Testing the application

Define and manage your test plans for manual and automated system tests. These test plans are stored on Team Foundation Server, and are closely integrated with its build and application lifecycle management tools. You can use Team Web Access or Microsoft Test Manager to manage your test plans, test suites and tests. Microsoft Test Manager is installed along with Visual Studio Ultimate, Visual Studio Premium, and Test Professional.

This section is about testing your whole app, either manually or by creating automated system tests. In many software projects, this kind of testing is done by specialist testers.

But if you’re a developer and you want to write unit tests along with the methods and classes of your application code, see Verifying Code by Using Unit Tests and Verifying Code by Using UI Automation.

Testing topics

Topic

What you can do

Plan Manual Tests using Team Web Access

Create a test plan based on your backlog items, stories, or requirements.

Create Manual Tests using Team Web Access

Define the test cases for each requirement, and steps that the tester should perform in each test.

Running Manual Tests using Team Web Access

Display each test case on the screen and mark each step passed or failed as you perform the test. Quickly log bugs that are linked to your test and the log or your steps.

Track your test results

Review the results of your tests. See which requirements have tests that have passed.

Share steps between test cases

Avoid duplicating common test steps such as logging in.

Repeat a test with different data

Provide different combinations of test values for the tester to use.

Testing using Microsoft Test Manager

Exploratory testing using Microsoft Test Manager

Record your actions while you perform a test without pre-planned steps.

Plan manual tests with Microsoft Test Manager

Plan tests with the option of creating steps from recorded actions.

Run manual tests with Microsoft Test Manager

Display the test case at the side of the screen while you perform the test. Automatically record your actions, screenshots, and other diagnostic data for inclusion in test results and bug reports.

Test configurations: specifying test platforms

Create multiple versions of a test, to be performed on different hardware or software configurations.

Collect more diagnostic data in manual tests

Collect event logs, IntelliTrace data, video, and other diagnostic data while you perform a test.

Testing Windows Store apps

Collect diagnostic data and screenshots while you perform tests on a Windows 8 device or a PC, with Microsoft Test Manager running on a separate PC.

Copying and cloning test suites and test cases

Copy test suites or plans from one project to another.

Record and play back manual tests

Record your keystrokes and gestures while you perform a test, and then repeat the actions rapidly on a later occasion.

Plan application tests from a Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Word document

Use Microsoft Excel to edit test plans in bulk, and synchronize with plans embedded in Microsoft Word documents.

Test on a lab environment

Gather diagnostic data from servers while you perform a test. Manage the assignment of server machines to testers. Quickly set up fresh test configurations by using virtual machines.

Tracking software quality

Monitor the progress of your project by tracking the tests that pass or fail. Manage bugs.

Automate system tests

Link test methods in code to emulate your manual tests, so that they can be repeated regularly. Automate the deployment of your application and tests to a lab environment. Set up a completely automatic build-deploy-test workflow.

Keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Test Manager

System testing your application using Visual Studio

Run coded system tests before the code is checked in. Collect diagnostic data from server machines while the tests run.

API Reference for Testing Tools for Visual Studio ALM

Verifying Code by Using Unit Tests

Make unit testing an integral part of your application development.

Verifying Code by Using UI Automation

Develop unit tests of your user interface.

External resources

Guidance and hands-on labs

Testing for Continuous Delivery with Visual Studio 2012

CodePlex – Test Infrastructure Guidance

Visual Studio Test Tooling Guidance

Visual Studio Lab Management Guide

Videos

Easily reproducing issues through manual testing

Managing lab environments for testing

Load testing applications in Visual Studio

Forums

Visual Studio Team System - Testing

Visual Studio ALM + Team Foundation Server Blog