Microsoft has introduced a lightweight and portable test runner for its MSTest unit testing framework. Credit: Thinkstock Microsoft has introduced MSTest runner, a lightweight, portable runner for the MSTest unit testing framework. Unveiled January 24, MSTest runner is extensible and makes tests more portable and reliable as well as making them run faster. Described as “a performant, hostable, extensible, reliable, and integrated solution” for running MSTests, MSTest runner is based on a barebones testing platform and an extensibility model designed to make it easy to extend or override aspects of test execution. Developers can use MSTest runner to build and run MSTests as an independent portable executable. MSTest runner provides a simple console application to host and run tests, so developers do not need external tools such as VSTest, dotnet test, or Visual Studio to run tests. Tests can be authored for devices with limited power or storage. Running tests directly from an executable removes complexity and infrastructure normally needed to run tests, Microsoft said. Existing dotnet tooling can be used to perform tasks with test projects such as building them as self-contained. With MSTest runner, new defaults are set that are safer and make it harder to accidently miss running any tests, according to Microsoft. MSTest runner is bundled with the MSTest.TestAdapter NuGet package since version 3.2.0. To enable it for a project, developers can install the updated package and set two MSBuild properties, <EnableMSTestRunner> and <OutputType>. Related content analysis Beyond the usual suspects: 5 fresh data science tools to try today The mid-month report includes quick tips for easier Python installation, a new VS Code-like IDE just for Python and R users, and five newer data science tools you won't want to miss. By Serdar Yegulalp Jul 12, 2024 2 mins Python Programming Languages Software Development analysis Generative AI won’t fix cloud migration You’ve probably heard how generative AI will solve all cloud migration problems. It’s not that simple. Generative AI could actually make it harder and more costly. By David Linthicum Jul 12, 2024 5 mins Generative AI Artificial Intelligence Cloud Computing news HR professionals trust AI recommendations HireVue survey finds 73% of HR professionals trust AI to make candidate recommendations, while 75% of workers are opposed to AI making hiring decisions. By Paul Krill Jul 11, 2024 3 mins Technology Industry Careers how-to Safety off: Programming in Rust with `unsafe` What does it mean to write unsafe code in Rust, and what can you do (and not do) with the 'unsafe' keyword? The facts may surprise you. By Serdar Yegulalp Jul 11, 2024 8 mins Rust Programming Languages Software Development Resources Videos