Dialog Boxes of Team Edition for Testers

Article
06/26/2007

As described in How to: Configure the Dialog Boxes of Team Edition for Testers, the Team System testing tools sometimes require confirmation or guidance. Here are the situations in which you are prompted, with a dialog box, to clarify or confirm an action:

When you submit a test run that contains manual tests. When you start a test run that contains at least one manual test, a dialog box alerts you about the manual test. You can choose to suppress this dialog box.
When a remote test run contains manual tests. When you try to run a selection of tests remotely, manual tests are automatically removed from the test run. You can choose whether to be notified of the removal. For more information, see Removing Manual Tests from Remote Test Runs.
When a manual test result window is to be opened for execution. You have started a test run that contains one or more manual tests. As each manual test is encountered, a dialog box alerts you that the test is about to open for execution. You can choose to suppress this dialog box.
When you work on a manual test and it is aborted. While you are running a manual test, the test run that contains that manual test times out or is explicitly stopped. A dialog box alerts the tester that this has occurred. Answering OK disables the time allocated for the manual test. You can choose to suppress this dialog box.
When you close a running manual test. You are running a manual test, but before you finish it, you close the test. A dialog box appears to warn you that closing the manual test window will abort the manual test. Answering OK aborts the test. You can choose to suppress this dialog box.
When you exclude a test from a group. You change the properties of a test so that it is no longer displayed in a particular group in the Test Manager window or Test View window. You can choose whether to be required to confirm this action. For more information, see Excluding a Test From a Group.
When you delete a test run. Using the Test Run window, you can delete test runs. You can choose whether to be required to confirm this action. For more information, see Deleting a Test Run.
When an empty test run is about to be aborted. After a manual test is removed from a remote test run, that test run might be empty. The Team System testing tools will not run an empty test run, and you can choose whether to have it notify you of this situation. For more information, see Stopping an Empty Test Run.
When a new deployment item is not in the solution folder. When you edit test run configuration settings, you can choose new files or folders to be deployed when tests are run. If you choose a deployment item that is not in the solution folder, a dialog box alerts you to this fact and warns that the item might not deploy correctly if the run configuration is used on a different computer. You are prompted to confirm your addition of the deployment item. For more information about setting run configurations, see How to: Specify a Test Run Configuration.
When you start a remote test run or a run with code coverage under the debugger. When you are running tests on a remote computer, you cannot gather code coverage information nor can you run tests under the debugger,. If you start a test run that attempts either of these actions, a dialog box informs you that the test run will continue to run, but locally, not remotely.
When importing test lists, if there is a test list ID conflict. You are importing a test metadata file that contains test lists. The unique identifier of one of these test lists matches the identifier of a test list already in your solution. This causes a conflict that you are prompted to resolve. For more information, see Importing Test Lists.
When importing test run configurations, if there is a test run configuration conflict. You are trying to import a test run configuration. Its identifier matches that of a test run configuration already in the Solution Items folder. This causes a conflict that you are prompted to resolve. For more information, see Importing Test Run Configurations.
When you load a metadata file, if a test link cannot be found. You are loading a test metadata file that contains test lists, which in turn contain links to tests. One of the links to a test cannot resolve; that is, the test cannot be found at the stated path. You are prompted to decide what to do next. For more information, see Loading a Metadata File: Links Missing.
When you add metadata files to solution items. You are trying to add a test metadata file to a solution that already contains a test metadata file. You are prompted whether you want to replace the existing metadata file, or merge the two metadata files together. For more information, see Adding Metadata Files to Solution Items.
When you load tests or test run configurations, if there is an ID conflict. You are loading a solution that contains tests or test run configurations. The unique identifier of one of these entities matches the identifier of a test or test run configuration already in your solution. This causes a conflict that you are prompted to resolve. For more information, see Loading Tests or Test Run Configurations.
When you create a work item from an unpublished test result. You are creating a work item from a test result that you have not yet published to the operational store. A dialog box appears that prompts you whether to first publish the test result before creating the work item.

The following sections describes many of these situations in more detail, to help you decide what to do when you experience them.

Importing Test Lists

As described in Reusing Tests, test lists have unique identifiers. When the identifier of a test list you are importing conflicts with the identifier of a test list in your solution, a dialog box prompts you with the following options:

Always abort importing that metadata file. This choice cancels the entire import operation. The result will be as if the operation was never started. None of the imported test lists will be present, regardless of the point in the operation at which the conflict occurred.
Always replace the existing test list with the new one. The conflicting test list is imported and it replaces the original test list that has the same identifier. The importing of test lists continues until the end of the metadata file, or the next conflict, is reached.
Always keep the existing test list. The conflicting test list is not imported, but the import action continues until the end of the metadata file, or the next conflict, is reached.
Always merge the test lists. Even if two test lists conflict, merge the tests they contain into one resulting test list. The merged test lists will contain the tests from both original test lists.

You can use this dialog box not only to answer the question you have been prompted for. You can also set the answer you select to be the default, by clicking Do not show this dialog box again, before you click OK. You can also change your default answer. For more information, see Setting and Changing Your Default Answer.

