Covering MSTest
NCover Desktop runs as a service, so it's already monitoring, ready to cover any .NET code executing on your machine.
This ability to gather data globally is key to understanding how to leverage the power of NCover Desktop. When setting up any project the first question you should ask is, What process do I want to cover? If NCover can find the executable or service that's exercising your code, it can collect coverage data.
Creating a Project
From the Home, or Project, view of NCover Desktop, click Add New to open the "Create a New Project" window.
Project Settings
Finding the right process to profile is the key to successful coverage. Profiling is accomplished with match rules, so let's see how they work and the options for creating them.
Processes
When the "Processes" tab displays, name your project and then select one of two methods to specify the processes to be covered.
Note: If you're setting up coverage for a process running locally on the machine where Code Central is installed, you can let Auto-Configure create project settings for you (see step 3 below).
You can also set up match rules manually, if you prefer.
The two match type options are Regex and Exe.
The Regex option would be "qtagent." This would capture any of the various QTAgent processes that might be spawned, depending on the environment -- qtagent32, qtagent_35, etc.
The Exe option tells the NCover profiler to match on the executable name.
You can also use a file path if you want to profile a process only when it runs from a specific location.
In general, use a file path if you want to profile a process only when it runs from a specific location, say from a debug folder, instead of a release folder.
Auto-Configure
Another option is to click on the Auto-Configure button and let NCover create match rules for you.
The Processes tab will switch to the Auto-Detection view and start monitoring for .NET processes as soon as you click on Auto-Configure.
Note: Stop qtagent, if necessary so that the NCover profiler can attach to the process.
Start your unit tests, and the executables and assemblies that are being loaded will display in the detection window.
Note: All modules are automatically included when the default "No filter" option is selected.
Switch the Pre-Coverage filter radio button to "Create filter" to review the "Modules to cover" and decide whether to include or exclude modules from the list.
Click the checkbox beside each module once to mark with an X to exclude the module. Click twice to mark with a check to include the module.
Note: You can specifically exclude modules by placing an X beside them on this screen, but any modules that are not specifically included will not be profiled, anyway. In other words, not creating an include is functionally the same as creating an exclude rule.
The filter rules created from your selections on the Processes tab are displayed when you click on the Filters tab.
Go the "Processes" tab and click Save to accept these selections, or Re-detect processes to start over.
Collect Coverage
Note: When your project selections are completed, re-start your test runner and run your unit tests.
Go to the Home page and you'll see that the light beside your enabled project is pulsing green to indicate coverage is being collected.
Immediately to the right of your project name, the Modules Collecting counter displays the number of modules being profiled in the current execution of your project.
When your tests are complete, close your test runner to stop profiling and NCover will automatically start compiling the coverage data.
As soon as the coverage data processing is complete, the results will be automatically displayed below your project on the Home page.
Desktop makes collecting code coverage simple, and then gives you access to dynamic and powerful views of coverage trends.