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Front Page News
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A new Visual Studio plug in SeeTest for mobile testing. You can use Visual Studio (all versions) to test real physical phones including iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows Mobile and Symbian. This includes Windows 8 phones. Just connect your device using a standard USB cable to your computer and record tests. SeeTest auto generates a script that you can copy & paste into Visual Studio. Then you can edit, run & view results in Visual Studio. Check out Charles Sterling blog all about Visual Studio & SeeTest plugin. There is a video on Charles blog that you can watch. Testa...
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Agile.org has some create webcasts on subjects concerning Agile, Scrum. You can either sign up to them or go to the archive listing. Couple of interest are: Agile Practices in a Traditional Organization Adopting Test-First Development Release Duration and Enterprise Agility On May 15th is Agile and Quality: It is not an Oxymoron but a Necessity Click here to check out the public webcast series. Testa...
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Microsoft is storyboarding the process of code coverage for manual testing. They are also looking for you to complete a quick survey on the subject. The Visual Studio ALM team are asking for our help so let’s give it to them. Click below to do the survey. Code Coverage for Manual Testing Survey This is how tools get made that we will use, thanks for helping. Testa...
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If you are like me and a fan of Shelving in TFS you are going to love TFS11. Here are some new features for Shelving that have me excited about the next release. Merge Instead of a copy, unshelve is now a merge. You can take those changes and Merge them in with your current local changes. Also this means that on a Gated Check in the Shelveset is merged with the main base of code prior to the private build. Work items In the new Team Explorer you can select work items that are In progress. So that when you check in the changes the changeset is associated to the work item. If you Shelve this work to do something else the Work item is stored with the Shelveset. When you Unshelve to work on it you will get the work item also. Switch Select a shelveset while you have work in progress. Notice the Switch command below. This allows you to take your In Progress work and swap it out with a Shelevest...
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TFS11 beta power tools are now available for download. In the power tool are: Best Practices Analyzer Team Explorer Enhancements Team Foundation Power Tool Command Line (tfpt.exe) Test Attachment Cleaner Process Template Editor Windows Shell Extensions Read more about what all these power tools give you and download TFS11 Beta Power Tool . Testa...
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If you are interested in following any of the MSDN Forum’s there is a gadget you can download that makes access to your favourite threads quick and simple. Download here . Testa...
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It is Methodology May at the TALMUG Methodology . In the world of software development there are not many words that raise contention quite as quickly as this. But why is that? What are the differences between Agile, Iterative, and Rigorous software development methodologies? There has been buzz about Scrum, XP, Lean, Waterfall, Kanban, and RUP for years; how do they fit into this discussion? But most importantly, why should you care? What does the test team think of all this? In Methodology May the TALMUG brings you a panel of ALM professionals to discuss and debate these very questions and maybe help you see what methodology could work best at your company. Pizza and Pop will be available at 5:30pm - Come out and join in on the discussions. Being held at 40 University, Suite 1301, Toronto meeting starts at 6pm. Follow on twitter @TOALMUG Click here to Sign Up Testa...
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I had a customer that was looking for a way to see the history of a work item in an easier to compare format then the work item itself. I searched for such a tool, didn’t find one, so I wrote this. I uploaded it to CodePlex in case anyone would like to use it or extend it. If you just want to try it out you can download the latest version from CodePlex. The app is pretty simple. Simply run GetHistory.exe select the server and projects you want to query and hit connect. On the main form below, the Project drop down will be populated with the list of projects you selected from the connection screen. Enter a Work Item ID from that project and hit enter or click Get History. The grid will fill with each revision of the work item. If the data in a field is different than the previous revision it will be displayed in red. Other Options Go to the Fields to Ignore tab to select work...
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Dave Lloyd has updated GetHistory a power tool for displaying work item history. Now you can export the work item history to excel. If your company has a audit process that has to be followed this tool may help you report on changes to requirements, test cases, bugs in just a few steps. Click Get History to get the newest version. Keep your eye out on this tool you never know what features Dave may add! Testa...
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Here is what you will see and hear from ObjectSharp's Microsoft MVPs at this event: Metro (Win 8 + Mobile) The Metro interface has the potential to change how a lot of people use computers. You've already seen a little of it in the Windows Phone. More if you have downloaded the Windows 8 consumer preview. In this session, we will demonstrate how the power exposed by Metro (through live tiles, push notifications, immersive user experiences, etc.) can be harnessed to provide a usable and intuitive application. VS 11/.NET 4.5 We're still a few months away from its release, but the beta version of Visual Studio 11 and .NET 4.5 is available and with a Go-Live license too. With Visual Studio, reduction and simplification are the keywords. For .NET, assistance with parallelism this session is the big topic. Between these and other topics, the tools that will make your development life easier are...
