Are there any TFS client options that do not involve Visual Studio? I'm at an MS shop but we want to be able to version everything include Excel spreadsheets and Access databases (etc, etc). I am surrounded by a bunch of Excel macro jockeys and they want to version all their spreadsheets (and included macros). Can TFS handle this with a machine that won't have Visual Studio installed?
Yes, I realize that TFS may not be ideal, but it's the hand I'm dealt. So, please, no, "why not use X instead" answers.
You can use TFS for source control with Access and Excel.
Install Team Explorer (Team Explorer is the client software that you use to access the Team Foundation Server functionality.)
Install Team Foundation Server MSSCCI Provider 2012
Then you will need to install the extensions for your Office application.
For MS Access 2010
Have you looked at TF? http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg413282(v=vs.100).aspx
TFS 2013 also has git integration (so checkin via git clients). Not sure if that would be an option for you?
Related
I am using VS2010 with access to TFS via the VS2012 shell. Looking around on the web version that usually offers rich functionality I am unable to view the kanban board and graphs. Will I need a higher level of access or does this installation not allow these?
From http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd997788.aspx:
"When you connect to a more recent version of TFS than that of the client that you run, you’ll only be able to access those features supported by your client. For example, if you connect Visual Studio 2010 to TFS 2013, you can perform the same functions as if you connected to TFS 2010. You can’t access any new features that Visual Studio 2010 doesn’t support."
How can I access files held in TFS source control without installation of Visual Studio?
You can check out the Team Explorer Everywhere as an alternative way to get at your Team Foundation source code.
The actual source code is stored in a SQL Server database that the Team Foundation Server installs.
On Windows, the Team Explorer installation (included with the TFS install) will install enough of Visual Studio to access TFS. It also installs the command line tool (tf.exe) which can be used to perform most operations without needing to start Visual Studio.
Installing the TFS PowerToys will optionally add a PowerSehll module that includes cmdlets for most version control operations, and integrates nicely into PowerShell.
On other OSs look at Team Explorer Everywhere (as marc_s has already answered).
Is it possible to get a standalone TFS client on a server that does NOT have Visual Studio installed? We'd like a way to "reach into" a TFS project from a server, without having to install Visual Studio?
Possible? I've seen Team Explorer, but will that work without Visual Studio?
Team Explorer 2008 will allow you to connect to TFS, but it will install a Visual Studio shell.
Team Explorer Everywhere has Web access. Martin Woodward wrote a great article about it.
Download the TFS power tools. The "Windows Shell Extension" component allows one to perform most operations with TFS via Windows Explorer. Note that the Power Tools installer states that Visual Studio 2010 (or Visual Studio Team Explorer 2010) is a prerequisite for the following features:
Command-line interface
Visual Studio Integration
Check-in Policy Pack
Process Editor
Windows Shell Extension
PowerShell Cmdlets
It's 2017 and Microsoft (re)introduced the standalone Team Explorer.
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/visualstudioalm/2017/04/05/reintroducing-the-team-explorer-standalone-installer/
If you remember back to 2013 (and before), we released standalone installers for Team Explorer. In VS 2015, we did not release a standalone Team Explorer since customers had free options with Express SKUs and Community, which included Team Explorer functionality.
Customers have continued to request a standalone installer for Team Explorer for non-developers, however. And so today, with the Visual Studio 2017 Update release, the standalone Team Explorer installer is back.
Download - https://www.visualstudio.com/thank-you-downloading-visual-studio/?sku=TeamExplorer&rel=15
Included with Team Foundation Server there is a free web front end called "TFS Web Access". In TFS 2008, the Web Access was a different installation and it came as a Power Tool to the TFS. In TFS 2010, the Web Access is installed automatically and is part of the TFS.
