How to: Select Different Test Configurations For a Test Plan or a Test Suite

At any time when you are planning what to test, you can add test configurations and set them as the default configurations for your test plan. When you next add test cases to the test plan, a pairing of each default configuration with the test case is added to the test plan. When you run the tests from the test plan, these pairings called test points are shown and each can be run individually. Test results are saved for each test point.

You can also override the default test configurations for the plan and set different default configurations for a specific test suite. When test cases are added to these test suites, a pairing of each default configuration for the test suite with the test case is added to the test plan as shown in the following illustration.

Concepts for Default Configurations in a Test Plan

Note

If you add configurations to the test suite or test plan, test points are not created for existing test cases and these added configurations. You can create these test points by changing the configurations for existing test cases. For more information about how to change these, see How to: Select Configurations for Specific Test Cases.

Use the following procedures to change or override the default configurations for a test plan or a test suite:

  • Change the default configuration for a test plan

  • Override the default configurations for a specific test suite

Note

Each test suite inherits the default configurations from its parent test suite.

To Change the Default Configurations for a Test Plan

To change the default configurations for a test plan

  1. Open Microsoft Test Manager.

    Note

    To display the Microsoft Test Manager window, click Start, and then click All Programs. Point to Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 and then click Microsoft Test Manager 2010.

  2. From the Testing Center, click Plan and then click Contents.

    The Contents pane is displayed.

  3. To change the default configurations for a test plan, select the test suite root node that has the same name as the plan. Then click the drop-down arrow next to Default Configurations in the test suite details pane.

    The Default configurations for new test cases dialog box is displayed.

  4. Select or clear the check boxes for the configurations listed to reflect the configurations you want to use for all new test cases that are added to the plan.

    Important

    Changing the default configurations only affects new test cases or test suites that are added to this test plan. To change the configurations for existing test cases, see How to: Select Configurations for Specific Test Cases.

  5. (Optional) To add a new configuration or manage existing configurations, click Manage.

    The Test Configuration Manager activity is displayed. For more information about how to create configurations using the test configuration manager, see How to: Create Test Configurations.

  6. To save your changes, click Save.

    Note

    You can also change the default configurations for a test plan from the Properties view. For more information, see How to: Create a Test Plan.

To Override the Default Configurations for a Specific Test Suite

To override the default configurations for a specific test suite

  1. Open Microsoft Test Manager.

    Note

    To display the Microsoft Test Manager window, click Start, and then click All Programs. Point to Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 and then click Microsoft Test Manager 2010.

  2. From the Testing Center, click Plan and then click Contents.

    The Contents pane is displayed.

  3. To override the default configurations for a specific test suite, select the test suite that you want to change in the test suite hierarchy pane and then click the drop- down arrow next to Default Configurations in the test suite details pane.

    The Default configurations for new test cases dialog box is displayed.

  4. You must first clear Use configurations from parent test suite, and then select the default configurations that you want to add. Finally, clear any configurations that you want to remove.

    Important

    Changing the default configurations affects only new test cases or test suites that are added to this test suite. To change the configurations for existing test cases, see How to: Select Configurations for Specific Test Cases.

  5. (Optional) To add a new configuration or manage existing configurations, click Manage.

    The Test Configuration Manager activity is displayed. For more information about creating configurations using the Test Configuration Manager, see How to: Create Test Configurations.

  6. To save your changes, click Save.

See Also

Tasks

How to: Create a Test Plan

How to: Select Configurations for Specific Test Cases

Concepts

Defining Your Testing Effort Using Test Plans

Organizing Test Cases Using Test Suites