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Tomorrow Barry Gervin and I will be interviewed on AlignIT with Ruth Morton and Jonathan Rozenblit. We will be discussing the Pros and Cons of upgrading to the next version of VS and TFS . Affectionately known as vNext or Dev11. Feb 29th MS announced the release of Windows 8 Customer Preview and Visual Studio 11 Beta . Looking forward to the discussions. Watch for it on AlignIT . ...
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MTM needs a feature that allows testers to describe what an individual test case iteration is testing. Right now I add a parameter to the last steps expected results "@Notes" and for each iteration of a test case I add to the Notes what I am testing in each iteration. Example would be testing a address site. My test case will go through all the address fields so any testing I would need can be done with parameters and iterations even boundary. But I need a easy way to identify what is being tested by an iteration. Vote for this feature “ Identifier that describes what each test case iteration is testing ” Testa...
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Check out instructions on how to create reports for your TFS2010 Test Results . There is also an example that you can follow. Testa...
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Typemock is presenting a webcast “Introduction to Unit Testing” if your a tester this will be a good intro into unit testing. Pass this onto your developers even if they unit test. Software testing isn’t just a task for QA. In order to prevent bugs and release quality code to market, you also need developer testing, including unit testing. Discover why you should start unit testing, and how you can get started with automated tests quickly. Click below to register Introduction to Unit Testing Testa...
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I remember the first ever event we did in a theater. It was all about Whidbey, remember that? Then the next year Nick Van Exan our student and part time graphics guy created a movie poster to promote the event. I think it was Barry Gervin as Dr. Evil, very funny stuff. The tradition continues. ObjectSharp is pleased to present it's 2012 "At The Movies" event! At this 3-hour live morning event at the Scotiabank Theatre, on Tues 1 May 9-12 noon , you will see and hear about Microsoft's new developer tools for 2012: Metro (Win 8 + Mobile) VS 2012 TFS 2012 + Test Manager 2012 ...from ObjectSharp's MS MVPs: Dave Lloyd, Bruce Johnson, Barry Gervin, Colin Bowern, Deb Forsyth and Atley Hunter PLUS: your admission includes: Coffee + Popcorn + Soft Drinks AND ... multiple draws for Microsoft and Telerik cool stuff ! What does it cost? General Admission is $25 ( or register by...
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Karthik K.K has posted on LinkedIn (click to see) a chart that compares the features of Visual Studio & Test Manager to Quick Test Professional (QTP). I like the last item: Visual Studio 2010 Test QTP Who’s Best VSTS is cheaper and can be used for both development & testing. QTP is costlier and can be used ONLY for testing. VSTS VSTS can also be used by Business Analyst, Project Managers, and Stakeholders. It can assist teams being Agile or Scrum or Waterfall thru a process template. The process template can be customized to meet your company need. VSTS reports on all aspects of a project and can tell you at any time where in the project you are at, the quality of the project to date, the status of your requirements/user stories. You can have a “Requirement to Test Matrix” in seconds at anytime. If this alone has got your attention and you want to know more contact me directly. Test...
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What is a Windows 8 Camp? A Windows 8 Camp is a free , two-day event. During the Camp, you’ll discover HANDS-ON how to build your first Metro Style App for Windows 8. You’ll learn from experts in a low-key, interactive way and apply what you’ve learned with support from Microsoft Canada. How do I register? Click below for the city nearest you. o Toronto – May 22 nd to June 1 st , Microsoft Downtown Toronto Office o Montreal – June 4 th to June 8 th , Microsoft Downtown Montreal Office o Vancouver – June 11 th to June 22 nd , Microsoft Downtown Vancouver Office Where can I find Windows 8 resources? · A Cornucopia of Windows 8 Goodness · Windows 8 Consumer Preview · Windows 8 Consumer Preview Product Guide for Developers · Windows Dev Center · Visual Studio 11 Beta Testa...
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Harry Baran from Thoughtworks posted a blog that I think is very much worth sharing. Harry outlines in his posting some of the difference between unit testing in Agile to the Traditional approach. Unit testing in any process needs to be getting the attention it deserves, if done right it can be an early quality indicator for the solution under development. Test teams need to get involved in unit testing to some capacity no matter what process/methodology being followed. Pair up your developers and testers, offer training to your testers in unit testing and coding, hire testers with coding skills, let your testers see and understand what is being unit tested. To quote Harry Baran: “Unit tests are foundations of an agile project. They enable fast feedback, continuous testing, continuous integration and refactoring .” As children we were taught to share, for some reason one of the most important...
