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# Work in the Microsoft Visual Studio IDE

You can do your ALM Octane work directly from the Microsoft Visual Studio development framework. To do so, install the ALM Octane plugin for Visual Studio.

In this topic:

## Overview

Using the plugin, developers can connect to an ALM Octane workspace, view ALM Octane items, and make updates.

The plugins are open source.

The plugins support two-way integration:

- The plugin updates all data in the host Visual Studio application.

- Changes made in Visual Studio impact data in ALM Octane.

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## Prerequisites

1. Verify that your operating system is supported:

   - Windows 10, 8, 7

2. Verify that your software is supported:

   App / Plugin | Version
   --- | ---
   Microsoft Visual Studio | 2017 and 2019 All editions: Community, Professional, and Enterprise
   ALM Octane Visual Studio plugin | 12.55.7 and later
   ALM Octane | 12.55.7 and later

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## Download and install the plugin

Download the plugin from the Visual Studio Marketplace.

1. From within the Visual Studio IDE, choose Tools > Extensions and Updates > Online > Visual Studio Marketplace.

   Or, go to the Visual Studio Marketplace.

2. Search for the ALM Octane plugin. Follow the on-screen instructions to install it.

3. Continue to Connect to ALM Octane.

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## Connect to ALM Octane

After installing, a new category of settings is available in Visual Studio. We use this area to connect Visual Studio to ALM Octane.

1. In Visual Studio, choose Tools > Options > ALM Octane.

2. Enter the URL for the ALM Octane server. The URL can include the query parameters for the relevant space and the workspace, in which case the Space and Workspace fields are automatically populated. Either of the following formats is valid:

   -     https://<server>:<port>

   -     https://<server>:<port>/ui/?p=<spaceID>/<workspaceID>

3. Either log in with a browser or directly from the IDE:

   - Login using a browser. The ALM Octane login window displays and you can enter your credentials. Use this option in for both non-SSO and SSO, federated environments, and for session timeouts.

     Tip: In the login window, you can also click the Click here to use your system default browser link to open an authentication page for logging in. Enter your credentials, close the browser, and you will be logged into ALM Octane.

   - Login with username and password. Enter your credentials for logging into ALM Octane directly. This option retains your credentials so you do not have to enter them each time.

You can now work with ALM Octane from within Visual Studio.

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## Work on your ALM Octane items

This section describes how to do your ALM Octane from the ALM Octane pane.

1. Open the ALM Octane pane.

   Choose View > Other Windows > ALM Octane. The ALM Octane pane displays work assigned to you. Use the checkboxes to filter which items you can see.

   When you start another session, the ALM Octane Visual Studio plugin remembers what you were working on last time, and opens tabs in the ALM Octane pane accordingly.

   Most ALM Octane items are available from the IDE.

2. View an item's details

   Double-click most items to open their details in a separate pane.

   Click to choose which fields to see. These settings only affect you. When you start another session, the ALM Octane Visual Studio plugin remembers your field selection.

   Click to view the item's comments.

   Tip: You can also:

   - Open the item directly in ALM Octane in a browser. Press Alt and double-click the item in the ALM Octane pane.

   - Right-click the item and choose one of the following options from the context menu: Show Details and Open in Browser.

3. Search for items

   You can search all ALM Octane items and display the results in a new tab, showing only the relevant items based on search criteria.

   Tip: The search looks through all ALM Octane items, not just the ones assigned to you. You can use the search to assign an item to yourself, or click Add to My Work from the context menu.

   Enter a search string in the search box. The search results are opened in a new pane.

   The plugin remembers the last five searches you ran. Click the drop-down arrow to select one and re-run the search.

4. Update your items

   - Move the status of an item from one phase to another, according to the defined ALM Octane workflow.

   - Update field values.

     If a rule exists that makes a field read-only, and you modify its value, the plugin notifies you when you save the item.

   - Click Comments to view and add comments.

   Make sure to save .

5. Download Gherkin test scripts to implement automation

   Gherkin tests can be initially created in ALM Octane, and then automated using Visual Studio.

   In the ALM Octane pane, right-click a Gherkin test, and choose Download Script.

6. Download BDD scenarios to implement automation

   You can create and run BDD (behavior-driven development) tests in ALM Octane using Gherkin scenarios, with the Cucumber-JVM framework.

   In the ALM Octane pane, right-click a BDD scenario, and choose Download Script.

7. Commit changes with generated messages

   You can declare to the SCM system, such as Git, that you have started work on an item in a Visual Studio project. This means that when you commit changes for that item, automatically-generated text can be copied and pasted into the commit message for the item.

   You can commit changes for user stories, quality stories, defects, or active tasks.

   1. In the ALM Octane pane, select a user story, a quality story, a defect, or an active task.

   2. Click Active in the toolbar.

   3. To generate the text for the commit message and copy it into the clipboard, right-click the item and select Commit Message to Clipboard. Alternatively, you can also click the corresponding button in the Eclipse toolbar.

      Tip: You must make the item active to copy the commit message.

   4. Commit your changes. In the Git Staging area, paste the contents of the clipboard into the Commit Message area.

      The format for the commit message contains the item type, and the item ID. You can enter more details for your commit message after the name.

      For tasks, the item related to the task (such as a story or defect) is also included.

   To cancel the commit message, in the ALM Octane pane, right-click the item and choose Stop work. Alternatively, click the Overflow >Stop work button in the toolbar.

   You can also manually edit commit messages. For details, see Track changes committed to your Source Control Management system.

8. Dismiss items

   Remove items from your My Work list if they are no longer relevant. Right-click the item and choose Dismiss. The items are removed from My Work, but are not deleted in ALM Octane.

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See also:

- ALM Octane integrations overview
- Functionality supported by IDE integrations

https://admhelp.microfocus.com ALM Octane 8942
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