Showing posts with label Microsoft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Microsoft. Show all posts

Monday, January 23, 2012

Visual Studio vNext or VS 11

I started playing around with TFS 11 and Visual Studio 11 shortly after the announcement of the Developer Preview. Unfortunately (or fortunately) things started getting pretty busy with the business and the time disappeared.
Finally I have been able to polish off some of the posts that I started and will be posting these as time allows. So let’s start at the beginning:

 

Convert Project

The first thing most people do (I’m sure) is to open a solution, and the first difference shows itself. Thinking back, conversion from one version of Visual Studio project file to the next became a “blind” next, next, next operation. The new dialog almost took me by surprise. The standard csproj or vbproj files does not need to be converted (this is actually a feature in VS 11) and the smaller projects that I opened worked fine. Obviously something has changed with the Modelling Project and the Database Project (I’ll get to that in a later post).

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Solution Navigator Explorer

Once your project files are up to date, the next thing you will notice is that Solution Explorer has changed a bit. Anybody familiar with the “Visual Studio Productivity Power Tools” would recognise this as the “Solution Navigator”.

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Finally the “Collapse All” image is a standard feature (It took long enoughWinking smile ). Other nice features include the search box, the ability to navigate “into” the file, class and method definitions and the Back and Forward “Navigation” image buttons allowing you to “navigate” from one search result to the next.


Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Visual Studio and TFS extensibility

I came across this post by David Baliles listing a whole range of add-on’s to TFS and Visual Studio.

Whenever I speak to anyone that will listen I keep on re-emphasising the extensibility of TFS and Visual Studio. It really opens up the potential that lies within the applications, making it available to people and environments that no-one would ever have thought possible.

Together with this there are the people that actually take the time to solve their problems and then make their solutions available to the world. I really commend these individuals for their passion and effort.

David’s list just emphasises the extensibility and the community that surrounds it.
Have a look – it is a really interesting list, I’m sure you may find something that you have been struggling with…

Friday, September 30, 2011

Team Foundation Server is Version Control

This is a part of the blog posts surrounding the misconceptions that surround TFS. For the first post see TFS is expensive.

Team Foundation is Version Control…

There are a lot of debates raging (and have been for a long time) about how inferior TFS is when it comes to version control. Obviously the favourite comparison has always been between TFS and SVN, but these days the comparison is also shifting to the DVCS style of version control systems.

TFS version control (IMO) has always done what was needed. There are a lot of nit-pickers who look at the specific functionality that TFS does not support, but once again – I have used SVN and TFS and found that a lot of these features were really just “nice to haves”, and in most cases TFS did have a work around in one form or another.

The main thing that I feel is not addressed when people make these comparisons is the fact that TFS “IS NOT” version control. Version control is merely a feature, one of the components that make up TFS.
TFS is an ALM suite. It covers a much broader spectrum than just version control.

There are a lot of misconceptions around ALM as well. In fact, one of my large corporate clients was very keen to check the “we do ALM” checkbox after they started using SVN. Using version control does not mean you are addressing the full ALM!

So that said, one of the things that really excites me about TFS is the rate at which it is evolving. The “problem areas” are being addresses as the product matures. I’m sure you would have heard of TFS 11 & VS 11 by now.

Just looking at the changes that Brian Harry and his teams are making to TFS version control, it is going to be yet another game changing release:

I’m off to get my hands dirty with the TFS & VS 11 developer previews…

Monday, August 22, 2011

Team Foundation Server for everyone, everywhere…

The topic I chose to present for this round of Dev4Devs Cape Town was (you guessed it) TFS.
This time I took a different approach and showed off the “new” focus that Microsoft has started adopting. Instead of trying to convert everybody to the Microsoft way of doing things, Microsoft is starting to adopt the desperate development realms and in some cases, is actually supporting them! This is very exciting for everyone using very competent, often “lower cost to entry” development tools and technologies, providing capability to grow which was previously unrealised.

So without further delay – here is a brief overview of my presentation: TFS for everyone, everywhere

IDE of choice…

Anyone who has worked with TFS should be familiar with Team Explorer. This is the developers portal into “the belly of the beast, erm TFS”.

