TFS Powertool - October 2008 Release downloadable!
If you monitor Brian Harry's blog you already know we have released a new TFS Powertool. I am not going to repeat Brian's elaborate post, but pick a couple of things I really like:
1) IM capabilities in TFS - no more excuses for not communicating with your peers - instantly and in many different ways!
2) Shell extensions allowing you to do basic version control functions using the file explorer
The installation is a breeze (but make sure you do a CUSTOM install, then reboot if you want the Windows shell extensions). Once done you will see a new Team Members node in each TeamProject and you can see whether or not they are online, you can interact with them in various ways and you can see what they are working on! Very nice!
The second feature is something I was waiting for a long time. Previously a TFS workspace was a normal windows folder containing project files. I couldn't see if the files in these folders were actually under source control, I had no visibility of their check-out status - unless I viewed the files using Team Explorer or Visual Studio. Now I can simply open up Windows explorer and look at the project folder and do all basic source control functions right there:
You can download the new TFS Powertool - October 2008 Release here.
