[Guide] Visual Studio Test Tooling Guidance Better Unit Testing with Microsoft Fakes

The ALM Rangers have recently published a guide on their page “Visual Studio Test Tooling Guidance” with best practice on Unit Testing and the Microsoft Fakes Framework with thorough examples and Hands-On Labs called “v1.0 - Better Unit Testing with Microsoft Fakes”.

• You may download the current version of the guide from here:
  http://vsartesttoolingguide.codeplex.com/downloads/get/628516
• You may download the current version of the Hand-On Labs from here:
  http://vsartesttoolingguide.codeplex.com/downloads/get/628517

I really recommend looking into the guide since it contains a rich set of information on how to start using the Fakes Framework as well as how to use it in advanced scenarios.

And if you are already reviewing guides, please also take a look at all the other guides that are available on the site such as :

• v1.1 - Visual Studio 2012 Coded UI Test Guide
  http://vsartesttoolingguide.codeplex.com/releases/view/88005
• v1.0 - Visual Studio 2012 MTM Guide
  http://vsartesttoolingguide.codeplex.com/releases/view/88003

Happy reading and feel free to add comments with other guides that you find useful around software testing and especially the Microsoft Fakes Framework.

If you don’t know what the Microsoft Fakes Framework is, please stay tuned, since I am going to give you a first overview of its features and some examples in a future blog post series on this subject in the next weeks.

[Guide] Visual Studio Test Tooling Guidance
Better Unit Testing with Microsoft Fakes

[Architecture] Microsoft Application Architecture Guide 2nd Edition now available

The second edition of Microsoft’s Guide on Architecture by “patterns & practices”, that was also presented during TechED 2009, is now available for download as PDF and online as HTML version. There is even a printed version that you can buy at Amazon.

The guide covers all current architecture styles and serves as “Map” to help us in our architectural decisions from a Microsoft point of view. It has changed since the last versions that were available on CodePlex.  Meaning that a review is also interesting for people, that already know and use the guide in their daily work.

The guide helps you to:

• Understand the underlying architecture and design principles and patterns for developing successful solutions on the Microsoft platform and the .NET Framework.
• Identify appropriate strategies and design patterns that will help you design your solution's layers, components, and services.
• Identify and address the key engineering decision points for your solution.
• Identify and address the key quality attributes and crosscutting concerns for your solution.
• Create a candidate baseline architecture for your solution.
• Choose the right technologies for your solution.
• Identify patterns & practices solution assets and further guidance that will help you to implement your solution.

In my opinion it is a useful guide that does a good job in presentation all the rich possibilities of today's architecture and project solutions to customer problems. The first chapters also serve as an introduction to software architecture.

If you are interested in architecture and working in the Microsoft environment I highly advise you to take a look and integrate it into your architectural decision making.

Here are the links to the different versions of the guide: 

• Microsoft Application Architecture Guide, 2nd edition (HTML)
• Microsoft Application Architecture Guide, 2nd edition (PDF)
• Microsoft Application Architecture Guide, 2nd edition (CodePlex)
• Microsoft Application Architecture Guide, 2nd edition (Amazon)

[Architecture] Microsoft Application Architecture Guide 2nd Edition now available