Clark Sell

Computers don’t lie, we just don’t always listen

csell — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 06:38:36 GMT

This past week I did one of those TFS restores to swap out hardware. Things went great except for SSRS. Who knows what went wrong but looking back, the journey to resolution was interesting. All to often we see the error and start to hunt and peck. Sometimes we end up down dead end roads other times we are just lucky. Reflecting back, hind sight is always 20/20. In this case the solution was somewhat obvious from the start.

Let the journey begin..

Stand alone TFS installations usually have 2 main IIS Web Sites. #1. Default, which will include SharePoint and Reporting Services. #2. Which is TFS. During the restore process I had a problem where TfsAdminUtil.exe RestoreDT was actually having problems talking with SSRS. I kept getting the following:

…..

Exception Message: Client found response content type of 'text/html; charset=utf-8', but expected 'text/xml'.

…..

The file you are attempting to save or retrieve has been blocked from this Web site by the server administrators.

….

Well after a while I just gave up and reconfigured TFS by hand. I knew that decision was going to bite me in the rear later on but at 2am with time running out, it was time to get-er-done. So once the rest of the restore was done I kicked off a new project creation and guess what, SAME &^%$^# ERROR… After some sleep it was time to hit it again. Looking back at the error what struck me as odd was the error seems to imply that SharePoint was getting the web request rather than SSRS. Sure enough after some digging around a bit more in IIS, IIS Logs, TFS it turned out my SSRS installation was actually instanced so instead of the normal http://server/Reports, it was http://server/Reports_TFS. Well that fix was easy, tfsadminutil.exe configureConnections did that. Re-ran “Create New Project” and it failed again but this time a bit farther down the stack.

This time the project creation wizard was saying it was looking for http://server/reports still but everything was configured to be …/reports_tfs. I have no clue where that was coming from but my solution was to just reconfigure SSRS IIS apps to drop the notion of the instance. Re-Ran the Creation Wizard and now SSRS was hooped. The SSRS manager couldn’t find the SSRS services. Well that must have meant somewhere in SSRS land it was in fact still pointed to …/Reports_TFS. Sure enough in the config file for SSRS the URL was there. Fixed that..

Re-Ran the Project Creation Wizard, Failed. At this point I was ready for a drink. Now SSRS was hooped trying to create db objects. Well it was trying to create db objects that were not on the new instanced SSRS installation. I searched around for a bit and said screw it. Lets just rename the db to remove the …$tfs instance name and reconfigure SSRS to point at the new DB name. Once that was done.

Moral of the story, more often that not the that error we sometimes just ignore is always a great pointer. Just don’t ignore it so fast.

T4 – Text Template Transformation Toolkit

csell — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 06:12:49 GMT

Chances are you have never heard of T4. Don’t worry, most haven’t. This tool was introduced when the DSL tools hit the market. As the name implies, it’s a code generation engine. It’s my understanding, T4 is used under the scenes by the DSL tools to generate out it’s artifacts. This is also the tool that things like Linq to SQL and the Entity framework use to generate its artifacts. Very Cool, and a bit daunting at first.

There are a number of great resources on Code Generation. I don’t want to recover what has been written better than I could but I do want to talk about the start of my journey with T4. So like anyone I hit the ole WWW in search for answers. The following resources got me rolling:

Needless to say you don’t really need anything to get started. I don’t want to rehash anything already stated above, but I do want to cover a few good little hints I have learned so far.

You can include other TT files.
- <#@ include file="core.tt" #>
“Class level functions”. These have listed at the bottom of the TT file in a <=+ => if there are other code blocks in the TT file.
Set your output file type. While you don’t really need it in VS if you are using the command line it will still save a few headaches. It can be whatever type of file type you want.
- <#@ output extension="XML" #>
Assembly References. Just like a normal .NET program you have to reference what you need. I was a bit surprised I had to reference System.Core for some Linq Queries.
- <#@ assembly name="System.Core" #>
Imports. Nothing different from a using statement in C#
- <#@ import namespace="System.Xml.Linq"#>
You can’t pass in parameters into the T4 Engine. Well you can, but not with the host that ships out of the box. Kathleen Dollard is actually working on a host that will address that situation but I have cheated in the meantime. I have an settings file ( like a config ) which I set the setting file from my own host which in turn calls the T4 Engine. The the templates just read that file getting whatever dynamic settings they need.
I have been driving my templates with Powershell.
You can specify template framework versions, although you don’t have to.
- <#@ template language="C#v3.5" HostSpecific="true" #>

I will indeed post more on T4. It’s just amazing and we all should use it more. As I do it more and more I find myself coming up *MUCH* more creative ways to generate the same artifact with less.

