Web Deploy ExcludeFromPackageFolders & ExcludeFoldersFromDeployment both not working

Hi Web Deployers,

My Web Deploy from VS 2017 on my Windows 10 dev machine  to IIS on a separate Windows Server machine completes correctly but when it opens the home page of that newly deployed site I get the following error in the browser:

The directory '/App_Code/' is not allowed because the application is precompiled.

Because of this error, I am trying to EXCLUDE '/App_Code/' from my package and/or from my deployment

To do this I have made the following two changes to my project, but neither of these have been successful if preventing the deployment of the "App_Code" folder !!??

Change 1

As described at https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/web-forms/overview/deployment/advanced-enterprise-web-deployment/excluding-files-and-folders-from-deployment

I added the following to MyProject.wpp.targets

      <ItemGroup>
          <ExcludeFromPackageFolders Include="App_Code">
           <FromTarget>To avoid the error The directory App_Code is not allowed because the application is precompiled</FromTarget>
          </ExcludeFromPackageFolders>
      </ItemGroup>

Change 2

As described in post by post by Brian Ogden at https://stackoverflow.com/questions/650875/exclude-files-from-web-site-publish-in-visual-studio

I added the following to Properties/PublishProfiles/MyProject.pubxml

 <PropertyGroup>
    ......
    <ExcludeFoldersFromDeployment>App_Code</ExcludeFoldersFromDeployment>
    ......
</PropertyGroup>

Any assistance understanding why the App_Code folder is not being Excluded from the Package or from the Deployment, and how to fix this issue, would be appreciated.

Thanks all

Terry Clancy

ClanceZ