In the series the following parts have been published

1. Part 1: Introduction
2. Part 2: Add arguments and variables
3. Part 3: Use more complex arguments
4. Part 4: Create your own activity
5. Part 5: Increase AssemblyVersion
6. Part 6: Use custom type for an argument
7. Part 7: How is the custom assembly found
8. Part 8: Send information to the build log
9. Part 9: Impersonate activities (run under other credentials)
10. Part 10: Include Version Number in the Build Number
11. Part 11: Speed up opening my build process template
12. Part 12: How to debug my custom activities
13. Part 13: Get control over the Build Output
14. Part 14: Execute a PowerShell script
15. Part 15: Fail a build based on the exit code of a console application

Developers are “spoilt” persons who expect to be able to have easy debugging experiences for every technique they work with. So they also expect it when developing custom activities for the build process template. This post describes how you can debug your custom activities without having to develop on the build server itself.

Remote debugging prerequisites

The prerequisite for these steps are to install the Microsoft Visual Studio Remote Debugging Monitor. You can find information how to install this at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bt727f1t.aspx. I chose for the option to run the remote debugger on the build server from a file share.

Debugging symbols prerequisites

To be able to start the debugging, you need to have the pdb files on the buildserver together with the assembly. The pdb must have been build with Full Debug Info.

Steps

In my setup I have a development machine and a build server. To setup the remote debugging, I performed the following steps

1. Locate on your development machine the folder C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0\Common7\IDE\Remote Debugger
2. Create a share for the Remote Debugger folder. Make sure that the share (and the folder) has the correct permissions so the user on the build server has access to the share.
3. On the build server go to the shared “Remote Debugger” folder
4. Start msvsmon.exe which is located in the folder that represents the platform of the build server. This will open a winform application like
   
    
5. Go back to your development machine and open the BuildProcess solution.
6. Start the Attach to process command (Ctrl+Alt+P)
7. Type in the Qualifier the name of the build server. In my case the user account that has started the msvsmon is another user then the user on my development machine. In that case you have to type the qualifier in the format that is shown in the Remote Debugging Monitor (in my case LOCAL\Administrator@TFSLAB) and confirm it by pressing <Enter>
   
   
8. Since the build service is running with other credentials, check the option “Show processes from all users”.
9. Now the Attach to process dialog shows the TFSBuildServiceHost process
   
   
10. Set the breakpoint in the activity you want to debug and kick of a build.

Be aware that when you attach to the TFSBuildServiceHost that you debug every single build that is run by this windows service, so make sure you don’t debug the build server that is in production!

You can download the full solution at BuildProcess.zip. It will include the sources of every part and will continue to evolve.