More to come…..

Blogging again????

csell — Fri, 22 May 2009 17:02:10 GMT

You know sometimes it’s just sad how fast time can go by. Looking back it’s been well over a year maybe two since I last blogged. WOW, that’s not cool. So what the hell happened, well LIFE I guess. Let’s see:

I had my second child ( girl, Addison ). We are blessed to have one of each and both healthy.
I got to meet Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer and all of the rest of the Microsoft executives
Bought a Honda ( needed a 4 door with 2 kids )
This fiscal year I will have billed over 2300 hours which doesn’t account for my other job. Can you say Year of the Death March!!!
Ran into Sieg from the Deadliest Catch at SeaTac
Learned how to make the perfect Margarita!

Regardless a lot has happened and it’s time to talk technology again. I love it and really miss doing it. With all of the great stuff here upon us now, it’s time to start sharing. I was reading MSDN Magazine the other day when I ran across an article about MSBuild and best practices which really got me thinking. There were two items that really stuck out for me:

Compilation of large source trees. I think it’s a must read but caution readers that “large” can mean many different things.
Reference Management

While both were explained pretty well, lets put #2 into practice. *I’M LAZY* ( in a good way of course ). I would much rather write something once rather than screw with it time and time again, especially the stuff you have to do like build work.

So lets talk assembly references….

Assembly references can be easy as you want it to be but sometimes a little prep work will go a long way. The .NET compilers and runtime both have a specific order in which they look for references. If you look in your framework folder for Microsoft.Common.Targets you will find the following:

The SearchPaths property is set to find assemblies in the following order:

Files from current project - indicated by {CandidateAssemblyFiles}

$(ReferencePath) - the reference path property, which comes from the .USER file.

The hintpath from the referenced item itself, indicated by {HintPathFromItem}.

The directory of MSBuild's "target" runtime from GetFrameworkPath. The "target" runtime folder is the folder of the runtime that MSBuild is a part of.

Registered assembly folders, indicated by {Registry:*,*,*}

Legacy registered assembly folders, indicated by {AssemblyFolders}

Look in the application's output folder (like bin\debug)

Resolve to the GAC.

Treat the reference's Include as if it were a real file name.

So what if your not one of those nine?!?!?

Since it’s all just angle brackets we can extend the “out of the box” search paths. As it was explained in the article you can override the property AssemblySearchPaths. Aaron had a great post on MSBuild Property Evaluation, it’s something you should read. Overriding a property is as simple as importing your own target file into the stack and then resetting the property ( for most cases ). You could also just add a the same property further down the stack in the same file. Both are essentially the same. With MSBuild the *stack is always important*. If you were to import your target file or override a property to early you might change the way the entire build system works. There are a number of properties that work like:

<AssemblySearchPaths Condition=" '$(AssemblySearchPaths)' == ''">

This is a very common practice throughout MSBuild implementations. As you can tell it’s just a way or protecting yourself from a change in behavior upstream. Remember MSBuild parses top down to you have no influence what might be done afterwards. In our case what we want to do is import our targets file after the Microsoft.Common.Targets file in the csproj or vbproj file(s).

<Import Project="$(MSBuildBinPath)\Microsoft.CSharp.targets" />

<Import Project="..\MyTargets.targets" /> *NEW*

By doing so AssemblySearchPaths will be “” and initialize itself as expected. So if we want to add to it it’s as simple as ( snip from MyTargets.Targets ):

....
    <PropertyGroup>

      <AssemblySearchPaths>
          $(AssemblySearchPaths);
          C:\binaries\;
      </AssemblySearchPaths>
    </PropertyGroup>
....

Define a Property Group
Define the Property ( AssemblySearchPaths )
Set it to itself and add to itself

Important point, Reference Paths are folders not files. So now if you compile from the cmd line or from VS you will have your paths in the stack. The easiest way to see what is going in is to simply run msbuild.exe /t:rebuild /v:diag on your sln file. That will dump everything that took place during the execution from MSBuild. Even the order of folders it searched for. You will actually be able to see the reference pats listed that it couldn't find.

But we are not done yet. We have a hardcoded path and remember, I’m lazy. How about we bootstrap ourselves into the build process and read the file system building the search paths based on a “root” folder you specify? Then any machine should work without any change.

