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.
Related
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 am going to be learning how to do SharePoint 2010 development and as such I am setting up my environment? I have a couple of questions about that.
First, I am following a couple of helpful articles on how to do it as follows...
http://geekswithblogs.net/manesh/archive/2010/05/28/building-the-ultimate-sharepoint-2010-development-environment.aspx
and
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee554869%28office.14%29.aspx
Both of these article recommend setting up Sharepoint on a server environment or VM and THEN setup Visual Studio on that same environment.
I was wondering if it will work to setup Sharepoint on a VM Guest and use my existing installation of Visual Studio (my VM host) to do the work. To do Sharepoint development do you HAVE to install Visual Studio on the VM Guest with Sharepoint? What do I lose if I just use my production install of Visual Studio (or will it just plain not work?).
It just seems counter-productive to have two development environments (and I refuse to install Sharepoint on my production machine...at least right now.)
Also, will SharePoint Foundation edition (rather than full server version) function just fine for learning and development or will I find that I am eventually going to hit barriers and limitations with it.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Seth
In order for many of the SharePoint features Visual Studio 2010 to work, both must be installed on the same machine (or VM). Visual Studio can't deploy to another machine, and the debugger (F5 Debugging) won't work remotely. If you choose to not install VS on the VM, then you will have to package and deploy the solutions yourself, as well as debug them yourself, either through the remote debugger, or trace logs on the machine. Its worth installing VS on your VM.
The SharePoint Foundation will work fine for learning, unless you are trying to learn about some of the features specific to SharePoint Server. Here is a good chart showing the differences.
You need to have SharePoint installed on your development machine so that you can write code utilizing the SharePoint assemblies.
As for just using SharePoint Foundation, I would recommend that you identify what sort of functionality you want to work with and let that determine if you can get away with just using SharePoint Foundation or not. Personally, I would use the full version so that you can learn about the the functionality it offers as well. Otherwise, you won't really be learning everything that SharePoint can provide for you.
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.
I'm currently in the process of investigating TFS 2010, as it's been agreed that we'll be getting VS2010 Professional when it's released and it comes with TFS Basic (we're currently stuck with VSS, and were considering moving to SubVersion prior to the TFS Basic announcement).
I've downloaded an installed the Beta 2 of TFS 2010 and installed it using the Basic installation, which I'm led to believe is what the actual TFS Basic would be equivalent to. I configure it all, install the Team Explorer into Beta 2 of VS2010, and begin nosing around. I see lots of interesting looking options, and turn on one for my test project that says Check-in Policy - Code Analysis. I then try checking in something to that project, and a little dialog pops up saying
Evaluation of Code Analysis Policy
requires Visual Studio 2010 Premium
Beta 2 or Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate
Beta 2 to be installed
However, I can't find any reference to this or other limitations online anywhere. The MS VS 2010 feature comparison page gives all three versions 4 stars for TFS product features, and the pages I've read on the limitations of TFS Basic only say it lacks Sharepoint and Reporting capabilities.
Am I missing something here? Is there an article somewhere on the limitations, or perhaps some confusion between a product TFS Basic and a basic install of the full version?
Sorry this is so confusing. Few things first of all.
VS 2010 Professional with MSDN comes with TFS. Not just TFS "Basic" but a full server license to TFS and a CAL (client access license) to access it. When you install TFS you can then pick what installation option you require. You can go for "Basic" which configures all the pre-requisites for you (such as IIS, SQL Express etc). Or you can go for Advanced if you want the more traditional TFS installation where you can install IIS, MOSS, full SQL Server with reporting services etc first and then install a full TFS that is integrated with these products. You can think of "TFS Basic" - as "Easy TFS". It's the same TFS, just easy to install (including on non server operating systems such as Windows 7 etc). You can move your project collection created on a basic installation of TFS to a full blown TFS installation in the future if you find you outgrow the basic installation.
Check-in policies are bits of client side code that run every time you perform a check in. The particular one that you selected actually runs some features in visual studio to do with code analysis. The problem you are running into is that those features are only available with the premium editions of Visual Studio and is not included in Professional. The feature on the TFS (server) side is just being able to run check-in policies. The feature on the client side is what the check-in policy is calling. Confusing I know.
My tip with check-in polcies would be to not enable them at first and switch them on gradually (see http://www.woodwardweb.com/vsts/policy_override.html for my rationale behind this).
Hope that helps.
Martin.