Configure unit tests by using a .runsettings file

A .runsettings file can be used to configure how unit tests are being run. For example, it can be used to change the .NET version on which the tests are run, the directory for the test results, or the data that's collected during a test run. A common use of a .runsettings file is to customize code coverage analysis.

Runsettings files can be used to configure tests that are run from the command line, from the IDE, or in a build workflow using Azure Test Plans or Azure DevOps Server (formerly known as Team Foundation Server (TFS)).

Runsettings files are optional. If you don't require any special configuration, you don't need a .runsettings file.

Create a run settings file and customize it

1. Add a run settings file to your solution. In Solution Explorer, on the shortcut menu of your solution, choose Add > New Item, and select XML File. Save the file with a name such as test.runsettings.

   If you don't see all the item templates, choose Show All Templates, and then choose the item template.

   Tip

   The file name doesn't matter, as long as you use the extension .runsettings.

2. Add the content from Example *.runsettings file, and then customize it to your needs as described in the sections that follow.

3. Specify the *.runsettings file that you want using one of the following methods:

   • Visual Studio IDE
   • Command line
   • Build workflow using Azure Test Plans or Azure DevOps Server (formerly known as Team Foundation Server (TFS)).

4. Run the unit tests to use the custom run settings.

If you want to turn the custom settings off and on in the IDE, deselect or select the file on the Test menu.

Specify a run settings file in the IDE

The methods available depend on your version of Visual Studio.

Visual Studio 2019 version 16.4 and later

There are three ways of specifying a run settings file in Visual Studio 2019 version 16.4 and later.

• Autodetect the run settings
• Manually set the run settings
• Set a build property

Autodetect the run settings file

To autodetect the run settings file, place it at the root of your solution.

If auto detection of run settings files is enabled, the settings in this file are applied across all tests run. You can turn on auto detection of runsettings files using two methods:

• Select Tools > Options > Test > Auto Detect runsettings Files

  

• Select Test > Configure Run Settings > Auto Detect runsettings Files

  

Manually select the run settings file

In the IDE, select Test > Configure Run Settings > Select Solution Wide runsettings File, and then select the .runsettings file.

• This file overrides the .runsettings file at the root of the solution, if one is present, and is applied across all tests run.
• This file selection only persists locally.

Set a build property

Add a build property to a project through either the project file or a Directory.Build.props file. The run settings file for a project is specified by the property RunSettingsFilePath.

• Project-level run settings is currently supported in C#, VB, C++, and F# projects.
• A file specified for a project overrides any other run settings file specified in the solution.
• These MSBuild properties can be used to specify the path to the runsettings file.

Example of specifying a .runsettings file for a project:

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
  <PropertyGroup>
    <RunSettingsFilePath>$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\example.runsettings</RunSettingsFilePath>
  </PropertyGroup>
  ...
</Project>

Visual Studio 2019 version 16.3 and earlier

To specify a run settings file in the IDE, select Test > Select Settings File. Browse to and select the .runsettings file.

The file appears on the Test menu, and you can select or deselect it. While selected, the run settings file applies whenever you select Analyze Code Coverage.

Specify a run settings file from the command line

To run tests from the command line, use vstest.console.exe, and specify the settings file by using the /Settings parameter.

1. Open Developer Command Prompt for Visual Studio.

2. Enter a command similar to:

   vstest.console.exe MyTestAssembly.dll /EnableCodeCoverage /Settings:CodeCoverage.runsettings
   

   or

   vstest.console.exe --settings:test.runsettings test.dll
   

For more information, see VSTest.Console.exe command-line options.

The *.runsettings file

The *.runsettings file is an XML file that contains different configuration elements within the RunSettings element. The sections that follow detail the different elements. For a complete sample, see Example *.runsettings file.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<RunSettings>
  <!-- configuration elements -->
</RunSettings>

Each of the configuration elements is optional because it has a default value.

