More Azure in the TFS vNext (2015) and no more WF in Builds Alleluia !

 

Remember my good old posts back in 2010, claiming that Batch scripts offers a great ROI :

• Faster to implement,
• Easier to maintain and deploy,…
• But yes, I know it is not considered as to be a “Best Practice” since it is not written as Workflow Foundation DLL that extends Build Process Templates ?
  and also many TFS consultants found this as to be a Quick & Dirty solution. Yet of my many projects are in Production ever since 2010, surviving the various TFS migrations (TFS2010, 2012, 2013… and soon the TFS 2015!) 
  • Ref: http://blog.thavo.com/2010/12/create-custom-workflow-for-tfs-2010.html 
  • and http://blog.thavo.com/2013/07/tfs-build-number-used-as.html

Now, in 2015, guess what ?? Yes, Scripts are back !!
I was so pleased when installing TFS 2015 (CTP) where Builds were identified as “legacy” !! and yet also anxious, since it means throwing away a large amount of previous knowledge !

 

LIST OF NEW TFS 2015 FEATURES:

• Assign multiple testers
• Team Build preview
• REST APIs
• Service hooks
• Sprint backlog and task board updates
• Text filtering on backlogs & queries
• Re-ordering in a filtered backlog
• Edit on the Kanban board
• Identity control and avatars
• History control
• View history on a folder
• Improved merge performance
• Query progressive disclosure

 

Here is the TFS 2015 CTP install process:

Once installed the documentation clearly scores out the “BUILD” tab and highlights the BUILD.VNEXT one:

Now the (new vNext) build are configured via the Web portal

and for those like me how hated to install previous version of VS with add-on “just” to Clone a build definition, here is the new ‘magic’ button :

Now that TFS is installed (and you could still install and configure the legacy Build at the same time), let the fun starts :

1. Choose the create a new build definition, and you’ll be presented the choice of building a VS or a Xcode
   
2. Let us consider a VS build, and you’ll have by default two Build steps: VS (building *.sln) and a VS Test (building test*.dll)
   
3. Now you could add a large amount of Build Steps, particularly spacial ones for Microsoft Azure
   (and I expect some much more in an Open Source manner)
   
4. Now re-order the Steps as you wish. No more complex parallel crazy workflows that spans across multiple pages that crashed my Visual Studio, yet having a powerful configuration. 

   ==> BECOMES AFTER RE-ORDERING ==>

    
5. No more multiple pop-ups (like the old ones). Everything is accessible rapidly.
   
6. To configure the Agent with infinite extensible capabilities !
   
7. Even more extensibility with the new Service Hooks, that interract with Azure Service Bus, Azure Storage, … and JENKINS, Trello, etc…
   
8. Here is a Zoom on the two Azure Hook capabilities
   

 

HOW TO USE THE SERVICE HOOKS ??

1. For instance, when a TFS event raises (exhaustively : Build Completed, Code pushed, Pull request created, Pull request updated, Team room message posted, Work item commented on, Work item created, Work item updated).
   
2. Say, choose “Build Completed”. Now, whenever a build is completed, the action below will be triggered :
   
   

 

Other support for Microsoft Azure:

Ability to add a deployment environment.

 

Here is the exhaustive list of what’s new in TFS 2015 : https://www.visualstudio.com/en-us/news/tfs2015-vs