How to run your Web Performance Tests from TFS’ Build Server

You must make a couple of changes to the build configuration (Process tab, 2. Basic section, Automated Tests area):

1) Click the ellipses on the ‘1. Test Assembly’ line and change Test runner from Visual Studio Test Runner to MSTest.exe Runner

2) Change ‘Test Assembly Filespec’ to “**\*.webtest”

Thanks to Gian Maria Ricci for the tips here:

http://www.codewrecks.com/blog/index.php/2013/08/16/build-deploy-web-performance-test-with-tfs-build

Microsoft Test Manager 2010 (MTM) Resources

1. Code Magazine article, taken from Chapter 3 of Software Testing with Visual Studio 2010, entitled Planning Your Testing
   http://www.code-magazine.com/Article.aspx?quickid=1103013
2. Channel 9 videos:
   1. Introduction to Test Case Management in Visual Studio 2010 with Microsoft Test and Lab Manager
      http://channel9.msdn.com/blogs/kmcgrath/introduction-to-test-case-management-in-visual-studio-2010-with-microsoft-test-and-lab-manager
   2. Team Foundation Service Preview: Using Visual Studio, Microsoft Test Manager, and Eclipse
      http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/Team-Foundation-Service-Preview-Using-Visual-Studio-Microsoft-Test-Manager-and-Eclipse
   3. Software Testing with Microsoft Test Manager 11 and Lab Management
      http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechDays/TechDays-2012-Belgium/283

Accessing TFS Preview from Visual Studio 2010

If you want to access your preview TFS account (TFS in the cloud) from Visual Studio 2010 you need to install KB2581206 (Visual Studio 2010 SP1 TFS Compatibility GDR).

Then you can configure access as usual. Screenshots explaining the process can be found on Gregg Boer’s blog post.

Accessing TFS 2010 from Visual Studio 2005 or 2008

If you want to access source code in Team Foundation Server 2010 from either Visual Studio 2005 or Visual Studio 2008, you’ll need to install the appropriate Forward Compatibility Update.  And a prerequisite for that is the appropriate Service Pack 1.  So here are the links to the downloads:

• Visual Studio 2005
• Service Pack 1
• Forward Compatibility Update
• Visual Studio 2008
• Service Pack 1: installer, iso
• Forward Compatibility Update

-Krip

 

Accessing TFS from Visual Studio 2005

To access Team Foundation Server (TFS) from Visual Studio 2005, you need to install Visual Studio Team System 2005 Team Explorer (or Visual Studio 2005 Team Explorer for short).

The file (VSTFClient.img) is an image file so you’ll need to burn it to a CD or DVD.

To check that the software installed correctly look for a “Team Explorer” menu option on the View menu.

If you encounter “Error 1305 Error reading from file…” during the install, there’s a good chance the img file is corrupt and only partially downloaded.  Try downloading again. It should be 246 MB large.

-Krip

Web Standards Update for Visual Studio 2010 SP1

Some tweaks to Visual Studio 2010 SP1 to support better intellisense for HTML 5, CSS 3, and JavaScript.

From what I gather no Visual Studio 2010 code is changed (Hence why it is on the Visual Studio Gallery).

Download here.

Details on Hanselman’s blog here.

-Krip

 

Team Foundation Server 2010 Service Pack 1

If you’re already using TFS 2010 you may be interested in Service Pack 1.  The download is here, and the list of new and fixed items here.

If you’re just installing it, then install SP1 right after the install but before configuring.

-Krip

 

Test Runs significantly add to TFS 2010 size

If you’re using the Test Run feature in Team Foundation Server 2010 you may notice that the size of your attachments (tbl_Attachment) will grow over time – there is no facility for purging or archiving.  While all the diagnostic data captured can be real handy, you probably don’t need it after some time (just look at what you can collect during a test run).

Grant Holliday has a great post explaining how to use a command line power tool known as Test Attachment Cleaner for Visual Studio Ultimate 2010 & Test Professional 2010: TCMPT.exe.  He also provides some SQL queries you can run to check the size of your attachments.

-Krip

 

.NET Framework 4 Platform Update 1

.NET Framework 4 Platform Update 1 was released a month ago.  Details on the new features are here in KB 2478063.

The updates are all around Workflow Foundation (WF):

• Windows Workflow Foundation 4 State Machine Activity
• SQL WF4 Instance Store (SWIS) on SQL Azure
• Enable custom workflow hosts to use WF4 compensation

Note that there are several downloads.  You’ll need a separate one for Visual Studio 2010 design time support.

Steve Danielson describes the update in detail here.

Ron Jacobs notes what might be a bug here.

-Krip

Watch your depth of inheritance

One of Visual Studio’s code metrics is Depth of Inheritance (Tree).  It’s a simple integer indicating how deep the hierarchy runs on a class.  Zain describes it in a post here.

We’ve all probably had to maintain code where the programmer purists took OO just a little too far.  Yes you get reuse, but with inheritance gone awry, you may just get some programmers throw their hands in the air and rewrite the code – what reuse have you got then?  Keep it balanced folks.

At the end of that post Zain cites some articles that suggest 5 or 6 as an upper limit for DIT.  See what you think.

-Krip