Azure SDK 1.3: Error on Web Role Publish…

If you get this error:

The "TransformXml" task failed unexpectedly.
System.UriFormatException: Invalid URI: The URI is empty.
   at System.Uri.CreateThis(String uri, Boolean dontEscape, UriKind uriKind)
   at System.Uri..ctor(String uriString)
   at Microsoft.Web.Publishing.Tasks.TransformXml.Execute()
   at Microsoft.Build.BackEnd.TaskExecutionHost.Microsoft.Build.BackEnd.ITaskExecutionHost.Execute()
   at Microsoft.Build.BackEnd.TaskBuilder.ExecuteInstantiatedTask(ITaskExecutionHost taskExecutionHost, TaskLoggingContext taskLoggingContext, TaskHost taskHost, ItemBucket bucket, TaskExecutionMode howToExecuteTask, Boolean& taskResult)   

Check the web.config of any of your web roles for malformed XML – it could have been tweaked without your knowing it.  Here where my problem was:

<mailSettings>
         <smtp deliveryMethod="Network" from="My Site &amp;lt;support@mysite.com>">
                  <network host="123.server.net" port="25" userName="123" password="abc" />
         </smtp>
</mailSettings> 

See it?  The email address in the from attribute has a > in.  Nasty.  Switch that thing back to > and you should be good to go.

more later – joel