’s built-in XML editor, try resetting its settings to their default values. To do this, go to Tools > Import and Export Settings > Reset all settings.
  4. Try disabling any extensions or plugins that you have installed in Visual Studio, as these can sometimes interfere with the XML editor and cause errors.
  5. If none of the above steps work, you may need to repair or reinstall Visual Studio to ensure that all of its components are functioning correctly. To do this, go to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features, find Visual Studio 2022 in the list of installed programs, and select Repair or Uninstall/Reinstall.