RunConfiguration element

<RunConfiguration>
    <MaxCpuCount>1</MaxCpuCount>
    <ResultsDirectory>.\TestResults</ResultsDirectory>
    <TargetPlatform>x86</TargetPlatform>
    <TargetFrameworkVersion>net6.0</TargetFrameworkVersion>
    <TestAdaptersPaths>%SystemDrive%\Temp\foo;%SystemDrive%\Temp\bar</TestAdaptersPaths>
    <TestCaseFilter>(TestCategory != Integration) &amp; (TestCategory != UnfinishedFeature)</TestCaseFilter>
    <TestSessionTimeout>10000</TestSessionTimeout>
    <TreatNoTestsAsError>true</TreatNoTestsAsError>
</RunConfiguration>

The RunConfiguration element can include the following elements:

DataCollectors element (diagnostic data adapters)

The DataCollectors element specifies settings of diagnostic data adapters. Diagnostic data adapters gather additional information about the environment and the application under test. Each adapter has default settings, and you only have to provide settings if you don't want to use the defaults.

<DataCollectionRunSettings>
  <DataCollectors>
    <!-- data collectors -->
  </DataCollectors>
</DataCollectionRunSettings>

CodeCoverage data collector

The code coverage data collector creates a log of which parts of the application code have been exercised in the test. For detailed information about customizing the settings for code coverage, see Customize code coverage analysis.

<DataCollector friendlyName="Code Coverage" uri="datacollector://Microsoft/CodeCoverage/2.0" assemblyQualifiedName="Microsoft.VisualStudio.Coverage.DynamicCoverageDataCollector, Microsoft.VisualStudio.TraceCollector, Version=11.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a">
  <Configuration>
    <CodeCoverage>
      <ModulePaths>
        <Exclude>
          <ModulePath>.*CPPUnitTestFramework.*</ModulePath>
        </Exclude>
      </ModulePaths>

      <UseVerifiableInstrumentation>True</UseVerifiableInstrumentation>
      <AllowLowIntegrityProcesses>True</AllowLowIntegrityProcesses>
      <CollectFromChildProcesses>True</CollectFromChildProcesses>
      <CollectAspDotNet>False</CollectAspDotNet>
    </CodeCoverage>
  </Configuration>
</DataCollector>

VideoRecorder data collector

The video data collector captures a screen recording when tests are run. This recording is useful for troubleshooting UI tests. The video data collector is available in Visual Studio 2017 version 15.5 and later. For an example of configuring this data collector, see the Example *.runsettings file.

To customize any other type of diagnostic data adapters, use a test settings file.

Blame data collector

This option can help you isolate a problematic test that causes a test host crash. Running the collector creates an output file (Sequence.xml) in TestResults, which captures the order of execution of the test before the crash.

You can run blame in three different modes:

• Sequence file mode: to create a file with the list of tests up to the hang
• Crash dump mode: to create a dump when testhost crashes
• Hang dump mode: to create a dump when test doesn't finish before given timeout

The XML configuration should be placed directly into <RunSettings> node:

<RunSettings>
  <RunConfiguration>
  </RunConfiguration>
  <LoggerRunSettings>
    <Loggers>
      <Logger friendlyName="blame" enabled="True" />
    </Loggers>
  </LoggerRunSettings>
  <DataCollectionRunSettings>
    <DataCollectors>
      <!-- Enables blame -->
      <DataCollector friendlyName="blame" enabled="True">
        <Configuration>
          <!-- Enables crash dump, with dump type "Full" or "Mini".
          Requires ProcDump in PATH for .NET Framework. -->
          <CollectDump DumpType="Full" />
          <!-- Enables hang dump or testhost and its child processes 
          when a test hangs for more than 10 minutes. 
          Dump type "Full", "Mini" or "None" (just kill the processes). -->
          <CollectDumpOnTestSessionHang TestTimeout="10min" HangDumpType="Full" />
        </Configuration>
      </DataCollector>
    </DataCollectors>
  </DataCollectionRunSettings>
</RunSettings>

TestRunParameters

<TestRunParameters>
    <Parameter name="webAppUrl" value="http://localhost" />
    <Parameter name="docsUrl" value="https://zcusa.951200.xyz" />
</TestRunParameters>

Test run parameters provide a way to define variables and values that are available to the tests at run time. Access the parameters using the MSTest TestContext.Properties property (or the NUnit TestContext):

private string _appUrl;
public TestContext TestContext { get; set; }

[TestMethod] // [Test] for NUnit
public void HomePageTest()
{
    string _appUrl = TestContext.Properties["webAppUrl"];
}

To use test run parameters, add a public TestContext property to your test class.

