Configure unit tests by using a .runsettings file

Unit tests in Visual Studio can be configured by using a *.runsettings file. (The file name doesn’t matter, provided you use the extension ‘.runsettings.’) For example, you can change the .NET Framework on which the tests will be run, the directory where test results are delivered, and the data collected during a test run.

If you don’t want to do any special configuration, you don’t need a *.runsettings file. The most frequent use is to customize Code Coverage.

Customizing tests with a .runsettings file

1. Add an XML file to your Visual Studio solution and rename it to test.runsettings. (The filename doesn’t matter, but the extension must be .runsettings.)

2. Replace the file content with the example.

   Edit it to your own needs.

3. On the Test menu, choose Test Settings, Select Test Settings File.

   You can create more than one *.runsettings file in your solution, and enable or disable them at different times by using the Test Settings menu.

   

Copy this example .runsettings file

Here is a typical *.runsettings file. Each element of the file is optional, because every value has a default.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<RunSettings>
  <!-- Configurations that affect the Test Framework -->
  <RunConfiguration>
    <MaxCpuCount>1</MaxCpuCount>
    <!-- Path relative to solution directory -->
    <ResultsDirectory>.\TestResults</ResultsDirectory>

    <!-- [x86] | x64
      - You can also change it from menu Test, Test Settings, Default Processor Architecture -->
    <TargetPlatform>x86</TargetPlatform>

    <!-- Framework35 | [Framework40] | Framework45 -->
    <TargetFrameworkVersion>Framework40</TargetFrameworkVersion>

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

    </DataCollectors>
  </DataCollectionRunSettings>

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

  <!-- 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>

The .runsettings file is also used to configure Code Coverage.

The remainder of this topic describes the file content.

Edit your .runsettings file

The .runsettings file has the following elements.

Test run configuration

Diagnostic Data Adapters (Data Collectors)

The DataCollectors element specifies settings of diagnostic data adapters. Diagnostic data adapters are used to 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.

Code coverage adapter

The code coverage data collector creates a log of which parts of the application code have been exercised in the test. For more information about customizing the settings for code coverage, see Customizing Code Coverage Analysis.

Other diagnostic data adapters

The code coverage adapter is currently the only adapter that can be customized by using the run settings file.

To customize any other type of diagnostic data adapter, you must use a test settings file. For more information, see Specifying Test Settings for Visual Studio Tests.

TestRunParameters

TestRunParameters provides a way to define variables and values that are available to the tests at runtime.

MSTest Run Settings

These settings are specific to the test adapter that runs test methods that have the [TestMethod] attribute.

See Also

Customizing Code Coverage Analysis Specifying Test Settings for Visual Studio Tests