Someone asked me to publish a brief write up VSTS Web Access along with screen shots.  It seemed like a good idea, so here you go...

VSTS Web Access is a Web UI to a portion of the Team Foundation Server functionality.  Over time I expect it to grow beyond what we think of as TFS today.  It serves a few purposes:

  • It's great for people who don't use Visual Studio and/or don't want to install the Team Explorer.  Examples include Project managers, Business Analysts, IT Executives, Customers, etc.
  • It allows access to TFS from any machine.  You can use it from test machines, customer machines, etc. when you don't have access to a machine with Team Explorer installed.
  • You can paste links to it in docs, emails etc. when sending information to people who don't use TFS.
  • It's quick and easy to get into.

VSTS Web Access is not intended to be a complete solution to the needs of all people on the development team.  For instance, it is particularly not intended to be a replacement for the source code control functionality that a developer would need.  It also doesn't have all of the version management support that a configuration or build manager would need.  And, of course, it doesn't replace any of the functionality that a developer, DBA or tester, etc would need in working with code, architecture and tests.

It is good an many things though:

  • Managing bugs and tasks.
  • Browsing builds and drops.
  • Lightweight browsing of source code and documents.
  • Basic review of checkins, history, diffs.
  • Launching point into the Sharepoint portal and Reporting Services.

Here's the main screen.  It's intended to be an overview of your work with tabs for various pieces of functionality across the top and navigation down the left.

Work Item Tracking

Here's what it looks like when you run a query for work items...

Here's how you build a query for work items...

And here's a work item being viewed...

Builds

Here's a list of builds...

Here's a report on an individual build...

Version Control

Here's the equivalent of the Source Control Explorer for browsing source code and docs in TFS...

Here's History for reviewing checkins that have been made...

You can also search for checkins...

And you can drill in to individual change sets and view the file differences...

Sharepoint and Reporting Services

Here's the screen shots for launching into Sharepoint and viewing a report...

Brian