TFS: Applying a label at checkin?
I'm evaluating TFS as a replacement source control option for company, and documenting how our current processes would change or stay the same if we start using it.
We use labels fairly heavily in our current product, not just for creating snapshots of a given build, but also for targetting specific modifications for future builds. Our standard is to always check-in each file with a label of the release version it's intended for.
Our current software has an option for "Label" right on the check-in screen, so checkin/label is a one-step process. Is there a way to do this with TFS? I see that you can open the source control explorer and label things after the fact, but if users are going to have to go clicking around to find the right changeset to label after the fact, I want to be sure to document that...
Answer
I'm not aware of a way of auto labelling every check in, but a couple of options spring to mind.
You can set up a list of text fields that must be filled in (in the check in notes section of the pending changes dialog), and even make these fields compulsory, so it would be easy to add a "for version" note to every check in. IIRC this is set up by right clicking on the team project in team explorer and going to the source control options.
TFS raises events for actions like check ins, so you can use the TFS api to handle the event on your server and add a label automatically. You could even pick up the check in notes to tell your code what the label should be.