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Modifying CruiseControl.NET for Custom User Roles and Login Features

In today’s fast-paced DevOps landscape, Continuous Integration (CI) tools play a critical role in automating the build and deployment processes of software development. CruiseControl.NET emerges as an efficient CI provider that aids teams in streamlining these aspects. However, many users encounter the challenge of needing to customize the dashboard for specific user roles and login controls. In this blog, we’ll explore how to modify CruiseControl.NET’s dashboard to cater to these needs and clarify whether you need to learn a new technology like nVelocity along the way.

The Challenge: Customizing Access Control in CruiseControl.NET

You may have found yourself in a situation similar to many others who are using CruiseControl.NET for their projects. You want to adjust the dashboard to achieve several goals:

  • Limit user access. You want to restrict the ability to force builds on a per-project basis, allowing only certain team members to execute builds on their corresponding projects.
  • Manage user roles. You wish to define clear roles so that some users can only view reports while others could command builds.

As our question posed, the core of this problem lies in managing user roles effectively while utilizing the features offered by CruiseControl.NET.

Understanding Why This Might Be Overkill

Before diving into technical solutions, it’s essential to evaluate whether such granular control is really necessary. Here are several considerations to take into account:

  • Access Logs: CruiseControl.NET inherently allows you to see who forced a build. This logging feature may already provide sufficient oversight for most teams.
  • Build Frequency: Continuous integration thrives on regular builds and unit tests. For example, in our team’s setup, we run a significant build every hour, managing to keep a 25-minute runtime in check. Given this structure, the need to limit who can trigger builds may not present a significant risk.

Possible Solutions for User Management

If you decide that modifying user roles is indeed required, there are a few paths you could explore to achieve that, and here are some suggestions:

1. Restrict Access to the Dashboard

For users who only need reporting functions, consider restricting their access to the entire CruiseControl.NET web application. This measure would ensure that they cannot force builds at all.

2. Generate Custom Reports

All results generated by CI tools like MSBuild, NCover, NUnit, and FxCop are outputted in XML format. By leveraging technologies such as XSLT, you can create tailored reporting pages that users can access without needing full dashboard privileges. Here’s how you could do it:

  • Extract relevant data from the XML output.
  • Format this data using XSLT to create human-readable reports.
  • Provide these reports to the intended users as standalone pages.

3. Consider Learning New Technologies

If your intention is to implement custom login and user management features directly into the CruiseControl.NET dashboard, you may indeed have to grapple with nVelocity, the view engine that CruiseControl.NET uses instead of web forms. However, here are some key considerations:

  • Learning Curve: The time spent learning nVelocity could be significant, especially if you’re already familiar with web forms. Evaluate whether the switch is worth the trade-off.
  • Integration vs. Custom Development: If the need for custom user roles isn’t critical, it might be more efficient to operate within the boundaries of what CruiseControl.NET already offers.

Conclusion: Finding the Right Balance

Ultimately, while the desire to create granular access controls in CruiseControl.NET is understandable, it’s crucial to weigh the benefits against the complexities of implementation. Often, simpler alternatives exist, such as utilizing the application’s existing logging features and focusing on generating insightful reports for alternate access paths. As always, maintain flexibility in your approach, and adapt as your team’s needs evolve.

With this understanding, we hope you feel more equipped to address user management concerns in CruiseControl.NET. Engage with your team, assess the reality of your needs, and choose the best path forward.