In TFS, continuous build can be triggered when changes to the repository are detected. I am looking for a feature to trigger only the build when a specific file changes.
I have a library that I want to publish to an internal nuget server. I versioned the library manually in the nuspec file. I want to trigger build and publish when the nuspec file gets updated. Is this doable in TFS?
If you are using TFVC, you can specify the file directly in CI filter.
For Git in TFS 2015 , there is no such feature or setting to specific a folder within the repo by default (it's available in VSTS), as Repository and CI filter are used for different purpose:
Repository specifies which files will be downloaded from your remote
repository into a local sources directory by build agent at the
beginning of the build process.
CI filter selects the version control paths you want to include and
exclude.
There is a User Voice submitted for using repository paths as default, which similar as TFVC. Microsoft Product Team will evaluate it carefully. You can go there and vote it up to achieve it in future.
Related
Is there any similar plugin like this
https://wiki.jenkins.io/display/JENKINS/Config+File+Provider+Plugin
in TFS Build & Release
I want to provide configuration.json file which is not included in git source.
Unfortunately, there is no such extension in TFS/VSTS Build & Release.
According to your tag tfs2013, seems you are working with XAML build.
Just like you need a workspace on your dev machine to develop your app, you must specify the workspace that the build agent uses to build and test your app. Then we get/pull source files from TFS server side. It's not able to achieve below similar features in TFS UI:
Adds the ability to provide configuration files (i.e., settings.xml
for maven, XML, groovy, custom files, etc.) loaded through the Jenkins
UI which will be copied to the job's workspace.
As a workaround, you could try to put configuration.json files in a ftp server instead of git source and then use a PowerShell solution to down the files in build agent workspace. If create a PowerShell to over FTP you can have it called by the build template(customize workflow).
We are moving to TFS 2018 from 2012 and I'm working on migrating the builds. One of the builds has a few mtbwa:DownloadFiles activities in it but I don't see an equivalent way to do this in the new build system. We have a few utilities in a different branch that are used to build installers. So I need to download those utils before completing the build. How would I do this in the new build system?
If the files are in source control, then you can map the source directly in Get source step.
Then the files will be automatically downloaded to the $(build.sourcesDirectory) by deafult on the agent machine.
After that you can also add a Copy Files task to copy the files to any location as needed.
If the files are not in source control, you can also use the Copy Files task to copy them, but you need to make sure that the service account has the proper permission to access the source folder.
UPDATE:
If the team projects are in same collection, map sources in Get Sources step is also available. You need to manually specify the Server path (Click ... can only navigate to the root path of current team project).
e.g.:
In below screenshot I entered the server path $/2017ScrumProjectFromVS/WpfTest
This also works with the Copy Task, that means you can copy the files directly from another team project which in the same collection.
I'm trying to deploy a Continuous Integration server where I work.
We used TFVC with the branch to release strategy, but we are having difficulty with something that should be trivial.
We only need the build on the branch that was checked in.
Is it possible to do this without having to change the build definition every time a new branch is created?
I do not want to map the entire folder structure of the repository. Imagine having 10 branches and every check-in, build all? Does not make sense!
Anyone have any idea how to do it?
The CI build for TFVC can’t map and just build target branch like build for Git.
There are some workarounds:
Clone a build definition and change source mapping, Path filters of triggers for each branch.
Add a PowerShell step/task to get recent check-in change by calling get changesets Rest API, then store the related solution/project files in a variable by using Logging Commands, then build these solutions/projects
Build 2015 vNext Triggers - Continuous Integration, trigger on changes in any path defined in repository
If i define a vNext Build in the on-Promise Version and i want it to run as a CI Build (Continuous Integration) i have to define the whole list in the trigger section, which i already defined in the repository, again.
i want my ci-builds to run, if changes happen in any of the tfs paths defined in the repository. But for achieving that, i always have to copy paste everything from repository to the trigger - ci part.
Its annoying and time consuming especially because the ci trigger definition also doesn't get cloned if you want to define a new build out of an existing one.
May anyone have come along with that also and may have something in mind which could make it easier and less time consuming?
There is no such feature or setting by default, as Repository and CI filter are used for different purpose:
Repository specifies which files will be downloaded from your remote
repository into a local sources directory by build agent at the
beginning of the build process.
CI filter selects the version control paths you want to include and
exclude.
An idea to have CI filter the same as Repository mapping by default has been submitted at the Visual Studio User Voice, Microsoft Product Team will evaluate it carefully.
I am not a developer nor am I the Application Lifecycle Manager. I pull the latest builds from TFS Build Server along with the latest code and I import them in AppScan source for analysis (security tool). Against each security findings there is a class name within which the findings were found along with the directory where the class is located.
Builds are created automatically during a certain time of the day. As mentioned earlier the directory names change every time after a new build and a new number (highlighted below) is introduced. It is not sequential, does anyone know of TFS build server assigns these numbers.
C:\Builds**12**\Development
C:\Builds**14**\Development
C:\Builds**13**\Development
C:\Builds**15**\Development
TFS will create folders based on the following.
DriveLetter\Builds\$(BuildAgentId)\$(BuildDefinitionPath)
so if you have 1 controller with 4 agents on a clean install you would get
Drive:\Builds\1\$(BuildDefinitionPath)
Drive:\Builds\2\$(BuildDefinitionPath)
Drive:\Builds\3\$(BuildDefinitionPath)
Drive:\Builds\4\$(BuildDefinitionPath)
Your Build definition is the name of the build definition and then each subsequent build is stored underneath, with each individual build getting its own folder.
these settings are available on the Build Agent properties screen.
These are transient files and you cant rely on them being there. They are only used as part of the build. You would be better doing a "Get" from TFS at the appropriate Changeset number for the build and using the binaries from the drop folder.