Can I keep my vnext builds under version control? I'm editing them only via the TFS "Build" tab and I'd like to use git type tools to track changes, revert etc. Am I missing something? are these builds available for edit via VisualStudio like the xaml ones were somewhere? is there a tool that all the cool kids are using that I don't know about?
You can opt-in to YAML build in order to enable version controlling build definitions.
Related
We have a requirement of associating work items with TFS Builds. Generally, this is possible (or we can say 'natural') while using XAML Build Templates in TFS (via Integration Build field of WorkItem. In the below screenshot it was mentioned as 'Integrated In'). We are currently trying to migrate from XAML Build Templates to vNext version of VSTFS 2015 and further to integrate with Octopus Deploy for CI/CD practices.
We are now half the way in the migration because we are stuck up making this vNext templates to associate TFS WorkItems with their Build numbers. Without doing this step, if we complete this migration, it will be difficult to get associated build numbers for each Work Items delivered in that build.
When we searched MSDN blogs, we got a post (link given below) similar to our requirement but I tried that and ended up with no luck.
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/tfssetup/2016/05/09/build-association-with-work-items-in-vnext/
So, please suggest the ways which can resolve our requirement.
Since you are going to migrate from XAML build Templated to vNext. Suggest you also upgrade your TFS version to higher all together.
Just as Daniel point out TFS2015 released already 4 years, kind of little old. Same latest feature in TFS/Azure DevOps are not supported.
What you are looing for is a build-in option in TFS2017 update2 and above version.
Automatic linking from work items to builds
With this new setting in the build definition, you can track the
builds that have incorporated your work without having to search
through a large set of builds manually. Each successful build
associated with the work item automatically appears in the development
section of the work item form.
To enable this feature, toggle the setting under Options in your build definition.
More details refer this blog.
Besides, you could also take a look at our official tutorial Migrate from XAML builds to new builds in case you need.
Technologies:
Proget – Nuget Package management server
TFS – On premise 2017 Update 1
Issue:
When re-releasing a build from TFS release, to re-package a CI Nuget package that has already gone to my Proget development feed, there does not appear to be a way to get automatic Semantic versioning.
The help dialog that appears in regards to setting the version within the Nuget packager setup is as follows.
Use Date and Time If you choose 'Use the date and time', this will
generate a SemVer-compliant version formatted as X.Y.Z-ci-datetime
where you choose X, Y, and Z.
Use an Environment Variable If you choose 'Use an environment
variable', you must select an environment variable and ensure it
contains the version number you want to use.
Use the Build Number If you choose 'Use the build number', this will
use the build number to version you package. Note: Under General set
the build format to be
'$(BuildDefinitionName)_$(Year:yyyy).$(Month).$(DayOfMonth)$(Rev:.r)
I’d like to be able to re-release a Nuget package that has gone from my CI build in TFS to my Proget development feed, over into my production Proget feed. Microsoft has a great article on Versioning NuGet packages in a continuous delivery world. In that article they elude to the fact that they are doing something similar, but they aren’t providing any real direction for how it was accomplished.
Question:
How would you configure the Nuget packager so that upon creating the package you would input a build variable? Or is there a way that you could set the major version and just have the minor increment each time? How are others handling the promotion of packages from development to production?
Have tried the following:
Tried $(Version) as a build & release variable, and it doesn’t seem to work. The package gets tagged with the date. Also, this only seems to be really functional in the Build portion of TFS where the modal window contains a spot to modify this value.
Tried using the date & time method, and it sticks CI into the build number. This is almost exactly what we want minus the CI definition. Because it automatically inserts CI, this is not suitable for production.
Turned it off and it pulls the version from the Nuspec, but then this would assume that in your CI build you are always upping the version number to one more than current after you have pushed your last release version. This is because the nuspec is in the build files that you are re-releasing through the TFS release chain. Confusing to say the least.
Use the build number set to $(BuildDefinitionName)$(Year:yyyy).$(Month).$(DayOfMonth)$(Rev:.r) What I’d like here is $(Major).$(Minor).$(Patch). Trying $(Version)$ with a version of 1.0.0 gets you a file named with that has 2017.11.3.1 as the output, seemingly ignoring the $(Version) variable.
Not sure if I totally got your point, seems you would like to create a semantically versioned nupkg after ci process on TFS.
Usually the nupkg should be as shown MSVersioningSample: 1.0.8-ci-20171106-156033.nupkg
However you would like to rename nupgk and republish it to nuget server as the release version simply MSVersioningSample: 1.0.8.nupkg The same as $(Major).$(Minor).$(Patch).
You need to edit NuGetPackager.ps1 in the build agent, change the $VersionRegex value, details you could have a look at the answer in this question: How do I get TFS 2015 to parse 3 digit versioning for NuGet packaging
Also give a try with some 3-rd party extension to handle with Semantic Versioning in TFS build, release task, nuget package, a sample for your reference: Semantic Versioning Build and Release Tasks
Besides just a note: Semantic Versioning 2.0.0 is only supports with NuGet 4.3.0+ and Visual Studio 2017 version 15.3+.
