Using a Git layer on top of TFS

Not having git bugs me. Working with any other source control system takes away some of my power.

With a git layer over whatever other source control system is required for the team:

• I can check-in or revert individual lines of code in a file. 
• I can create a branch for local modifications that should never be checked into the team source control.
• I can create mini-commits that don't have to be logged as individual commits in the team source (for teams that prefer one large change-set)
• I can create my own personal historical record of change save-points and notes/comments
• I can select which lines of a file should go into a check-in without shelving the entire change.

How to:

Create a junction or hardlink to the folder that contains your code. This junction must not be in the tree that your tfs workspace mapping sees. If it is, Visual Studio will then, forcefully and persistently, use git as your source control and refuse to talk to TFS about your changes.

So I have all my code under c:\development\foo

1.  I change working directory to c:\projects\bar and mklink /h /j foobar c:\development\foo
2. git init
3. Always point visual studio at the legacy folder c:\development\foo.
4. Always point your git tool(s) at c:\projects\bar
5. profit!

Using a local source repo to work on vs2008 projects in vs2012

If the project type can't be opened or worked in the newer Visual Studio then you are still out of luck, but otherwise here we go. Assuming you have Git installed, go to the top level of a directory that would include both your .sln and .proj files.

$ git init

inside that directory then if you don't have a default set of ignores. you will want to set that up. Before opening Visual Studio, do your initial commit.

$ git checkout -b Vs2012

to create the new branch. Open in Visual Studio 2012. Commit the changes. Now you can make all your edits and commit them. When you want to pull the changes to the old VS branch change to that branch and do a git-cherry-pick

$ git cherry-pick SHA

replace SHA with the SHA hash of the commit you want to pick. Or to do them in bulk...

$ git cherry-pick SHA1..SHA2

replace SHA1 with the SHA hash of the commit you want to skip, and SHA2 with the last one you want.