New TFS Tools Available!

Brian Harry

Last night we released version 1.2 of the Team Foundation Server MSSCCI Provider.  This tool enables a wide range of IDEs to access TFS.  It is available for download here and is for use by anyone who owns a Team Foundation Server Client Access License CAL either by purchasing a VSTS role product (e.g. Visual Studio Team System for Developers) or by purchasing a CAL directly.

The enhancements in this latest release include:

• Enable handling branched solutions in Visual Studio 2003.
• Fixed issues to enable provider to support TOAD for SQL Server 2.0.
• Enhanced the “Choose Folder in Team Foundation Server” dialog.
• Fixed bug which prevented Properties Dialog from displaying local path.
• Work Items Query list in the Checkin Dialog is loaded and saved on the disk.
• “Get” operation performance improvements.
• Miscellaneous bug fixes

The biggest improvement is in the area of branched projects.  The experience is still not perfect but it is dramatically better than it was.  The one issue that remains is that the first time you open a project/solution after branching it, you need to use Open from Source Control (can also be done by double clicking on it in the Source Control Explorer) rather than opening it from your local hard drive.  This has to do with the way the underlying MSSCCI infrastructure works in Visual Studio and allows VS to fix up some of its references.

With the addition of TOAD support, the supported IDEs include:

• Visual Studio 2003
• Visual Basic 6.0, SP6
• Visual C++ 6.0, SP6
• Visual FoxPro 9, SP1
• Visual Studio .NET 2002
• Microsoft Access 2003, SP2
• SQL Server Management Studio 2005
• Sparx Enterprise Architect 6.1
• Sybase PowerBuilder 10.5
• TOAD for SQL Server 2.0

Originally we had planned to release the updated MSSCCI provider along with a new version of the TFS PowerToys (now renamed TFS Power Tools).  Unfortunately, with all of the rush to get SP1 shipped and meet some key end of year deadlines on Orcas development, we just didn’t make as much progress on the Power Tools as we wanted.  We decided to decouple the releases and we are hoping to get the updated Power Tools out in January.  Sorry for the delay.

In related news, I got mail today announcing the availability of a new release of “TFS Sidekicks” from Attrice Corporation.  These tools from Attrice are very similar in spirit to some of the TFS Power Tools that we build and are great add-ons for TFS.  I recommend you check them out.

It’s rapidly approaching the Christmas holidays now and I’m not sure how many blog posts I have left (or how many you want to read :)) before taking some much needed time off.  In case this is it, have a great holidays and a happy new year and I’ll see you again in January!

Brian

Brian Harry Corporate Vice President, Cloud Developer Services

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