CODEWITHSUNDEEP
visual-studiotfs
SERVANT14
SERVANT14

Reputation: 75

tfs - Can Team Foundation Server be used outside of Visual Studio with TFVC?

We're looking to have various kinds of development in our VCS (currently moving away from PVCS): Java, PHP, Oracle Forms & Reports, etc, with the possibility of .NET development in our VCS in the future (adding existing projects from other teams). It seems TFS is built for Visual Studio development and the clients for TFS outside of Visual Studio are not very mature (except Team Explorer).

Do many teams use TFS with TFVC for development occurring outside of Visual Studio?

We're leaning toward Git, yet a couple other teams of ours (that we may share a VCS in the future with) are heavy Microsoft shops. They're leaning toward TFS. I know we can all use TFS with both Git and TFVC behind the scenes, but it seems better to have us all on the same VCS if we're all in TFS so the workflows are similar, regardless of the project. If TFVC can work for us, that seems the best candidate.

Another small question is, does TFS keep a list of all changes (add/delete/modify) made in a working directory? I read that 2010 does not. I setup a TFS trial server, but haven't had the chance to test yet.

Upvotes: 1

Views: 1327

Answers (1)

Jason Williams
Jason Williams

Reputation: 57892

Yes, you can work outside of Visual Studio, if you don't mind a command line interface - the command-line tool allows you to do almost everything that can be done from the IDE's graphical UI, as well as extra admin features that aren't available in the GUI. It's not pretty but it works fine.

Even better for day to day use, there is also a Window Shell Extension included in the TFS Power Tools which allows you to manage source controlled files in file explorer windows - right click a file and you can check it in/out, undo checkout, rename/move or delete it in source control.

To work with TFS you create a Workspace (a mapping of folders on the server to local folders on your PC). TFS copies the source code to this workspace, and remembers what you have checked out and keeps a local list of "pending changes" as you work on code. This (or part thereof) can then be checked back in to the server when your work is completed.

Upvotes: 1

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