Release Explorer for Visual Studio Beta

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For some time now, I have been working on a update to my Deployment Explorer that was built for the project formally known as DevOps. I always get requests from my customers and emails from people who are using the Deployment Explorer to update the explorer to work with Release Mgt. So, I said what the heck and I’ll give it a try. This request was more on the side of the developer who does Dev/Test stuff and would like one client to work out of. My intent is not to replace Release Management Client but to enhance the experience.

** THIS IS A BETA PRODUCT, SOME FEATURES MAY NOT WORK CORRECTLY. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK***

Below is how to download it from the Visual Studio Gallery and start using it.

Installation:

First, you will need to go to https://visualstudiogallery.msdn.microsoft.com/81cdcbeb-7c10-4b3c-8ca6-b23a44777266 to download the extension.

Using the Explorer:

The following screenshot shows the Team Explorer window when Release Explorer is installed.

In order for the explorer to work correctly, you will need to add in the Release Management Server details. Go to Options -> Release Explorer -> Settings. You should see this.

Now added in your server details. After that is complete, you can start using the explorer.

To use Release Explorer, simply click Releases. You will see your recent releases. The following screenshot shows an example.

From Release Explorer, you can select a particular deployment to see release steps and to see the deployment logs. You also can Restart, Abandon or Retry existing releases in the explorer. If you need to return to the Release Management Client, perhaps to fix some errors or to improve the orchestration, click Launch Release Management, under Releases. Check out below for more screenshots.

View release steps, log or restart a release.

Release Steps

I also added a Notifications window that allows you to keep track of what is happening with your releases. You can find it at View -> Other Windows -> Release Notifications

New Release Window: This window will allow you to create new vNext release based on you release template, build and current stage.

Select New Build Window. This window allows you to select from a range of builds to include into the release.

Let me know how the explorer is working. I hope this explorer helps you manage your dev/test release better.

Happy Coding!

John