How to: Switch between Test Plans Using URLs

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If you frequently use different test plans, you can quickly connect to each test plan using a URL. You can copy the URL for the test plan that you have selected in the Testing Center, as shown in the following illustration. If you add this URL to a shortcut, you can use the shortcut to start Microsoft Test Manager and connect to the test plan that you want to work on. To switch between test plans, create a shortcut for each of the test plans that you use.

Copy the URL for a test plan

Note

You can e-mail this URL to another member of your team so that they can easily connect to the test plan too.

To copy the URL for a test plan and create a shortcut

  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. To select a test plan to copy the URL for, click the test plan name hyperlink in the upper-right corner, or click the home icon.

    The Testing Center view is displayed. It shows any existing test plans.

    Note

    This activity will be displayed automatically when you first start Microsoft Test Manager.

  3. (Optional) To add a plan, click Add.

    The Add test plan dialog box is displayed.

    1. Type the name for your plan in Enter the plan name, and then click Add.

      Your plan is now added to the list and highlighted.

  4. To copy the URL, select the plan in the list and then click Copy URL for plan.

    The URL is now copied to the clipboard. You can use this to create a shortcut or e-mail the URL to another member of your team.

  5. To create a shortcut, right-click in the desktop window and point to New and then point to Shortcut.

    The Create Shortcut dialog box is displayed. Follow these steps to create the shortcut:

    1. Type Ctrl-V to paste the URL in Type the location of the item.

    2. Click Next.

    3. Type the name for the shortcut in Type a name for this shortcut.

    4. Click Finish.

    The shortcut is displayed in the desktop window. Using these steps, you can create a shortcut for any test plan that you want to quickly connect to. You can also add this shortcut to your Start menu.

    Note

    If you already have a plan open when you switch to a different plan, you will be prompted to save changes if the plan is in a different team project or if there are changes that must be saved. If you are creating a new test case, this will remain open if the plan is in the same team project.

See Also

Tasks

How to: Use a Different Test Plan

How to: Connect to a Team Project For the First Time from Microsoft Test Manager

Concepts

Defining Your Testing Effort Using Test Plans