Tfsbuilds: what solves the issue of location?

Question

I use TFS assemblies since workflow assemblies came out. I have never seen the need or desire to use one of the following:

• Copy Build output to the server
  • Which server? which directory?
• `Copy the assembly output to the following folder (UNC path, e.g. \ server \ share):
• Process - Advanced - Private Drop Location

I used it in high-level automated banking assemblies, I used tfs build, msbuild and cc.net a lot.

Does it do something that does not set the /p:WebProjectOutputDir or /p:DeployOnBuild=true ? Is this the reason that the Diagnostics → View Logs option is always inactive?

What is the purpose of the folder to delete?

Answer 1

Please check what drop folder is on MSDN

When you define or queue an assembly definition, you can specify the path to the folder to be dragged so that your assembly process can deliver binary and log files to your team. Make sure that the specified folder is prepared for use as a folder.

I think the main reason you don’t need a folder to delete is because your project is a web project and the web project does not need to deliver binary files. If the team is building a desktop application, a folder is required for uninstallation.

Here are two scenarios when the delete folder is useful:

• The testers in your team find a mistake and know that it worked before. The system is too complex and they cannot directly find the reason or the corresponding code. They also want to confirm that this is a mistake that has appeared recently and which has not been found by the team for a long time. Thus, they begin to deploy the old build from the drop folder to another environment. After they try several assemblies (probably the last build), they confirm that this is an error only after assembling xx.xx.xxxx. Developers check for changes noted in this particular assembly and fix it.

• And one more scenario. The team was close to launching a new product. One developer fixed one error, but testers found a more serious regression error with the correction. It was too risky to make big changes at the last minute. Therefore, the team decided to provide the client with the assembly before fixing the error. They copied the old build from the drop folder and sent them to the client.

The key point here is that the delete folder gives the team the ability to easily work with the old version, and the team can work on several versions in parallel.

Explanation 3 Options from MSDN

• This assembly does not copy the output files to the location folder. Select this option if you do not need output files.
• Copy the assembly output to the following location folder. Select this option if you want to copy the output files to a folder on the file sharing server. In the field, enter the UNC path to the folder where you want the build system to place the output files. You must specify the folder that was prepared for use as the location folder. For more information, see Choosing a placement and setting up a folder for placement.
• Copy assembly output to server. Select this option to copy the assembly output to your Team Foundation Server.