TFS

TFS Tips

I found that TFS (Team Foundation Server) is so unintuitive that I have to create this page so that I don't have to keep googling around.

Updated 7/5/2016

How can I merge a shelveset to a different branch?
How can I find the details of a particular changeset?
How can I avoid hanging for TFS connection?
How can I unshelf a file shelved?

How can I merge a shelveset to a different branch?

Here is how to merge a changeset made on one branch to another branch. Note that the branch which has the shelveset is AEDT2B and the shelveset is named as "Tosa Main To DB shelves".

  
  Prerequisite: You have to install Team Foundation Server Power Tools.  
  1. Change directory to the top of the branch which has the shelveset.     
    (If you don't do this, then you get the error: no workspace found.)  
  2. tfpt unshelve 
     /migrate 
     /source:"$/AEDT_Repository/Main/AEDT2B" 
     /target:"$/AEDT_Repository/Main/AEDT2B-DB"                    
     "Tosa Main To DB shelves"     
    (these must be on one line.  I added cr for clarify.)  
  this will bring up the Unshelve/Merge Shelveset dialog which has the button for "Automerge All"

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How can I find the details of a particular changeset?

I like to find the particular changeset ID about the changes. Here is how.

  
  1. Visual Studio → Source Control Explorer → Click a Tool bar icon named "Find Changeset" 
     (next to the history icon)  
  2. Command line: tf changeset $(changesetID) /noprompt (/s:http://$(server):8080/tfs)

where $(changesetID) is replaced with the actual id. The () is specifying the server.

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How can I avoid hanging for TFS connection?

One day my connection to TFS was lost. Visual Studio goes into "not responding". Here is the place http://williamweber.net/disable-visual-studio-automatic-connect-to-team-foundation-server-tfs/ which gave me the information.

  
  1. Install "Team Foundation Server Power Tools".  
     This takes time longer than 10 minutes.  
  2. Open Visual Studio Command Prompt  
  3. The command "tfpt connections" will open a dialog box to uncheck 
     "Automatically reconnect to last server on startup".

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How can I unshelf a file shelved?

I thought that it is simple to unshelf a file I shelved previously. It is not intuitive. I can do without knowing what I shelved previously.

  
  1. File → Source Control → Unshelve Pending Changes ...  
  2. Right click on the solution in the Solution Explorer → View Pending Changes.     
     Pending Changes window open.  The toolbar menu has "Unshelve"

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