1. TFS Build Extensions Joubin Najmaie Senior Consultant @TeamObjectSharp
TALMUG
May 22, 2014

2. Agenda Life before Builds Build Server Components
Extending a Build Definition

3. Life Before Builds You hurry to check-in code at 5 PM
People are still working on the ‘last bug’
They get latest before checking in their own code
Luckily, no conflicts
However they try to compile the code – they get tons of errors.
Run TFS annotate / blame to find out who checked in the bad code – it’s you
They call you to see if you know what’s going, but you’re too busy having a beer while playing XBox
You roll in at 10 AM the next morning
Everyone’s pissed at you
Your response – Dunno, IT WORKS ON MY MACHINE
TFS Build server to the rescue

4. Build Components Build Server Build Controller Build Agents
Build Process Templates
Build Definitions
Builds

5. Build Server Team Foundation Server Visual Studio Online
A server that is running the Team Foundation Build Service
If the only machine, will have the Controller
If the only machine, will have the Agent
Visual Studio Online
Taken care of for you
TFS: Runs the TF Build Server
If only machine
Controller
Agents
VSO: Taken care of for you

6. Build Controller Accepts build requests from TFS
It then gives the request to one of the agents
i.e. manages a build agent pool
Okay to install on the TFS server – not much overhead
The Controller coordinates the builds for a Team Project Collection.
Limitation: One controller per Team Project Collection
It’s waiting on build requests from the Team Foundation Server
It then hands off the build request based on some parameters to the build agents
Since it has not much of an overhead, it’s okay to have it sit on the same server as TFS.

7. Build Agents Multiple Agents Managed by a single Controller
May be configured with dependencies
e.g. Disk space, SQL Server etc.
Not recommended on the Team Foundation Server
There could be multiple agents to install/configure machines with various project dependencies
To setup multiple agents, here are some factors to consider
- How long does a build request sits in the queue
- Look at the build reports
- bill for an agent - cheap, $10/$30 per month
- Licensing options
Not recommended on the TFS Server
Performance!
A build may hang the machine making the server unavailable
Demo!
Setup Tags
Working directory on the server
Set the controller for it

8. Build Process Templates
a.k.a. Build Scripts
OOTB build process templates
a.k.a Build Scripts
Demo!
Show in VS
OOTB
Default Template – a basic process to build and test your code
Upgrade – For backward compatibility with older build defs i.e. TFS 2008/5
AzureContinuous – to deploy Azure web sites and cloud services
Lab – automate/extend deployments to the lab management
Default templates
Get Builds (GLV)
Determines the drop location
Initializes vars
Create Labels
Compiles projects
Runs tests
Associates changeset and work items
Generates reports
Copies files to the drop location

9. Build Definitions Follows the logic of a build process template
Supplies arguments to a build process template
General Tab
Name, Description
Enabled
Paused - allows for queueing builds, leaves the builds in a paused state
Disabled – doesn’t allow users to queue builds
Trigger Tab
Manual:
Set it if your build definition is still not ready to set to another trigger
Or for other reasons – I’ve used it in client QA/UAT build prep
Or a special process that you want to run only manually
Queueing a private build – TFSBuild start command with the option of /shelveset
Hot fixes CI
On each check-in
E.g. no drop folder to save space on server
Rolling builds
Similar to CI but used if
you have a single build agent
you have build agents that are not powerful
You have a large team
Gated Check-ins
Similar to CI but more rigorous
If build fails, it won’t introduce the checked-in code into your codebase
Scheduled
Daily builds
You have the option of forced builds
To trigger a build on certain days at an pre-determined time
Daily builds: I had a client that setup a scheduled build definition to run for their daily builds
Source Settings
Working Folders
Active: specifies the version-controlled folders that your build process requires
Cloaked: Used for performance-optimization to exclude files that the build agent doesn’t require to build
Is used for cases where you’re having customized builds that is segregating the builds into pieces.s
Build Defaults
If you’re dealing with Visual Studio Online, then there is always going to be a single controller i.e. Hosted Build Controller
Staging Locations
Don’t copy: used this for CI builds mostly
Copy to a UNC path – have seen this to copy output to a Nuget Server
Copy to source control folder
Restriction: ‘Drops’ folder has to be the parent of the project folder
Copy build output to server
You can get the a zipped copy, by clicking on build outputs/report
Click on Open Drop Location
Click on “Download drop as zip”
Process
Configurations to build – Debug/Release
Which Project to build
Tagging/filtering of the agents
Disable Tests - ?
Create work item on failure
Associate Changesets and work items
Retention Policy
Two sections:
Triggered and manual: for normal builds i.e. non-shelvesets
Private: for shelvesets
Why have multiple definitions?
Scenario: To store the output to server or no
- CI builds
Building to Nuget servers

10. Builds Manual, Triggered, Scheduled Queue a new build
Tab: Parameters
May want to use this for manually triggered builds.
Tab: General
Build qualities

11. Extending Build Definitions
Simple Case – with no assembly dependency
A slightly more complex case – with assembly dependency

12. Custom Build – Hello World
Demo
Add a WriteBuildMessage to the default template
Create a build definition of this kind
Queue a build
View logs for the build

13. Custom Build – Slightly more Complex
SQL Server Data Tools
SSMS + VS
Version Controlling your database deployment scripts
It allows for seeding – in dev environments
DAC – data-tier application
DACPAC – DAC Package
Hand off to db admins for deployment
SQL db compares
SSDT
The marriage of SSMS and Visual Studio packages all into one + extras
Manages and version control your Scripts/Databases
Provides full-featured script editing - Object Explorer etc.
Helps with deployment of the schema changes
DAC
DAC - Package
Easy for database admins as it generates the Dac and handed over to the database admins
Build and Publish DacPac
Ability to compare the DacPac against the target database
Builds appropriate change script
Provides the easy ability to rollback and roll-forward to any version
It allows for
Creating 'Insert' scripts - for dev environmnets
? Ability to define a post deployment script as well

14. Why? DacVersion Signifance
Synchronizing Assembly Version with DacVersion
Easy trackability and administration
Demo!
Unload SQL Data Project
Edit proj file

15. Community TFS Build Extensions
Community TFS Build Extensions
.NET Code Kindler

16. Custom Build – DacVersion Sync’ing
Demo
Demo!
Attr – BuildActivity
Subclass – BaseCodeActivity
Open XAML file
Show/Drop the activity
Upload activity to buildprocesstemplates folder
Check in
Queue a new build
Download build.dacpac
Look inside for build format number

17. Resources Have issues with VSO – use Twitter
@tfservice
@visualstudio
@tfsbuck
Slides and Project Code will be available on joubin.net TALMUG site