Work in the Microsoft Visual Studio IDE

You can do your OpenText Core Software Delivery Platform work directly from the Microsoft Visual Studio development framework.

Overview

Using the plugin for Visual Studio, developers can connect to a workspace, view OpenText Core SDP 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 OpenText Core SDP.

Prerequisites

The following prerequisites are necessary for the Microsoft Visual Studio IDE plugin.

Verify that your operating system is supported:
- Windows 7, 8, 10

Verify that your software is supported.

App / Plugin	Version
Microsoft Visual Studio	2017, 2019, 2022 All editions: Community, Professional, and Enterprise
OpenText Core Software Delivery Platform Visual Studio plugin	12.55.7 and later
OpenText Core Software Delivery Platform	12.55.7 and later

App / Plugin

Version

Microsoft Visual Studio

2017, 2019, 2022

All editions: Community, Professional, and Enterprise

OpenText Core Software Delivery Platform Visual Studio plugin

12.55.7 and later

OpenText Core Software Delivery Platform

12.55.7 and later

Download and install the plugin

Download the plugin from the Visual Studio Marketplace.

From within the Visual Studio IDE, select Tools > Extensions and Updates > Online > Visual Studio Marketplace.
Search for the OpenText Core Software Delivery Platform plugin. Follow the on-screen instructions to install it.
Continue to Configure the connection.

Configure the connection

After installing, a new category of settings is available in Visual Studio. This category contains the fields you need to connect Visual Studio to OpenText Core SDP.

To configure the connection:

In Visual Studio, select Tools > Options > OpenText Core Software Delivery Platform.
Enter the URL for the OpenText Core SDP 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>
```

Log in method	Description
Browser	The OpenText Core Software Delivery Platform login window opens, enabling you to enter your credentials. Use this option for both SSO and non-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 in.
Username and password	Enter your credentials for logging in to OpenText Core SDP directly. This option retains your credentials so you do not have to enter them each time.

Description

Browser

The OpenText Core Software Delivery Platform login window opens, enabling you to enter your credentials. Use this option for both SSO and non-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 in.

Username and password

Enter your credentials for logging in to OpenText Core SDP directly. This option retains your credentials so you do not have to enter them each time.

Click Test connection.

You can now work with OpenText Core SDP from within Visual Studio.

Work on your items

You can perform the following actions on your items from the My Work tab.

Action	Details
Open the My Work tab	Select View > Other Windows > OpenText Core Software Delivery Platform. The OpenText Core Software Delivery Platform pane displays work assigned to you. Use the check boxes to filter which items to display. When you start another session, the OpenText Core Software Delivery Platform Visual Studio plugin remembers what you were working on last time, and opens tabs in the OpenText Core Software Delivery Platform pane accordingly. Most OpenText Core SDP items are available from the IDE.
View an item's details	Double-click an item to open its details in a separate pane. Click the Select fields button to select which fields to display. These settings only affect you. When you start another session, the OpenText Core Software Delivery Platform Visual Studio plugin remembers your field selection. Tip: You can also: Open the item directly in OpenText Core Software Delivery Platform in a browser. Press Alt and double-click the item in the OpenText Core Software Delivery Platform pane. Right-click the item and choose one of the following options from the context menu: Show Details and Open in Browser.
Search for items	You can search all items and display the results, showing only the relevant items based on search criteria. Tip: The search looks through all 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 list. The plugin remembers the last five searches you ran. Click the search arrow to select one and re-run the search.
Update your items	As you implement stories and fix defects in Visual Studio, update your items. Move the status of an item from one phase to another, according to the defined 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.
Download Gherkin test scripts to implement automation	Gherkin tests can be initially created in OpenText Core SDP, and then automated using Eclipse. In the My Work pane, right-click a Gherkin test, and select Download script. The downloaded script name is in the format `<TestName>-<TestID>.feature`.
Download BDD scenarios to implement automation	You can create and run BDD (behavior-driven development) tests in OpenText Core SDP using Gherkin scenarios, using the Cucumber-JVM framework. In the My Work pane, right-click a BDD scenario, and select Download script. The downloaded script name is in the format `<BDD Name>_<BDD ID>`.
Start work and commit changes	You can declare to the SCM system, such as Git, that you have started work on an item in a Visual Studio project. When you commit changes for that item, automatically-generated text can be copied and pasted into the commit message for the item. In the My Work pane, select a user story, a quality story, a defect, or an active task. Click the Active button in the toolbar. To generate the text for the commit message and copy it into the clipboard, right-click the item and select Commit Message to Clipboard. Tip: You must make the item active to copy the commit message. 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 My Work pane, right-click the item and choose Stop work. You can also manually edit commit messages, without using auto-complete. For details, see Track commits to your SCM system.
Dismiss items	Remove items from your My Work list if they are no longer relevant. Right-click the item and select Dismiss. The items are removed from My Work, but are not deleted in OpenText Core SDP.