Foliotek Start Page 2015

Important Changes with this release

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The format of the settings file has changed in this release.  The new format allows for multiple IIS applications to be created per Tab.  It also allows for a checkout script to be specified.

Here's the skeleton of the new xml settings file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><Settings>  <Projects>    <Project>      <Name></Name>      <SvnUrl></SvnUrl>      <Path></Path>      <SolutionFile></SolutionFile>  <!-- Optional -->      <CheckoutCommand></CheckoutCommand> <!-- Optional -->	  <IISApplications>		<IISApp>			<Name></Name>			<Path></Path>			<User></User>			<Password></Password>			<Pool></Pool>			<PoolVersion></PoolVersion>			<VirtualDirectories> <!-- Optional -->				<VirtualDirectory>				  <Name></Name>				  <Path></Path>				</VirtualDirectory>			</VirtualDirectories>		</IISApp>	  </IISApplications>    </Project>  </Projects>  <FogBugzUrl></FogBugzUrl> <!-- Optional -->  <FogBugzUserName></FogBugzUserName> <!-- Optional -->  <FogBugzPassword></FogBugzPassword> <!-- Optional -->  <WebSvnUrl></WebSvnUrl> <!-- Optional --></Settings>

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <Settings>   <Projects>     <Project>       <Name></Name>       <SvnUrl></SvnUrl>       <Path></Path>       <SolutionFile></SolutionFile>  <!-- Optional -->       <CheckoutCommand></CheckoutCommand> <!-- Optional -->       <IISApplications>         <IISApp>             <Name></Name>             <Path></Path>             <User></User>             <Password></Password>             <Pool></Pool>             <PoolVersion></PoolVersion>             <VirtualDirectories> <!-- Optional -->                 <VirtualDirectory>                   <Name></Name>                   <Path></Path>                 </VirtualDirectory>             </VirtualDirectories>         </IISApp>       </IISApplications>     </Project>   </Projects>   <FogBugzUrl></FogBugzUrl> <!-- Optional -->   <FogBugzUserName></FogBugzUserName> <!-- Optional -->   <FogBugzPassword></FogBugzPassword> <!-- Optional -->   <WebSvnUrl></WebSvnUrl> <!-- Optional --> </Settings>

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The Foliotek Visual Studio Start Page was originally intended for use within our development team, and that was it.  It proved to be so useful that we thought other teams could benefit from the tool as well.

Here is the full write up and startup guide, if you're interested in learning more.  You will need to read the blog post on how to get the start page up and running.  There is an XML file that you will need for the start page to even begin working.

It's built around the Feature Driven Development (FDD) model, but can also work with any other development cycle.

At it's base level, it's simply a tool to streamline the hassles of creating IIS entries, attaching those to svn branches, and integrating that all with Visual Studio.  It has a lot more little features, and we encourage you to try it out to see how it improves your development cycle.

We're open to any suggestions for improvements, or features you would like to see.