<Project InitialTargets="bootstrap" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">

    <PropertyGroup>
        <referencePath>$(SolutionDir)..\MyBinaries\**\*.*</referencePath>
    </PropertyGroup>

    <Target Name="bootstrap">
   
    <CreateItem Include ="$(referencePath)">
      <Output ItemName="binariesFound" TaskParameter="Include"/>
    </CreateItem>
    
    </Target>

  <PropertyGroup>
      <AssemblySearchPaths>
        $(AssemblySearchPaths);
        @(binariesFound->'%(RootDir)%(Directory)');        
      </AssemblySearchPaths>
    </PropertyGroup>
  
</Project>

Important points:

InitialTargets was set. This gives us the ability to run *first*. Why? Well we want to read the file system and build the list of folders.
We create an item during the execution of the target rather than statically.
We later transform that target just adding the folder rather than the whole file path.

Team Build has a similar concept but much easier. At the bottom of any tfsbuild.proj fiile there is a commented collection called AdditionalReferencePath. It works the same it’s just that the Team Build process does it all for you already.

Microsoft.TeamFoundation.Build.targets ( 2005 )

csell — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 16:41:16 GMT

Have you ever wanted to *see* the target stack in the TeamBuild targets? Well the wait is over. I wish I could say I generated this on the fly but that isn't the case, but one day that will happen. I intend to keep growing this map as I come across new items and documentation. If you would like a copy feel free to reach out.

Click on the image below for a larger clickable map.

The VSTS Resources Map

csell — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 16:29:28 GMT

The amount of VSTS resources can get very overwhelming. We have a very strong community with a ton of resources. Lately I re-found my love for mind maps and decided to create a map around VSTS resources. I intend to keep growing this map as I come across new items. If you would like a copy of the map feel free to reach out.

Click on the image below for a the larger clickable map.

Chicago VSTS Users Group, Round 2

csell — Tue, 01 May 2007 07:58:00 GMT

Since I am speaking this time, I can't help but self promote can I? Right now I am in the middle of sketching out content and I would love nothing more than to hear from you. While I have a few tricks up the ole sleeve please ping me and share what's on your mind. Now for the official blurb!!

Join us for ROUND 2 of the Chicago Visual Studio Team System User group!

Join us each month for new topics including how the different role based editions can help your team to finish your projects on time, on scope and on budget, dive into the many features included in the powerful and robust Team Foundation Server product, or speak to one of the many partners who have extended the platform to enable continuous integration scenarios, integrate into Microsoft outlook, even an Eclipse plug-in!

Agenda for May 9^th meeting:

6:00pm - 6:30pm Welcome, Introductions and Pizza

6:30pm - 8:30pm Clark Sell Presents MSBuild and CI using TFS

8:30pm - 9:00pm Q&A, Raffle and Wrap Up

Presenter Bio:

Clark Sell is a Senior Consultant and Visual Studio Team System (VSTS) Ranger for the Financial Services practice of Microsoft Services. He has 8 years experience as architect, developer, tester, and product manager in the software industry, specifically focused on Financial Services customers and software. In this capacity, his primary focus is Visual Studio Team System. Prior to joining Microsoft in 2005, Clark was a Software Architect at Allstate Insurance Company. You can read his blog at http://blogs.msdn.com/csell. Clark is a graduate of Western Illinois University.

Be sure to bring your Smart card badge from the April meeting to qualify for special prizes! We will be issuing smart cards in May to new members while supplies last.

Date:        Wednesday May 9, 2007
Time:       6:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: Microsoft Corporation
                  77 West Wacker Dr, Suite 2300
                  Chicago, IL 60601

Click here to register.

Microsoft Acquires devBiz, Makers of TeamPlain Web Access

csell — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 19:19:13 GMT

Enough said.

http://blogs.msdn.com/bharry/

http://www.devbiz.com/

Announcing the Chicago VSTS Users Group

csell — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 15:11:55 GMT

Join us for the maiden voyage of the Chicago Visual Studio Team System User group!

Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Team System is the best integrated software development platform to build the mission-critical applications that businesses depend on. It extends Visual Studio's integrated and productive experience from the developer to the entire development team by delivering powerful new role-based tools for software architects, developers, testers and project managers. It also includes an integrated team server and customizable processes to help teams drive predictability, visibility, and control into their software development process. Join us each month for new topics including how the different role based editions can help your team to finish your projects on time, on scope and on budget, dive into the many features included in the powerful and robust Team Foundation Server product, or speak to one of the many partners who have extended the platform to enable continuous integration scenarios, integrate into Microsoft outlook, even an Eclipse plug-in!

Agenda for April 11th meeting:

6:00pm - 6:30pm Welcome, Introductions and Pizza
6:30pm - 8:30pm What is Visual Studio Team System?
8:30pm - 9:00pm Q&A, Raffle and Wrap Up

Click here to register

You may also access the registration site at: www.microsoft.com/events and reference Event ID 1032333482

Virtual PC 2007 Released

csell — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 18:22:28 GMT

You can read more about Virtual PC 2007, and download it, from the newly updated Virtual PC website.