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Maybe a little less known to the Java, and especially the Eclipse developers would be a product  by the name of Team Explorer Everywhere (TEE).
This is (amongst others) an Eclipse plugin which is basically Team Explorer for the “non-Microsoft” orientated. It introduces TFS to the Windows, Linux, Mac, Solaris, AIX and HP-UX users (see here under system requirements for the “official” list of supported IDE’s and OS’s).

TEE

Deja vu?

As would be expected there are a few minor differences between the two, but by far any Visual Studio / Team Explorer user will feel right at home using and configuring TEE, right down to the check in dialog and policies.

API of choice…

OK, so now you have TFS integration into Visual Studio and Eclipse. What about the extensive .NET API (that is installed with Team Explorer)?

No Problem! Microsoft has released a TFS Java SDK.

Looking at a .NET example to create a work item in TFS:

1) Add a reference to Microsoft.TeamFoundation.Client and Microsoft.TeamFoundation.WorkItemTracking.Client

2) Establish a connection to the appropriate TFS Project Collection

   1: //get default credentials
   2: var credentials = CredentialCache.DefaultNetworkCredentials;
   3:  
   4: //connect to TFS project collection 
   5: TfsTeamProjectCollection collection = new TfsTeamProjectCollection(new Uri("http://localhost:8080/tfs/defaultcollection"), credentials, new UICredentialsProvider());
   6: collection.EnsureAuthenticated();

3) Using a Service Locator pattern we can get “services” from the project collection. In this case we are interested in the WorkItemStore. This is basically a repository for work items and can be used to load and query work items



   1: var workItemStore = collection.GetService<WorkItemStore>();

4) Then a bit of plumbing… Because each team project is based on a specific process template we need to get a work item definition that is appropriate to that project/process template. In this case we are looking for the “Task” work item definition in the “Dev4Devs” team project



   1: var project = workItemStore.Projects["Dev4Devs"];
   2: var workItemType = project.WorkItemTypes["Task"];

5) Create a new work item and start setting appropriate properties



   1: var workItem = new WorkItem(workItemType);
   2:  
   3: //set appropriate properties on the work item
   4: workItem.Title = "my new work item";

6) And finally, based on an active record pattern, we simple save the newly created work item



   1: workItem.Save();

Simple enough…..


So looking at the Java SDK, how difficult will it be?


1) The first step is to obviously get hold of the Java SDK and add it as a referenced library in the java project


2) Create a connection to the team project collection



   1: TFSUser user = new TFSUser("useraccount");
   2: TFSTeamProjectCollection collection = new TFSTeamProjectCollection("http://localhost:8080/tfs/DefaultCollection", user, "Password");
   3: collection.ensureAuthenticated();

3) Get the work item client (instead of store…)



   1: WorkItemClient workItemClient = collection.getWorkItemClient();

4) Get hold of the work item definition from the appropriate project



   1: Project project = workItemClient.getProjects().get("Dev4Devs");
   2: WorkItemType type = project.getWorkItemTypes().get("Task");

5) Create a new work item



   1: WorkItem workItem = workItemClient.newWorkItem(type);
   2:  
   3: //set appropriate properties on the work item
   4: workItem.setTitle("my new work item from java");

6) and finally



   1: workItem.save();

So, save a few nuances, pretty much the same when it comes to the interface exposed by the .NET and Java object models.


As mentioned earlier, I can’t wait to see where all this leads to in the adoption of TFS as a decent (and more often than not, cheaper) ALM suit.
Team Foundation Server…. not just your average version control Winking smile


 


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Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Team Foundation Server goodie bag

Anyone that has been following Brian Harry over the last number of weeks would have started seeing what is in the pipeline for Team Foundation Server vNext.

As he posts about the new features, I’m getting more and more exited about the way that Microsoft is busy closing the gap between TFS and the products that TFS is usually compared to. I find that there is still a very narrow vision of finding a single feature, and then if the system you are comparing against does not support this feature as expected, it is discounted (sometimes aggressively).