LoggerRunSettings element

The LoggerRunSettings section defines one or more loggers to be used for the test run. The most common loggers are console, Visual Studio Test Results File (trx), and html.

<LoggerRunSettings>
    <Loggers>
      <Logger friendlyName="console" enabled="True">
        <Configuration>
            <Verbosity>quiet</Verbosity>
        </Configuration>
      </Logger>
      <Logger friendlyName="trx" enabled="True">
        <Configuration>
          <LogFileName>foo.trx</LogFileName>
        </Configuration>
      </Logger>
      <Logger friendlyName="html" enabled="True">
        <Configuration>
          <LogFileName>foo.html</LogFileName>
        </Configuration>
      </Logger>
    </Loggers>
  </LoggerRunSettings>

MSTest element

These settings are specific to the test adapter that runs test methods that have the TestMethodAttribute attribute.

<MSTest>
    <MapInconclusiveToFailed>True</MapInconclusiveToFailed>
    <CaptureTraceOutput>false</CaptureTraceOutput>
    <DeleteDeploymentDirectoryAfterTestRunIsComplete>False</DeleteDeploymentDirectoryAfterTestRunIsComplete>
    <DeploymentEnabled>False</DeploymentEnabled>
    <ConsiderFixturesAsSpecialTests>False</ConsiderFixturesAsSpecialTests>
    <AssemblyResolution>
      <Directory path="D:\myfolder\bin\" includeSubDirectories="false"/>
    </AssemblyResolution>
</MSTest>

Example .runsettings file

The following XML shows the contents of a typical .runsettings file. Copy this code and edit it to suit your needs.

Each element of the file is optional because it has a default value.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<RunSettings>
  <!-- Configurations that affect the Test Framework -->
  <RunConfiguration>
    <!-- Use 0 for maximum process-level parallelization. This does not force parallelization within the test DLL (on the thread-level). You can also change it from the Test menu; choose "Run tests in parallel". Unchecked = 1 (only 1), checked = 0 (max). -->
    <MaxCpuCount>1</MaxCpuCount>
    <!-- Path relative to directory that contains .runsettings file-->
    <ResultsDirectory>.\TestResults</ResultsDirectory>

    <!-- Omit the whole tag for auto-detection. -->
    <!-- [x86] or x64, ARM, ARM64, s390x  -->
    <!-- You can also change it from the Test menu; choose "Processor Architecture for AnyCPU Projects" -->
    <TargetPlatform>x86</TargetPlatform>

    <!-- Any TargetFramework moniker or omit the whole tag for auto-detection. -->
    <!-- net48, [net40], net6.0, net5.0, netcoreapp3.1, uap10.0 etc. -->
    <TargetFrameworkVersion>net40</TargetFrameworkVersion>

    <!-- Path to Test Adapters -->
    <TestAdaptersPaths>%SystemDrive%\Temp\foo;%SystemDrive%\Temp\bar</TestAdaptersPaths>

    <!-- TestCaseFilter expression -->
    <TestCaseFilter>(TestCategory != Integration) &amp; (TestCategory != UnfinishedFeature)</TestCaseFilter>

    <!-- TestSessionTimeout was introduced in Visual Studio 2017 version 15.5 -->
    <!-- Specify timeout in milliseconds. A valid value should be greater than 0 -->
    <TestSessionTimeout>10000</TestSessionTimeout>

    <!-- true or false -->
    <!-- Value that specifies the exit code when no tests are discovered -->
    <TreatNoTestsAsError>true</TreatNoTestsAsError>
  </RunConfiguration>

  <!-- Configurations for data collectors -->
  <DataCollectionRunSettings>
    <DataCollectors>
      <DataCollector friendlyName="Code Coverage" uri="datacollector://Microsoft/CodeCoverage/2.0" assemblyQualifiedName="Microsoft.VisualStudio.Coverage.DynamicCoverageDataCollector, Microsoft.VisualStudio.TraceCollector, Version=11.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a">
        <Configuration>
          <CodeCoverage>
            <ModulePaths>
              <Exclude>
                <ModulePath>.*CPPUnitTestFramework.*</ModulePath>
              </Exclude>
            </ModulePaths>

