The VisualStudio.com hosted Team Foundation Service is a great way to store and share your codebase amongst your team using Git or TFS without having to setup TFS servers or manage any of the hassles – Microsoft’s approach to their product is just like ours at OnCheckin (working hard to take away hassles), so we’re really happy to be able to support TFS service users.

The only difference between setting up TFS service and any other Git or TFS host is with one subtle difference: credentials.

If you are using Visual Studio Online Git Source Control, please skip to the second section of this help page.

Setting up Alternate Credentials

Microsoft has tried to ensure that if you’re handing out credentials you don’t have to risk your Live account’s credentials. They get around this by forcing remote users to use alternate credentials.

Log into your TFS service account over at http://tfs.visualstudio.com.

Select the account you wish to let OnCheckin access from the list:

Then click on your name in the top right navigation menu, and click on the “My profile” link.

Then click on the “Credentials” navigation link.

Then elect to change your “alternate password”

Then enter these credentials into your project source control settings remembering to enter the full Url including the collection (ie https://mycompany.visualstudio.com/DefaultCollection).

Visual Studio Service Git usage

If you are using the Git Source Control option within your Visual Studio Online Account instead of Team Foundation Source Control, we require you to follow a few slightly different steps.

Log into your TFS service account over at http://tfs.visualstudio.com.

Select the account you wish to let OnCheckin access from the list:

Then click on your name in the top right navigation menu, and click on the “My profile” link.

Then click on the “Credentials” navigation link.

Now click the link to “Set” your alternate username. Make sure to set this to something that does not contain an email address or @ sign.

Then elect to change your “alternate password”.

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Then enter these credentials into your project source control settings in OnCheckin.

Making sure to use your TFS service Git url (https://[account name].visualstudio.com/DefaultCollection/_git/[projectname])