Things are changing though…

One of the new features that would make a lot of SVN users very happy is the introduction of local workspaces. This is a particularly big deal as a lot of people seem to have problems with working in “offline” scenarios.

Another contentious issue has always been the rollback ability within TFS source control. A large number of people may not have known this, but rollbacks in TFS have actually been possible for a while now. Granted a bit of a hassle as a “true” rollback was only possible via command line.
Well not any more. According to Brian, the next version of the TFS Power Tools will be bringing forward the Rollback “UI” from the next release.

Considering how TFS as a product is maturing while taking the community into consideration, I must admit that making a decision to take the passion I have for TFS, building a business around it while sharing it with the world, was probably the best thing I could have done.
After all, who would have ever expected a Microsoft supported “cross platform” Java based environment and API for TFS to appear?

I can’t wait to see what is coming next!

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BTW: If you are considering upgrading to Visual Studio 2010 or TFS 2010, please do evaluate your Software Assurance options…

Monday, July 25, 2011

Dev4Devs coming around again…

The second round of Dev4Devs 2011 is coming around…
I really enjoy this type of community “event” that brings together a bunch of like-minded individuals to interact and discuss what is happening in their area and industry as a whole.

I would really encourage everyone to attend and even present if there is something that you would like to share with others…

Go here to find out more.

 

Monday, July 18, 2011

Microsoft Test Manager Video Recording on Windows 2008 Server

I had some “issues” getting the video recorder collectors working on Widows 2008 R2 Server recently.

I’m sure some of you have had something like this pop up…Video Recording can not be created

The link provided is not really of much use, it merely tells you to install the Expression 4 encoder. This in its self is not going to give you much joy, so here are the steps in a bit more detail:

Step 1: Add “Desktop Experience”

Using “Server Manager” add a new “Feature”. Select “Desktop Experience” as highlighted below, add any required features and complete the installation

Add Desktop Experience

Step 2: Expression 4 encoder

Download and install the Expression 4 (SP1) encoder.  Note that the new Encoder is now included in Visual Studio SP1.

Step 3: The missing link…

One thing that the Microsoft Help does not mention is that you need to update the Microsoft Test Manager Video Diagnostic Adapter as well. To do this you need to download the updated adapter and install it.

From here on it is as simple as ensuring the your configuration has the video recorder adapter enabled.
Open up Test Manager, select “Plan” and then select the “Properties” tab.

Open MTM Test Settings

In the properties select the appropriate test settings and select “Open”.

Enable Video Diagnostic Collector

Select “Data and Diagnostics”, scroll down the list of diagnostic adapters and make sure that the “Video Recorder” collector is enabled. You can select “Configure” toward the right of the “Video Recorder” collector row, and set some options if you want to configure the collector further.

Select “Finish” and voila, you can start recording test run sessions.

 

Monday, July 4, 2011

Team Foundation Server 2008 vs 2010

When speaking to potential clients, I more often than not end up needing to explain to them that all the issues and problems they are highlighting often derive from TFS 2008, or more so, TFS 2005.  In my business I find that I still deal with a lot of misconceptions around TFS as a product and what it provides. The result is that I end up needing to “re-sell” clients on TFS.

Dealing with such a legacy is a hotly contested market space and obviously a big hindrance to any business. So in an attempt to correct some perceptions I’ll endeavour to address some misconceptions around TFS 2010, specifically comparing TFS 2010 against TFS 2005 & TFS 2008.

To start off with, a real common one….

TFS 2010 is Expensive…

In years gone by the licensing structure of Visual Studio 2005 & 2008 merely included a TFS CAL ($499) in the MSDN subscription. You still had to purchase a TFS server license for about $2800.
In 2010 you still have the CAL included in the MSDN subscription, BUT you now also get a TFS 2010 server license included!
You can however still buy a retail copy of TFS 2010, it will only set you back $499 allowing 5 named users without the need for additional CAL’s (going over this number you will have to purchase CAL’s for each user though).