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The first Toronto VS ALM User Group kick off meeting is being held on April 12th @6:30pm sign up at TALMUG to get the details and register. The User Group is for all roles within the Application Life Management team. Topics presented will vary from generic ALM practices to ALM with Visual Studio. If your involved in product management, a stakeholder, a business analysis or product owner, a developer or a tester this User Group is for you. The goal of the first meeting will be to: Define the group’s mission Select an appropriate name Document the roles of the executive Recruit volunteers Funding Discuss how to reach out for sponsors Discuss meeting locations Discuss ideas for the first few meeting topics Come out on April 12th and help us to kick-off this new user group code named TALMUG. Testa...
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If you want to edit your build process and utilize some of the custom activities in the Community TFS Build Extensions . You may be finding it tough to drag the activity into your Workflow. Or Intellisense may not be working like you saw in that demo. Below are the steps to help you create a project to store your custom build processes and easily edit them. First Download the Community TFS Build Extensions and copy them into a folder in source control. I like to put them in a folder under the BuildProcessTemplates folder created from your Process Template, called Custom Activities. For example: $/ObjectSharp Projects/BuildProcessTemplates/CustomActivities You need to make sure the build server knows where to find these so Change the Build Controller property Version control path to custom assemblies to this location in source control. You can get to it by right clicking on the Builds...
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Each work item in TFS contains an All Links Tab where you can see all the links to this work item grouped by relationship type. There are other tabs that just show specific links like Implementation, Change Requests, Test Cases . These tabs are filtered to only show certain types of relationships and the work items that can have this relationship. It’s very easy to create your own Tab that shows specific links and the work item types that you want the user to include. As an example lets create a Review Tab on the Requirement work item in the CMMI Process Template so we can see the Design Reviews associated to this requirement. Open up the CMMI process template using the Process Template editor that comes with the TFS Powertools . Lets create a custom link type to be used for Reviews. From the Process Editor select Methodology | Work Item Tracking | Link Types and click the new Button. Fill...
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In the blog Functional/System testing with Visual Studio/Test Manager we talked about unit testing. Testers in the near future are going to need unit testing skills. Now that is a very scary statement given 70% of testing is done manually. Now is the time to start learning by taking programming courses, unit testing courses, pairing with developers to learn and searching the web. In the Visual Studio magazine Jeff Levinson article Take Unit Testing to the Next Level talks about how to add unit tests to requirements to show test coverage. Jeff supplies code you can download and instructions on creating simple unit tests then how to link them to requirements. If you have Visual Studio give it a try. Thanks Jeff Testa ...
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New Agile book by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland can be pre-ordered at Amazon for a great discounted price. About the book from Amazon: A radical approach to getting IT projects done faster and cheaper than anyone thinks possible Software in 30 Days summarizes the Agile and Scrum software development method, which allows creation of game-changing software, in just 30 days. Projects that use it are three times more successful than those that don't. Software in 30 Days is for the business manager, the entrepreneur, the product development manager, or IT manager who wants to develop software better and faster than they now believe possible. Learn how this unorthodox process works, how to get started, and how to succeed. Control risk, manage projects, and have your people succeed with simple but profound shifts in the thinking. The authors explain powerful concepts such as the art of the possible,...
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Team Foundation Server (TFS) and Visual Studio(VS) excels when it comes to requirements traceability. Depending on what process you are using in TFS your stakeholders needs are documented in a work item called one of the following: requirements, user stories, use cases or backlog items. For this blog I am using the term requirement. What is requirements traceability? Continuous knowledge of the life of a requirement from conception to creation to design to development to verification to implementation and change. The ability to trace a requirements state and/or status at any time during a project. First step in making requirements traceable. In Visual Studio other work items are used to identify work that needs to be done to a requirement before it can be deemed done. There are different work item types depending on the process template you are using, however all contain the following: T...
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If your reading this blog you likely understand what functional testing and you may use the term system testing. Wikipedia defines these terms as: “ System testing of software or hardware is testing conducted on a complete, integrated system to evaluate the system's compliance with its specified requirements. System testing falls within the scope of black box testing, and as such, should require no knowledge of the inner design of the code or logic” “ Functional testing is a type of black box testing that bases its test cases on the specifications of the software component under test. Functions are tested by feeding them input and examining the output, and internal program structure is rarely considered.” If you have read Agile Software Engineering with Visual Studio (by Sam Guckenheimer & Neno Loje) you will have heard about “reducing waste”. Identified as tasks that reduce waste are...
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