I'd like to be able to trigger a build in TFS Build when a developer tags in Subversion. I'd also like to use the tag number as part of the build and release name. Is this possible in TFS right now?
There is no this built-in trigger for building a repository type of subversion in TFS.
You could first get the event (a developer create a tag in svn) from SVN. Not sure how to do this in SVN, should be something like the service hooks in TFS. Then trigger a build in TFS 2017 using REST API. How to do this please refer: How to trigger a build in TFS 2015 using REST API
As for how to use the tag number as part of the build and release name, see below:
Create custom build number during build
With Team Build you can update the build number at any time during the
build by outputing "##vso[build.updatebuildnumber]1.2.3.4" to the log
during the build.
You can see the full list of logging commands here https://github.com/Microsoft/vso-agent-tasks/blob/master/docs/authoring/commands.md
This will update the build number & name.
The down side that you have run into is that you can no longer use the
auto-incrementing number that you have been trying to use. You need to
come up with the version number yourself, and then pass it back using
the output above.
Source
Add two more related blogs:
vNext Build Awesomeness – Managing Version Numbers
Generate custom build numbers in TFS Build vNext
We have upgraded from TFS 2013 to TFS 2017, One feature we are trying to implement that we had in 2013 was the ability to have a custom build number. the previous method we had a file called BuildVersion.XML which during the first build step would read the major,minor, and revision and name the build with that build number + 1 on the revision. It would then change then checkout and update the revison number and check in the new version. I know that there are steps where people update the AssemblyInfo. The issue is that not all our code is .net apps. we also now have SSIS Packages, Cordova iOS/android apps, angular sites, aws Lambda functions with node.js which do not have the concept of AssemblyInfo. is there an easy way to implement this?
You can do exactly the same thing in Team Build in TFS 2017.
You can update the build number from any task by calling:
Write-Verbose -Verbose "##vso[build.updatebuildnumber]1.2.3.4"
Add a PowerShell task and add an inline script to read from your file and update the build number with the above.
You can then have additional scripts that use the build number any way you need to version your application.
You can see the full list of logging commands here
https://github.com/Microsoft/vso-agent-tasks/blob/master/docs/authoring/commands.md
You can use my VSTS TFVC tasks to interact with source control, though I do not recommend it. I built these tasks for clients of mine who were doing exactly what you are doing.
Instead of relying on a file in source control it would be a much better solution to pass the BuildNumber from the Build Definition along to the build, have one of your first steps update the files on disk with the correct version number then run your build.
If you manipulate files during the build and check them in you run the risk of inconsistent numbering when you scale up to multiple build agents, it's hard to use in combination with parallel builds and build variable multiplexing and it becomes notoriously hard to do Gated Checkins and Shelveset builds. Plus, it limits your options to move to Git in the future.
In 2009, there was a SO question on the same topic.
I'm wondering if later versions of Team Foundation Server are better at longer build pipelines. Refer features of Jenkins, TeamCity, ThoughtWorks' Go (my employer).
The visualizations of the build pipelines are important to me, as well as the notification about individual stages passing or failing. That and the eminent clone-ability of say a 'trunk' pipeline into one for a release branch as that branch leaps into being.
Secondly, a personal holy-grail is the CI server storing its config in the SCM that's holding the buildable thing itself, and even picking up on the creation of branches silently to provision new pipelines; Can TFS be configured to store the CI definitions/scripts in its SCM side rather than its accompanying SqlServer?
TFS build consists of three components:
The build definition - stored on the SQL server data tier.
The build workflow - a XAML file stored in the source control.
The supporting MSBuild scripts - usually contains user defined actions, also stored in the source control.
As the build progresses, you can see visualization of the build steps and you also get a different log for the main build and the MSBuild output.
The build definition in TFS is merely a collection of build settings, similar to CC.Net's config file and TeamCity's build configuration tab which both stored on the file system as well. Assuming there's a backup plan on the database you don't really need to store the build defintions on the source control, but if you must it's possible by exporting the tbl_BuildDefinition table.
The TFS Power Tools adds cloning functionality for build definitions.
There's no OOTB support for provisioning build definitions from a new branch though it's fairly feasible using the TFS-API.
Bit late to the party, but just don't bother with TFS if you want advanced build pipeline automation. It simply doesn't cut it.
I have used Jenkins and TFS both extensively. Tfs is just. pure. crap. Here's why.
No down/up stream build.
No piepline/orchestraion build. (like jenkins)
Obscure ways of adding build steps and falls back to using MsBuild.
Slow and still polls the source control.
Ties you to MsTest.
And please don't point me to "Oh look you can do everything if you write a custom activity". I'm not wasting time doing development for a closed source, sub-par platform. If I am going to contribute something, it's to a FREE. OPEN SOURCE platform.