More tips and tricks using my Typemock custom build activity with TFS 2010 build

Every time I add the Typemock Isolator custom activity to a TFS 2010 build I learn something new that eases the process. In the past I have posted on the basic process to get the activity into your build, and I would also draw your attention to the ALM rangers guide to build customisation, which provides loads of useful information on this front.

Today, when I added the activity to a build I made the following improvements to the settings to make life a bit easier. This build is one used wildcard scanning for assemblies containing test with a test configuration file (this is the red usage in the documentation, it will make sense if you read the documentation)

So the changes over and above the usually configuration.

1. In the project used to edit the build process workflow I added a reference to the Microsoft.TeamFoundation.Client assembly (found in C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0Common7IDEReferenceAssembliesv2.0Microsoft.TeamFoundation.Client.dll)
2. This meant I could replace the hard coded TPC Url property ProjectCollection on the ExternalTestRunner activity with BuildDetail.BuildServer.TeamProjectCollection.Uri.ToString()
3. I noticed you have to explicitly set the build definition’s configuration and platform. If you only set the target solution and let these default the test results are not published. This I suppose is a bug in the activity, but not one I am rushing to look at as I would normally set these values

So for my usage of the custom activity the properties are

As you can see these are nicely generic now, no project based hardcoded values