How to checkin the output of a project/solution (dll) post a successful build in TFS2010

Question

Just wondering on the recommended process of checking in an output of a project or solution post a successful build.

For example the Build relates to a common library. Post a change I want that to be checked in to a known location so other solutions can reference.

Some examples might be

• Custom Workflow activities
• Invoking TF exe directly

Answer 1

I don't do this currently but plan to investigate NuGet as a solution to this scenario. MSDN has some articles showing how to incorporate NuGet into your projects and host a private gallery of your own NuGet packages. MSDN has examples of a build that compiles your common code and then packages it and updates it into your private NuGet gallery. Then in your projects you would consume the NuGet package of the common library you wish to use.

Main MSDN article describing this: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/hh781026.aspx

Other resources:

http://nuget.org/

http://nugetter.codeplex.com/

Answer 2

Have a look at this post from Ewald Hofman, it updates certain files and checks them in using a custom activity. You could use the same process. But this involves customizing the build process template and deploying custom build activities to all build agents.

But you might also want to investigate the free AIT Dependency Manager which can download the latest specific version (can filter on build outcome or quality) of one build from the buildserver as reference to another build (also inside Visual Studio). This is a lot more flexible than constantly checking in the build output and allows you to have your dev branch to always get the latest (unstable) version, but your release branch to always get the latest well tested and approved version.

Answer 3

I would not check an output in. Instead, I would move it to a well-known location, probably a file share.