Loading Tests or Test Run Configurations

You are loading a solution that contains tests or test run configurations. At least one test or test run configuration has an identifier that conflicts with a test or test run configuration already present in your solution. This causes a conflict that you are prompted, with a dialog box, to resolve. This dialog box presents you with the following options:

Always abort loading that file. None of the tests and run configurations contained in that file will be loaded. For example, if the specified file contains three tests, and one of them conflicts and then you select abort, none of those three tests will be loaded.
Always replace the existing entry with the new entry. The conflicting test or run configuration file will be loaded, and loading will continue. The result is that the entry that is currently being loaded will be kept; the entry that had been loaded previously will be discarded.
Always keep the existing entry. The conflicting test or run configuration file will not be loaded, but loading will continue with the next item. The result is that the file that was previously loaded will be kept, and the current file will be discarded.

In addition to making this choice, you can also set the answer you select to be the default, by clicking Do not show this dialog box again, before you click OK. You can also change your default answer. For more information, see Setting and Changing Your Default Answer.

Removing Manual Tests from Remote Test Runs

Manual tests can be run locally, but not remotely. Therefore, when Team System testing tools detects that a test run you are initiating contains one or more manual tests, it removes the manual tests from the test run. It does not delete the manual tests from your test project.

When Team System testing tools deletes a manual test from a remote test run, it uses a dialog box to alert you. You can also use this dialog box to have Team System testing tools stop alerting you. To do this, click Do not show this dialog box again, before you click OK. For more information, see Setting and Changing Your Default Answer.

Importing Test Run Configurations

Like tests and test lists, test run configurations are identified by a unique identifier. When the identifier of a test run configuration you are importing conflicts with the identifier of a test run configuration in your solution, a dialog box prompts you with the following options:

Always keep the imported test run configuration. The test run configuration you are importing replaces the original one that has the same identifier.
Retain the current test run configuration. The test run configuration is not imported. Instead, your solution will use the test run configuration already present in the Solution Items folder of your solution.

Deleting a Test Run

After you have run tests, test run results are displayed in the Test Results window. You can delete one or more test runs by right-clicking them and then clicking Delete Test Run.

By default, Team System testing tools displays a dialog box that prompts you to confirm deletion of the test run. You can also use this dialog box to have Team System testing tools stop asking for this confirmation. To do this, click Do not show this dialog box again, before you click OK. For more information, see Setting and Changing Your Default Answer.

Stopping an Empty Test Run

As explained in the section Removing Manual Tests from Remote Test Runs, Team System testing tools automatically removes manual tests from remote test runs. If the test run contained only manual tests, it then becomes an empty test run. Team System testing tools will not execute an empty test run.

When Team System testing tools stops an empty test run from running, it uses a dialog box to alert you. You can also use this dialog box to have Team System testing tools stop alerting you. To do this, click Do not show this dialog box again, before you click OK. For more information, see Setting and Changing Your Default Answer.

Adding Metadata Files to Solution Items

As described in Reusing Tests, you can add metadata files into the Solution Items folder of your solution in various ways, including the following:

Right-click the Solution Items folder and select Add Existing Item.
Drag a metadata file to the Solution Items folder.

You are trying to add a test metadata file to a solution that already contains a test metadata file. Team System testing tools uses a dialog box to ask whether you want to replace the existing metadata file, or merge the two metadata files together. By using this dialog box, you can also set your answer to be the default that is used when this situation is encountered in the future. To set the default, click Do not show this dialog box again, before you click OK. For more information, see Setting and Changing Your Default Answer.

Loading a Metadata File: Links Missing

You can load a test metadata file by clicking Load Metadata File on the Test Manager window toolbar, and then selecting the metadata file from the directory structure of the other solution. When you do this, Team System testing tools tries to resolve the references to all the tests that are described in the metadata file.

When a reference to a test cannot be resolved, a dialog box is displayed that asks you how to proceed: whether to stop loading the metadata file altogether; to ask you to locate the test that wasn't found; or to skip that one file only.

You can set your answer to be the default that is used when this situation is encountered in the future. To do this, click Do not show this dialog box again, before you click OK. For more information, see Setting and Changing Your Default Answer.

Excluding a Test From a Group

Using the Test Manager window or Test View window, you can group tests by property, for example, by the test's owner. Similarly, you can remove a test from a group. To do this, right-click the test in Test Manager and select Exclude from Group. This action has two effects: It removes the test from the group, and it clears the value of the property by which the test was grouped. For example, if you Exclude from Group a test whose Owner property was set to 'Joe', the value 'Joe' is removed from the Owner property, leaving the property empty.

After you select Exclude from Group, a dialog box is displayed that prompts you to confirm this action. You can also use this dialog box to stop prompting you to confirm the test-exclusion action. To do this, click Do not show this dialog box again, before you click OK. For more information, see Setting and Changing Your Default Answer.

Setting and Changing Your Default Answer

In any one of the dialog boxes described in this topic, you can click Do not show this dialog box again before you click OK. This has the following two effects:

It sets the answer you chose as the default.
It suppresses the display of this dialog box in the future.

After you have set this as the default answer, how can you change it again? Use the Options dialog box reached through the Tools menu, as described in How to: Configure the Dialog Boxes of Team Edition for Testers.

The Options dialog box lets you turn any one of the settings that the dialog box offered into a default setting. Sometimes this setting means to take a specific action, such as to interpret a drag-and-drop operation as "import" instead of "load." Sometimes it just means to notify you when an action takes place automatically, such as the removal of a manual test from a remote test run.

In addition to letting you select a default setting, the Options dialog box also gives you one more choice, which, in effect, lets you decline to set a default answer. This choice is:

Always prompt. You will be prompted to respond every time this situation occurs.