How to: Override Settings in Your Test Plan For Test Runs
You can specify how to run your manual and automated tests in your test plans by using Microsoft Test Manager. If you want to run your tests by using different test settings, environments, builds, or build configurations, then you can override the selections that you have made for your test plan. For more information about test settings, environments, and assigning builds, see Setting Up Machines and Collecting Diagnostic Information Using Test Settings and How to: Select a Build For Your Test Plan.
If you want to override these settings when you run your tests, you must select Run with options, as shown in the following illustration. The values that you can override are displayed based on whether the tests that you have selected are manual, automated, or both.
You can also specify that the selected automated tests run manually by using these options. For more information, see How to: Run a Test Case with Associated Automation as a Manual Test.
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If you use a different build for a test run than the build that has been assigned to the test plan, when you select the build you can also select the build configuration. The build and the build configuration that you select are recorded together with the test results for this test run.
Important
If you run automated tests and you do not select a build configuration, the test assemblies to run the automated tests are searched for recursively from the root of the build drop folder. If it is important which assemblies are selected when you run your automated tests, you should use Run with options to specify the build configuration. For example, you might want to use the retail build configuration for your tests instead of the debug build configuration. For more information about build configurations, see Build Configurations.
To override settings in your test plan for test runs
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.
To override the test plan values to run the tests, click the down-arrow on the center group switcher and then click Testing Center.
On the center group menu bar, click Test.
Select the tests or test suite to run and then click the drop-down arrow next to Run and point to Run with options.
The Run options dialog box is displayed.
To override the build that you will use to run the tests, select a build from Build. This build information is stored as part of the test results for manual and automated tests.
Important
If you run automated tests, the build drop location for this build is used to find the test assemblies to run the automated tests.
Select the build configuration that you plan to use from Build configuration. This build configuration information is stored as part of the test results for manual and automated tests. You do not have to select a build configuration.
Important
If you run automated tests, the test assemblies for this specific build configuration are used to run the tests.
To manually run any automated tests that you selected, select Run all the tests manually.
To override the test settings for any manual tests that you selected, click Test settings under Manual test runs and select the test setting that you want to use. Then click Environment to select a matching environment.
Note
This environment must contain the same roles as the test settings that you use. Only environments that match these roles are displayed.
To override the test settings for any automated tests that you selected, click Test settings under Automated test runs and select the test setting that you want to use. Then click Environment to select a matching environment.
Note
This environment must contain the same roles as the test settings that you use. Only environments that match these roles are displayed.
To run the tests, click Run.
If you have selected both manual and automated tests, the automated tests are started as a test run and Test Runner is started to run the manual tests as a separate test run.