Some key features of Virtual PC 2007 include:

Support for x64 Windows as a host operating system
Support for hardware virtualization support
Support for Windows Vista as a guest and host operating system
Support for PXE network booting of virtual machines
Support for the use of full screen virtual machines on multi-monitor systems

A long time ago Andrew Connell put together a great article HOWTO: Use Virtual PC's Differencing Disks to your Advantage. If you do anything with Virtual PC make sure you read this. Not only does it save you a great amount of disk space but it will save you a great deal of time when setting up new virtual images.

Team Foundation Power Tools v1.2 Released

csell — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 18:08:00 GMT

Team Foundation Server is happy to announce the release of version 1.2 of Team Foundation Power Tools (formerly known as Power Toys). In this release we've added 2 new command line tools for the developer and 3 non-command line tools. This version includes some bug fixes to previous Power Tools, support for Vista, and adds the following new functionality:

Workspace Command (tfpt.exe) - Use the workspace command for additional workspace operations not supported in the currently shipping Team Foundation Server command line (tf.exe).
Treeclean Command (tfpt.exe) - Use the treeclean command to see and optionally delete files in the current directory and all subdirectories that are not under version control.
Process Template Editor - A tool to provide UI for authoring work item types and some of the associated Process Template components.
Check-in Policy Pack - A set of handy check-in policies to address needs customers have expressed.
Build Test Tools Task - A tool that allows running unit tests by simply specifying the DLLs or even specifying a file name pattern in TfsBuild.proj, instead of using .vsmdi files to specify tests to run.

Please note that the Process Template Editor has some additional pre-requisites, they are identified on the download page.

You can locate the Team Foundation Power Tools V1.2 release here and you can get help on the forums for these tools here.

VSTS Case Studies

csell — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 02:52:01 GMT

From time to time I am asked where one can get their hands on case studies around VSTS. You can find all VSTS case studies here: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/teamsystem/aa718812.aspx. Today we just released two new case studies focused around ROI.

VSTS Books

csell — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 20:13:00 GMT

Ever wonder what VSTS books are out there. Well wonder no more. The list is in no particular order:

5 things you didn’t know about me.

csell — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 18:00:41 GMT

Jeff Beehler and Buck Hodges both decided to tag me and I hear tag backs are not allowed. So it's time to kick off this new year of blogging with a few items you may have never guessed.

I have a 10 month old son, Ethan. It's amazing just how fast your life can change.
I love Motorsports. While there is number of different leagues, I most enjoy watching NASCAR. A few friends and I try to attend one race a year and so far I have been to Michigan, Charlotte, Atlanta, Memphis and Indy.
Given I love Motorsports you could imagine I also love cars. So much so I am actually doing my own body off restoration on a 1970 Camaro. Yes it's turned into a slow moving project but it's still a great time when I get to turn some wrenches and lay a few welds.
I didn't aspire to be a programmer when I went to college. In fact I really didn't aspire to do anything much with computers but I loved the internet. My father was a geek since the dawn of time so I had always grew up around them. At that point in time I would have just rather worked on cars. Once I got into college that quickly changed and I graduated with an IT degree. My first job out of college was actually working on the ole Y2K bug.
I am an Eagle Scout.

I am sure these guys don't read my blog but I read theirs. In the spirit of this now you've been tagged too: Kevin Hammond, Richard Turner, Paul Andrew, Keith Brown

Connected World

csell — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 16:54:04 GMT

As a consultant you find yourself all over the place. Today I am headed to downtown Chicago via the good ole train. It's roughly a 1:30 minute ride one way. I normally travel with at least the following:

Large cup of Dunkin Donuts ( you know America runs on it )
1 Verizon phone with EVDO
1 Vista machine, 2 batteries
1 set of headphones

Here is where things get very geeky:

I am currently using the phone as a modem. Blogging, email, IM, banging code all while listening to URGE ( BTW URGE just rocks ). All at 50 mph! If that wasn't enough, the code I am working on is hosted on a remote TFS server I am currently checking things in and out of. CRAZY, I just love it!!

So what does my current bandwidth look like?

Download Speed: 1118 kbps (139.8 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 119 kbps (14.9 KB/sec transfer rate)

It's pretty crazy how connected we really are today.

Bye Bye VSMDI

csell — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 17:39:04 GMT

That blasted VSMDI file. Well Buck, Tom and crew did it. They have finally given us the ability to run tests ( albeit all ) found in an assembly regardless of test lists. http://blogs.msdn.com/buckh/archive/2006/11/04/how-to-run-tests-without-test-metadata-files-and-test-lists-vsmdi-files.aspx I am currently integrating this into TfsAlert and will post my findings.