Automated Pipeline Setup

According to Azure DevOps pipeline it will be written in yaml. Task will use PowerShell script to do updates on work items.

• Automated pipeline triggering
  To run it automatically at selected schedules you need to specify cron schedule:
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/pipelines/process/scheduled-triggers?view=azure-devops&pivots=pipelines-yaml
  
  
• Generate Personal Access Token to be able to update work items
  • In Azure DevOps go to User settings -> Personal access tokens
  • Create New Token with such custom defined scopes:
    • Build (Read)
    • Code (Read)
    • Work Items (Read & write)
      
      
• Yaml pipeline main body part

variables:
- group: YourVariableGroupName
# in this library we will hold Personal Access Token

jobs:
- job: Automated_Pipeline
  displayname: Automated Pipeline

  steps:
  - checkout: self
    fetchDepth: 1
    persistCredentials: True

  - task: PowerShell@2
    displayName: Update work items
    inputs:
      targetType: filePath
      filePath: 'PathToYourFolder/PowerShellFile.ps1'
      pwsh: true
    env:
      AZURE_DEVOPS_EXT_PAT: $(YourVariableWithPAT)

PowerShell script

To connect to Azure DevOps CLI use this command at the begining of script:

az devops configure --defaults project='Your Project Name' organization=<link to your organization on https://dev.azure.com>

Afterwards you are ready to go and use Azure DevOps CLI to operate on your work items.

• Query your work items example

$query = "SELECT [System.Id] FROM workitems WHERE [System.WorkItemType] = 'Bug' AND [System.State] = 'New' ORDER BY [System.Id]"

$search = $(az boards query --wiql "${query}" --output json --only-show-errors)

$jsonObject = $search | ConvertFrom-Json

foreach ($item in $jsonObject)
{
  Write-Host "Work item #${$item.id}"
}

• Update your work item field example

$update = $(az boards work-item update --id $($item.id) --fields "Custom.YourCustomField=YourText" --only-show-errors)

• Checking relations of your work items examples

# checking if your work item has a Successor
$query = "relations[?rel=='Successor'].{url:url}"

$length = $(az boards work-item relation show --id $($item.id) --query $query --output tsv --only-show-errors)

# checking your Parent id and work item type
$query = "[fields.\`"System.Parent\`", fields.\`"System.WorkItemType\`"]"

$validation = $(az boards work-item relation show --id $($item.id) --query $query --output tsv --only-show-errors)

if (($validation[0] -eq 12345) -and ($validation[1] -eq "Feature"))
{
  # do what you want with work item 
}

Update Boards Process

Additionaly you can update your work items type process:

• You can add additional custom fields to your work item type
• You can orginize your work item layout
• You can edit states of your work items type
• You can add custom rules to your work item type to cooparate with automated mechanism

To do this you need to go to your Azure DevOps project site:

• Choose Organization settings
• Choose Boards -> Process
• Choose Process to change
• Choose work item type to change