            <!-- We recommend you do not change the following values: -->
            <UseVerifiableInstrumentation>True</UseVerifiableInstrumentation>
            <AllowLowIntegrityProcesses>True</AllowLowIntegrityProcesses>
            <CollectFromChildProcesses>True</CollectFromChildProcesses>
            <CollectAspDotNet>False</CollectAspDotNet>

          </CodeCoverage>
        </Configuration>
      </DataCollector>

      <DataCollector uri="datacollector://microsoft/VideoRecorder/1.0" assemblyQualifiedName="Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.DataCollection.VideoRecorder.VideoRecorderDataCollector, Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.DataCollection.VideoRecorder, Version=15.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a" friendlyName="Screen and Voice Recorder">
        <!--Video data collector was introduced in Visual Studio 2017 version 15.5 -->
        <Configuration>
          <!-- Set "sendRecordedMediaForPassedTestCase" to "false" to add video attachments to failed tests only -->
          <MediaRecorder sendRecordedMediaForPassedTestCase="true"  xmlns="">           ​
            <ScreenCaptureVideo bitRate="512" frameRate="2" quality="20" />​
          </MediaRecorder>​
        </Configuration>
      </DataCollector>

      <!-- Configuration for blame data collector -->
      <DataCollector friendlyName="blame" enabled="True">
      </DataCollector>

    </DataCollectors>
  </DataCollectionRunSettings>

  <!-- Parameters used by tests at run time -->
  <TestRunParameters>
    <Parameter name="webAppUrl" value="http://localhost" />
    <Parameter name="webAppUserName" value="Admin" />
    <Parameter name="webAppPassword" value="Password" />
  </TestRunParameters>

  <!-- Configuration for loggers -->
  <LoggerRunSettings>
    <Loggers>
      <Logger friendlyName="console" enabled="True">
        <Configuration>
            <Verbosity>quiet</Verbosity>
        </Configuration>
      </Logger>
      <Logger friendlyName="trx" enabled="True">
        <Configuration>
          <LogFileName>foo.trx</LogFileName>
        </Configuration>
      </Logger>
      <Logger friendlyName="html" enabled="True">
        <Configuration>
          <LogFileName>foo.html</LogFileName>
        </Configuration>
      </Logger>
      <Logger friendlyName="blame" enabled="True" />
    </Loggers>
  </LoggerRunSettings>

  <!-- Adapter Specific sections -->

  <!-- MSTest adapter -->
  <MSTest>
    <MapInconclusiveToFailed>True</MapInconclusiveToFailed>
    <CaptureTraceOutput>false</CaptureTraceOutput>
    <DeleteDeploymentDirectoryAfterTestRunIsComplete>False</DeleteDeploymentDirectoryAfterTestRunIsComplete>
    <DeploymentEnabled>False</DeploymentEnabled>
    <AssemblyResolution>
      <Directory path="D:\myfolder\bin\" includeSubDirectories="false"/>
    </AssemblyResolution>
  </MSTest>

</RunSettings>

Specify environment variables in the .runsettings file

Environment variables can be set in the .runsettings file, which can directly interact with the test host. Specifying environment variables in the .runsettings file is necessary to support nontrivial projects that require setting environment variables like DOTNET_ROOT. These variables are set while spawning the test host process and they're available in the host.

Example

The following code is a sample .runsettings file that passes environment variables:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<!-- File name extension must be .runsettings -->
<RunSettings>
  <RunConfiguration>
    <EnvironmentVariables>
      <!-- List of environment variables we want to set-->
      <DOTNET_ROOT>C:\ProgramFiles\dotnet</DOTNET_ROOT>
      <SDK_PATH>C:\Codebase\Sdk</SDK_PATH>
    </EnvironmentVariables>
  </RunConfiguration>
</RunSettings>

The RunConfiguration node should contain an EnvironmentVariables node. An environment variable can be specified as an element name and its value.

Related content

• Configure a test run
• Customize code coverage analysis
• Visual Studio test task (Azure Test Plans)