So… if you purchased Visual Studio 2010 with MSDN for each developer, you are ALREADY licensed for TFS 2010.

Due to the fact that TFS 2010 comes with a restricted usage SQL 2008 license (or in fact can run on SQL 2008 Express) and WSS3 or SharePoint Foundation is free, you can have a fully functioning TFS 2010 environment up and running without coming close to the capital expenditure of its predecessors!

The next thing that people always go on about is but svn/git/mercurial is free”. Yes they are free, BUT they are merely version control products (and yes some of them are pretty good ones at that).
TFS has a version control component to it, BUT it also incorporates and integrates a large number of other features, to mention a few:

  • extensive reporting capability
  • collaboration
  • work item management
  • test case management & lab management
  • build automation

But…” you say, “there are a bunch of other tools that can perform these tasks”. “Yes“ I say “there are”, but are they seamlessly integrated to give a single view across all the functions in the development sphere? Do they give you the ability to interrogate the progress, activity, quality or performance of your team in detail? Are they integrated into your “day-to-day” environments making them a natural part of your environment?

If you have not yet considered TFS 2010 due to cost, please take some time and get the facts (or speak to me Smile )!

You may be surprised!

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Visual Studio 2010 version aversion…

TFS being a tool that has some intimacy with Visual Studio often puts me in a situation where clients have many questions regarding the different versions of Visual Studio. The tight integration between TFS and Visual Studio can leave one wondering… where does Visual Studio end and TFS begin.

I will be the first to admit that any search for a comparison between Visual Studio editions is pretty easy to come by, but for convenience, here's a useful comparative table of visual studio 2010 versions.

Visual Studio Sku

(Image stolen from Ahmed Salijee)

Visual Studio 2010 Professional

Professional is your entry level environment allowing you to perform you day to day coding tasks. A big issue that I have is the lack of quality tools packaged with this edition, but it is a cheaper alternative to get your team up and going.

Visual Studio 2010 Premium

Premium in my mind is the minimum version that an enterprise dev team should consider. More expensive, but adding a quality perspective, including aspects such as code analysis, code coverage & metrics and then also (in my mind) a hugely underutilised “Database Professional”.

Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate


Ultimate is the granddaddy. A strong focus on architecture with support for modelling and layer validation, but including load and web tests. It also includes a Test Manager license (see Test Professional below). Very pricey and probably not worth the money in most teams/smaller companies.

Stepping out of the developer realm a new product or edition has been introduced in the 2010 suite called Test Professional

Test Professional

Contrary to common believe this is NOT a development environment. It includes Team Explorer, but that is where the similarities end. Test Professional edition primarily consists of Microsoft Test Manager, a tool that is targeted toward the tester, someone that needs to set-up test cases and execute these by (often) manually running through the application. It also includes the ability to set-up and configure Lab Management which in my opinion is more technical than I would prefer to allow a tester to handle.

Misconceptions…

One of the misconceptions that I often deal with is that you need Visual Studio to “work” with TFS. Team Explorer is actually all you need which happens to be a free download (you still need a CAL to access TFS though). Team Explorer does provide a tight integration between TFS and ANY Visual Studio 2010 version though. Then again Team Explorer is just one of the many ways to interact with TFS…

 

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

DevDays 2011 Cape Town

DevDays 2011 Cape Town drew to a close yesterday evening.

I presented one of the community session slots and decided to upload the presentation for those who could not attend.

Enjoy…





Tuesday, May 17, 2011

TFS as an open platform?!

Brian Harry has previously mentioned his intent for TFS to be an open platform. To date the architecture supports this very nicely, from the wide range of integrated applications and clients to providing developers with a very rich .Net API.

Then Microsoft took over Teamprise’s Client Suite rebranding it to Team Explorer Everywhere (TEE).
For those that have not yet heard about TEE, it is basically Team Explorer for Mac, Linux and some Unix flavours (yes… even Windows). One of its components is an Eclipse plugin, giving (primarily java developers) basically the same experience that we are familiar with inside Visual Studio.

Yesterday Microsoft once again upped the ante by providing a java SDK for TFS.

