Differences between LizardTf and Team Explorer

I posted a reference to LizardTF on a post to Dotmad.net, and Adi asked what the main differences between Microsofts Team Explorer and LizardTF were. I started to answer on that post but the comment started to get quite long, so I thought I'd answer it here, and link here from there. So here is the answer:

The main difference is that all functions are driven from the working copies (via windows explorer) rather than from a repository (server) view. I prefer this way of working as once checked out, you are working on the working copies, not the repository. I admit the distinction is a subtle one, but quite important if you want to work off-line, which is something I'd like to add to LizardTF - though I notice now that it is included in TFS2008 (see previous post)

LizardTF integrates into Windows Explorer, and shows TFS items current status with icon overlays, so as you browse your files you can immediately see what is checked in, checked out, changed, out of date, potentially conflicting or recently added. Extra detail columns show TFS version numbers, status and locks, an additional properties page shows a quick history and full status - all from the regular explorer. Extra context menus provide access to all the repository functions.


LizardTF shows both in windows explorer and in review screens all conflicts, out of dates, check-outs with local changes, and check-outs without changes(a distinction Team Explorer doesn't make).
The review screens only show changes about the files/folders selected, rather than all across the repository as in Team Explorer. Though if you select a root folder, you will see all changes, obviously.

When you select 'Check-in' in Team Explorer it lists everything that is checked out. Visual studio will check things out automatically, some won't have changed. This makes a quick sanity check review before committing a changeset rather time consuming. LizardTF clearly shows files that have changed seperately from ones just checked out.

Team Explorer only mentions conflicts after you attempted a check in. You then get the option to fix conflicts, but it does not prompt to re-attempt the check in once all are resolved. You will have lost all check in comments, notes and associations. LizardTF highlights conflicts at once, and doesn't close the check in screen unless you tell it to.

Team Explorer sometimes insists that there are no pending changes, even though you know there are. You have to use the command line to get out of this situation. (Or maybe re-start Visual Studio - but that can be a pain). LizardTF has never done this (yet) and can resolve this problem with Team Explorer encounters it.

The comparison tool has more view options, than the Microsoft one, offering side-by-side and inline, and differences only with optional context - good for quick reviews. It also allows you to reload either side from either any file system file, or any repository item. Once a repository item is loaded you can easily reload to any revision with out closing and re-opening. This makes searching for where changes occurred much simpler.



The merge tool is, in my opinion a lot clearer than Microsoft's tool, it also offers side-by-side-by-side view, side-by-side with output beneath, and side-by-side with output in a separate window for maximum on-screen visibility. All merges can be undone/redone, all conflicts resolved / reset and resolved again, all with distinctive mark-up and tool tip text to show the state of any line.

Lizard TF also offers what Tortoise calls blame, and Microsoft have called Annotate in their 2008 release of Team Explorer, this shows the originating changeset for every line in a file, which can be very useful when you find a line that seems insane, but also necessary.

LizardTF History screen shows changeset details in second pane, so you don't have to launch a seperate model form to see what is in a changeset, you can then immediately navigate to the history of any item included in changeset, navigate back again, or up a folder level. This makes history browsing very quick and fluid.

The integration into Visual Studio makes Team Explorer very annoying when it comes to model forms - you can't enter a WorkItem, or view histories once you've opened a check-in dialog, for example. LizardTF uses very few modal forms.

Team Explorer does have better progress bars, but I think they might have better access to progress events than are offered by the public API, because I've looked and can't find the message events! (I will keep looking...)

There are screen shots throughout this blog, but I need to get a decent up to date set.

That's all for now. In the future we will have baseless merging, rollbacks and more...

Already written for the next release: branching, shelving, unshelving, some performance optimisations (for big Gets and Explorer browsing) and merging changes into unrelated targets.