In order to get to the Web Access in TFS 2010 do the following:
In your preferred browser type:
http://[YourServerName]:8080/tfs/web/
YourServerName is the tfs name for example: http://tfs-srv:8080/tfs/web/
Also, if you need Agile planning and a Task Board with TFS Web Access, take a look at Urban Turtle - http://urbanturtle.com. According to Microsoft, this is the premier Scrum tooling for TFS.
Discloser: I work with the Urban Turtle team. So do not take my words. Instead, read what Microsoft blogs said about Urban Turtle.
http://blogs.msdn.com/search/SearchResults.aspx?q=urban%20turtle§ions=3652.
There now seems to be a more generic Team Explorer Everywhere for TFS - perhaps that will give us non-VS users desktop access to TFS :)
It includes an Eclipse plug-in and usefully, a command line client.
While it appears to be a dead project. If you like having version control outside an IDE (or independant of the IDE). There is SVN Bridge, which allows you to use TortoiseSVN to talk to your TFS server.
https://svnbridge.codeplex.com/
You can install Team Explorer (on the TFS install DVD, or you can download it from MSDN) without needing to have VS2010 installed - Team Explorer will install a 'shell' VS2010 with only the TFS features available - none of the IDE components.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=fe4f9904-0480-4c9d-a264-02fedd78ab38
I've been using the trial edition of Visual Studio 2008 Team System to develop projects and work with my client's Team Foundation Server. I am using the Team Explorer integration / source control plugin.
My trial is expiring and I'm having trouble finding information on what exactly I need to purchase. I don't need to actually run a TFS server myself, but I do need the ability to connect to my clients and get/put files, and the integration with Team Explorer in VS is really nice, hence I'd rather not have to use an external 3rd party tool.
Do I need Team System to accomplish this or does Visual Studio 2008 Professional have the same TFS Plugin, and if so does it work the same?
I can't believe I'm having such a hard time finding the differences between the versions... if anyone has a good resource that'd be nice before I shell out $3,000 on something I don't need. I develop mainly ASP.NET Solutions if that matters. Thanks!
Visual Studio 2008 Product Comparison Guide
I don't need to actually run a TFS server myself, but I do need the ability to connect to my clients
Whoever is running TFS should procure CALs (Client Access License) so that any client that works with this server is covered. I believe you buy them separately per client machine (somewhat around 400$ each). Also VS Team System editions have one or two CALs included. That may be or may not be worth it for you.
And yes, you can access TFS from VS 2008 Pro, just need to install the integration plugin.
I don't know if that is possible at all for you, but if you can, I would wait for Visual Studio 2010 (to be released in march 2010). Not only is it a better product than VS2008 but also they have simplified the versioning/licensing part, also Team Foundation Server 2010 Basic may be suitable for your source control needs.
If you want to take a look, you can download the beta versions of VS2010 and TFS2010.
Does anyone know how you can install/run the TFS Team Explorer in stand alone mode when Visual Studio 2008 is installed on the same machine?
Additional Information: I should have been a little more clear in my question. I'm trying to access the Work Items.
The TFS Team Explorer will always integrate with a version of Visual Studio (apart from Express) if it is installed and there is no way of running it stand-alone.
If you install the TFS 2008 Power Tools, then you can have it so that you get Windows Explorer integration for TFS which many people enjoy. You might also want to look at Team System Web Access to provide a mechanism for accessing TFS from just a web browser (but obviously doesn't include full version control capabilities)
Finally, the company I work for has a completely standalone TFS client called Teamprise Explorer that is implemented in Java, however this is a commercial product.
Hope that helps,
Martin.
The answer is that there really isn't a standalone version. When you install VS Team Explorer on a machine without Visual Studio, the installer will install a Visual Studio shell. Then, when you run Team Explorer in standalone mode, you are actually running a Visual Studio shell.
Martin had a good point about Team System Web Access, which probably would do the job nicely. Plus it has the added benefit that it allows non Visual Studio users access to work items. But, it was decided that it was too much trouble to get permission to install it here (working for the US Army can have its issues).
My solution for now is to run another instance of Visual Studio and access the Team Explorer tools from there.