This extension to different development environments, and the work that Microsoft has put in on the Hosting story and is putting in to get TFS on Azure means that you can have the benefits of TFS, without the need to actually run any Windows based servers locally! How neat is that!

Now what I would really be interested in is how much demand there is for this, and what is Microsoft doing to “sell” TFS to non Microsoft dev environments? Locally TFS and Visual Studio is being evangelised via the main stream events such as DevDays and Tech Ed, but what should we be doing to get the message out to people that do not attend these events?

But enough business, where did I put that old Java book of mine….

Monday, May 9, 2011

Dev4Devs Cape Town

Dev4Devs was held on Saturday, what an awesome event!

Well done to my fellow presenters for giving us very interesting (yet brief) insight into some topics that lie close to their hearts, and a big thanks to Dave Russell from Microsoft for setting it up and hosting the event here in Cape Town. 

I believe Dev4Devs is a platform for people who have a passion for what they do, and would like to share it with “the world”. You’ll experience what it means to present to like-minded people allowing just enough time to give you a “taste” for what presenting is all about. I would really encourage people to give it a go. Dave has promised that this would definitely not be the last time that this event is held in Cape Town.

We each had a 20 minute slot to talk about, or “present” on a topic of our choice which is challenging, but part of the fun! And of coarse, if by some highly unlikely event you get bored with the current topic, the next one is literally around the corner Winking smile

Thanks to all that attended, hope to see you at the next one…

For now though, the next event to look forward to is DevDays, see you there!!

Friday, October 29, 2010

TFS on Windows Azure

Big news if you following Microsoft PDC 2010 is that Mr TFS : Brian Harry did a demo on how they took TFS 2010 and modified it to run on Windows Azure.

This is obviously concerning from a competition point of view if you are hosting TFS, as Microsoft is most likely going to have TFS as an subscription service on Azure.

That aside, it is interesting to see the effort involved in “porting” a large scale application to Windows Azure and the caveats that you have to address to have something running successfully.

On the plus side they made some improvements to TFS itself, which makes more sense for it to run “in the cloud”. One of the major changes in my mind is that fact that they changed the Build Controller to have a client as opposed to a peer relationship.

I always hated the cyclical relationship between TFS and the Build Controllers. Working in distributed teams it was a mission setting up continuous integration and then with limited access to the TFS Build servers, we would either have to commute to the office to fix a build issue or, what tended to happen more often, you live with a broken build for a couple of weeks until someone went in to the office that could fix it.

I really hope that we will see these changes becoming available in the mainstream application.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Woes...

Well my transcript has been “found”. There was some issue when the exam was written that caused it not to be uploaded. So at least Microsoft is going to have it uploaded in the “the September run”. Luckily September is just around the corner, so let’s give them this much. After all, it only took a month… (Am I too nice to be able to run a business?)

Whilst we are on the subject of corporate Microsoft, to be able to be recognized as a SPLA reseller, you need to register on the SPLA essentials site. No problem, nice “Sign up” link and everything. That was almost 3 weeks ago. I have had numerous emails confirming activations and registrations of all sorts, and within this correspondence there are links to do further activations etc. Like a rabbit hole, just going in deeper and deeper with no final “here you go you are now registered and able to start selling”! I really think there should be a review of the flow of this registration and activation, really un-intuitive and error prone (As I’ve mentioned before). So this is another bottle neck I’m trying to circumnavigate.

On the brighter side, I received another job offer yesterday that after MUCH deliberation I declined. The company is a large retail chain in South Africa and it seems that they are now trying to go Agile. This would have been a very exciting position, had it not been for my delusion of having my own business. What makes this a positive is that they run TFS. They are busy upgrading to Visual Studio 2010 and then TFS will be next in line for an upgrade. A friend of mine that works there mentioned how the TFS instance came to be and by the sounds of it, they are in need of someone like me!

I was initially worried that although I have a brilliant idea, the paying client base in this country may not be able to support a service such as this. This gives me a little bit of hope! I now need to bide my time and then see if I can get myself in there.

Build a business one client at a time.