Continuous Integration with Visual Studio

 Jan 17, 2014

Continuous Integration (CI) is the process of automatically generating a build whenever code is checked into a source code repository system. With CI, the developer does not have to wait for the next scheduled build (typically at the end of the day or even at the end of the week) to find out how the changes they made to the source code affected the overall system. Incorporating CI into the development life cycle of a project will optimise the regression testing effort and every developer in the team can be assured that they are using the latest build. Catching problems earlier can help to decrease the total development time and effort, and consequently the cost of development. There can be no better way to catch breaking errors as early as possible as by having some kind of continuous integration process in place. Previously, the biggest disadvantage of CI was the huge maintenance overhead to get something close enough to continuous integration. Since Visual Studio 2005 Team Foundation Service (TFS), attempts have been made to achieve the goal of implementing CI. However, up until TFS 2012, all the proposed solutions were manually implemented by following a complex set of documented steps and downloading special tools. Essentially, CI was provided as a documented design pattern plus the necessary tools to get it done. The implementation required a high level of discipline by the whole team and was very difficult to be completed successfully in practice. Now with Visual Studio 2013 and TFS 2012, it is much easier to implement CI. Follow these quick and easy steps, and you'll be well on your way.
  1. Sign up for a free Visual Studio Online account here Visual Studio Online (VSO) is the new name given to TFS, which is the cloud-hosted service version of the Team Foundation Server software. This will provide you with a URL to access VSO in your browser.
  2. Create your first project By using the URL provided from Step 1, you can create your first project. Provide a name, description and a few details about the project then click the button to connect with Visual Studio 2013. All the development work is done with your local installation of Visual Studio 2013.
  3. Open or create a solution In Visual Studio 2013, you can now open an existing solution or create a new one. To add a solution, go to the 'Context' menu of the root node in the Solution Explorer and select 'Add Solution to Source Control.'
  4. Run CI in your project In the Team Explorer window, click on the link 'New Build Definition' and in the 'Trigger' tab, make sure to choose the 'Continuous Integration – Build each check-in' option. And, voila!
To get the most benefit from CI, I recommend that you deploy your solution to Windows Azure. For more information about this, visit the Windows Azure Documentation website

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About the Author:

Newton Godoy  

With over 17 years of in-class training experience and over 16 years of industry experience, Newton offers students a wealth of real-world technical knowledge and expertise in the areas of .NET application development, SQL Server and SharePoint Server. After spending several years lecturing as a professor, Newton found his true calling and began his career as a MCT. He worked as a technical trainer for some of Brazil's and Australia’s largest corporate training organisations before finally finding a home with New Horizons where he is now one of our top trainers. Newton brings a thorough mentoring capability to the classroom where he can advise on technical issues and challenges often beyond the scope of the course curriculum. His combination of technical knowledge and instructor experience make him one of the most respected instructors within the IT training industry.

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