random technical notes

VSTest.Console.exe should be used from .NET Framework 4.6.1 instead of MSTest.exe to run unit tests from command line.

MSTest.exe brings “No tests to execute” error message.

More info:

• run Visual Studio manage and unmanage unit tests from command line
• Using VSTest.console from the command line
• Running automated tests from the command line

Open current folder:

> start .

Open the Windows startup folder:

start shell:startup

Here is a list of all the folder names you can use after the shell command, along with the relative locations of those folders.

• shell:AccountPictures – %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\AccountPictures
• shell:AddNewProgramsFolder – Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Get Programs
• shell:Administrative Tools – %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Administrative Tools
• shell:AppData – %AppData%
• shell:Application Shortcuts – %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Application Shortcuts
• shell:AppsFolder – Applications
• shell:AppUpdatesFolder – Installed Updates
• shell:Cache – %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache
• shell:Camera Roll – %UserProfile%\Pictures\Camera Roll
• shell:CD Burning – %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Burn\Burn
• shell:ChangeRemoveProgramsFolder – Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Programs and Features
• shell:Common Administrative Tools – %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Administrative Tools
• shell:Common AppData – %ProgramData%
• shell:Common Desktop – %Public%\Desktop
• shell:Common Documents – %Public%\Documents
• shell:CommonDownloads – %Public%\Downloads
• shell:CommonMusic – %Public%\Music
• shell:CommonPictures – %Public%\Pictures
• shell:Common Programs – %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
• shell:CommonRingtones – %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Ringtones
• shell:Common Start Menu – %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
• shell:Common Startup – %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
• shell:Common Templates – %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Templates
• shell:CommonVideo – %Public%\Videos
• shell:ConflictFolder – Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Sync Center\Conflicts
• shell:ConnectionsFolder – Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Network Connections
• shell:Contacts – %UserProfile%\Contacts
• shell:ControlPanelFolder – Control Panel\All Control Panel Items
• shell:Cookies – %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\INetCookies
• shell:Cookies\Low – %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\INetCookies\Low
• shell:CredentialManager – %AppData%\Microsoft\Credentials
• shell:CryptoKeys – %AppData%\Microsoft\Crypto
• shell:desktop – Desktop
• shell:device Metadata Store – %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\DeviceMetadataStore
• shell:documentsLibrary – Libraries\Documents
• shell:downloads – %UserProfile%\Downloads
• shell:dpapiKeys – %AppData%\Microsoft\Protect
• shell:Favorites – %UserProfile%\Favorites
• shell:Fonts – %WinDir%\Fonts
• shell:Games – Games
• shell:GameTasks – %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\GameExplorer
• shell:History – %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\History
• shell:HomeGroupCurrentUserFolder – Homegroup\(user-name)
• shell:HomeGroupFolder – Homegroup
• shell:ImplicitAppShortcuts – %AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\ImplicitAppShortcuts
• shell:InternetFolder – Internet Explorer
• shell:Libraries – Libraries
• shell:Links – %UserProfile%\Links
• shell:Local AppData – %LocalAppData%
• shell:LocalAppDataLow – %UserProfile%\AppData\LocalLow
• shell:MusicLibrary – Libraries\Music
• shell:MyComputerFolder – This PC
• shell:My Music – %UserProfile%\Music
• shell:My Pictures – %UserProfile%\Pictures
• shell:My Video – %UserProfile%\Videos
• shell:NetHood – %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Network Shortcuts
• shell:NetworkPlacesFolder – Network
• shell:OneDrive – OneDrive
• shell:OneDriveCameraRoll – %UserProfile%\OneDrive\Pictures\Camera Roll
• shell:OneDriveDocuments – %UserProfile%\OneDrive\Documents
• shell:OneDriveMusic – %UserProfile%\OneDrive\Music
• shell:OneDrivePictures – %UserProfile%\OneDrive\Pictures
• shell:Personal – %UserProfile%\Documents
• shell:PicturesLibrary – Libraries\Pictures
• shell:PrintersFolder – All Control Panel Items\Printers
• shell:PrintHood – %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Printer Shortcuts
• shell:Profile – %UserProfile%
• shell:ProgramFiles – %ProgramFiles%
• shell:ProgramFilesCommon – %ProgramFiles%\Common Files
• shell:ProgramFilesCommonX64 – %ProgramFiles%\Common Files (64-bit Windows only)
• shell:ProgramFilesCommonX86 – %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Common Files (64-bit Windows only)
• shell:ProgramFilesX64 – %ProgramFiles% (64-bit Windows only)
• shell:ProgramFilesX86 – %ProgramFiles(x86)% (64-bit Windows only)
• shell:Programs – %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
• shell:Public – %Public%
• shell:PublicAccountPictures – %Public%\AccountPictures
• shell:PublicGameTasks – %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\GameExplorer
• shell:PublicLibraries – %Public%\Libraries
• shell:Quick Launch – %AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch
• shell:Recent – %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent
• shell:RecordedTVLibrary – Libraries\Recorded TV
• shell:RecycleBinFolder – Recycle Bin
• shell:ResourceDir – %WinDir%\Resources
• shell:Ringtones – %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Ringtones
• shell:Roamed Tile Images – %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\RoamedTileImages
• shell:Roaming Tiles – %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\RoamingTiles
• shell:SavedGames – %UserProfile%\Saved Games
• shell:Screenshots – %UserProfile%\Pictures\Screenshots
• shell:Searches – %UserProfile%\Searches
• shell:SearchHistoryFolder – %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\ConnectedSearch\History
• shell:SearchHomeFolder – search-ms:
• shell:SearchTemplatesFolder – %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\ConnectedSearch\Templates
• shell:SendTo – %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo
• shell:Start Menu – %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu
• shell:StartMenuAllPrograms – StartMenuAllPrograms
• shell:Startup – %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
• shell:SyncCenterFolder – Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Sync Center
• shell:SyncResultsFolder – Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Sync Center\Sync Results
• shell:SyncSetupFolder – Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Sync Center\Sync Setup
• shell:System – %WinDir%\System32
• shell:SystemCertificates – %AppData%\Microsoft\SystemCertificates
• shell:SystemX86 – %WinDir%\SysWOW64
• shell:Templates – %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Templates
• shell:ThisPCDesktopFolder – Desktop
• shell:UsersFilesFolder – %UserProfile%
• shell:User Pinned – %AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned
• shell:UserProfiles – %HomeDrive%\Users
• shell:UserProgramFiles – %LocalAppData%\Programs
• shell:UserProgramFilesCommon – %LocalAppData%\Programs\Common
• shell:UsersLibrariesFolder – Libraries
• shell:VideosLibrary – Libraries\Videos
• shell:Windows – %WinDir%

Additional:

• How to Open an Explorer Window from the Command Prompt’s Current Directory
• How to Open Hidden System Folders with Windows’ Shell Command