The Build Action property indicates what Visual Studio does with a file when a build is executed. Build Action can have one of several values:
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None - The file is not included in the project output group and is not compiled in the build process. An example is a text file that contains documentation, such as a Readme file.
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Compile - The file is compiled into the build output. This setting is used for code files.
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Content - The file is not compiled, but is included in the Content output group. For example, this setting is the default value for an .htm or other kind of Web file.
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Embedded Resource - This file is embedded in the main project build output as a DLL or executable. It is typically used for resource files.
The Build Action property is extensible. As a result, you may see additional options listed for this property that have been added by other products and features.
For more information, please see http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/0c6xyb66.aspx