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Visual Studio 2013 Update 4 CTP 1 Offers Web-Based Code Review

First preview of VS 2013.4 introduces a web-based pull request option for Git and enhancements mainly to TFS and Visual C++.

Expect "a couple of CTPs -- roughly 3 weeks apart, then a release candidate and a final release," blogs Brian Harry, Microsoft Product Unit Manager for Team Foundation. And with that, Harry introduced the first CTP of Visual Studio 2013 Update 4, or VS 2013.4, and Team Foundation 2013 Update 4, or TFS 2013.4, which comes mainly with fixes and improvements based on user feedback.

Harry writes that the finalized version will appear around October or November.

VS 2013.4 enhancements are mainly within TFS and Visual C++, but one area of improvement that Harry highlights in his blog is how code review is handled. Up to now code review was done through Team Foundation Version Control, but with the popularity of Git, the team has added a Web-based code review process that aligns with Git's pull request method of code review and control. Harry writes that development efforts are under way to have TFVC and Git work in conjunction.

As for other changes in this initial CTP, TFS 2013.4 fixes include the availability of trend charts and aggregate data from work item queries; the addition of Stacked Area, Area, and Line charts when creating new trend charts; and some UI improvements in the Backlogs hub. Visual C++ enhancements include an improvement in performance when scanning large code bases, and a tool that analyzes GPU usage under the Performance and Diagnostics tab, helpful for determining whether the CPU or GPU is gumming up processes.

Details on TFS 2013.4 and Visual C++ enhancements can be found at this blog and at the VS 2013.4 support page here.