{"id":9755,"date":"2013-12-19T11:50:00","date_gmt":"2013-12-19T11:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.msdn.microsoft.com\/visualstudioalm\/2013\/12\/19\/customization-and-configuration-in-vs-alm\/"},"modified":"2022-08-02T00:29:08","modified_gmt":"2022-08-02T08:29:08","slug":"customization-and-configuration-in-vs-alm-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/devops\/customization-and-configuration-in-vs-alm-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Customization and configuration in VS ALM"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With Visual Studio ALM and TFS, you gain access to a wealth of tools, many of which you configure or can customize. Common areas that team&#8217;s customize include team alerts, team home page, shared queries, and test platforms. For on-premises deployments, you can also add fields, customize work item types (WITs), and Agile planning tools.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Below you&#8217;ll find links to topics that show you how to configure or customize areas related to version control, build, work tracking, and testing using TFS.<\/p>\n<h2>Version control and build<\/h2>\n<p>You can manage source code using Team Foundation version control (TFVC) or Git. \u00a0Here is a view into the areas you can configure when working with source code and builds. \u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/ms181368.aspx#tfvc_or_git_details\">Go here for details on the differences between TFVC and Git<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/devops\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2013\/12\/8004.ALM_Nav_SourceControl.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/devops\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2013\/12\/8004.ALM_Nav_SourceControl.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"165\" height=\"165\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a>\n      <\/td>\n<td>\n<h4>\n          Code &#8211; TFVC\n        <\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>\n            <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/bb892960.aspx\">Set up local or server workspaces<\/a><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/ms181423.aspx\">Branch and merge source code<\/a><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/hh190719.aspx\">Associate a file type with a third-party compare tool<\/a><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/ms181407.aspx#alerts\">Subscribe to alerts when check-ins occur<\/a><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/ms182076.aspx\">Set check-in and check-out policies<\/a>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/ms252587.aspx#VersionControl\">Restrict access\/set permissions<\/a><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<h4>\n          \u00a0Code &#8211; Git\n        <\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>\n            <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/hh850445.aspx\">Set up local or remote repositories<\/a><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/jj190809.aspx\">Branch, merge, and publish code\u00a0<\/a><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/hh850436.aspx#alerts\">Get notified when commits are pushed\u00a0<\/a><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/ms252587.aspx#Git\">Restrict access\/set permissions<\/a><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\n          \u00a0\n        <\/p>\n<p>\n          \u00a0\n        <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/devops\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2013\/12\/0640.ALM_Nav_BuildImage.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/devops\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2013\/12\/0640.ALM_Nav_BuildImage.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"165\" height=\"165\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a>\n      <\/td>\n<td>\n<h4>\n          Build\n        <\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>\n            <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/dd647551.aspx\">Build process\u00a0<\/a><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/ms181716.aspx\">Build definitions<\/a><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/dd787631.aspx\">Gated check-in builds (TFVC)<\/a><\/span>\u00a0\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/bb558973.aspx\">Continuous integration builds\u00a0<\/a><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/hh190719.aspx\">Build numbers<\/a><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/ms181725.aspx\">Build notification email alerts<\/a><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/ms181735.aspx\">Build quality values<\/a><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/ms252587.aspx#Build\">Restrict access\/set permissions<\/a><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>\n          \u00a0\n        <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2>Work\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p>Teams track plans and work using work items. You can add fields, change workflow, and add information to forms by customizing WITs. Teams can customize many elements that support their collaboration, as well as being able to customize the Agile planning tools and experience. \u00a0 Items marked with an asterisk <span style=\"color: #ff0000\">(*)<\/span> are available only with TFS on-premises deployments.<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\n<p>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/devops\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2013\/12\/1817.GetStartedWork.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/devops\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2013\/12\/1817.GetStartedWork.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"165\" height=\"165\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a>\n        <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<h4>\n          <span>Teams<\/span>\n        <\/h4>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>\n              <a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/hh500414.aspx\">Add a team , setup team hierarchies<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n              <a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/jj920206.aspx\">Add team members<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n              <a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/hh500418.aspx\">Schedule team sprints<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n              <a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/dn169471.aspx\">Configure team room events<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n              <a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/ms181334.aspx#set_team_alerts\">Specify team alerts<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n              <a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/hh409274.aspx\">Set team admin permissions<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n              <a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/ff407162.aspx\">Create work item templates<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<h4>\n          <span>Agile planning tools<\/span>\n        <\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/jj838789.aspx#customize\">Customize the Kanban board<\/a>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/hh500408.aspx\">Change the backlog or task board<\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"background-color: #ffffff;color: #ff0000\">(*)<\/span><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\n            Quick add panel\u00a0\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            Default backlog columns\u00a0\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            Weekend days\u00a0\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            Max # of work items on the task board\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            Color of work item types\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            Change a field used in a chart or tool\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            Map workflow states to metastates\n          <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<li>\n          <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/jj920163.aspx\">Add work item types to a backlog<\/a>\u00a0<span><span><span style=\"color: #ff0000\">(*)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n        <\/li>\n<li>\n          <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/dn217880.aspx\">Add portfolio backlogs<\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000\">(*)<\/span><\/span>\n        <\/li>\n<li>\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/en-us\/library\/dn144940.aspx\">Use a team field to support teams<\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000\">(*)<\/span>\n        <\/li>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/devops\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2013\/12\/0361.ALM_CL_UsefulTools.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/devops\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2013\/12\/0361.ALM_CL_UsefulTools.png\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a>\n      <\/td>\n<td>\n<h4>\n          Work item fields\n        <\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>\n            <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/dd695793.aspx\">Modify a field or add a custom field<\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000\">(*)<\/span><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\n            <span>Customize a pick list<\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span>Add rules to a field<\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span>Add a custom field<\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span>Rename a field,<\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span>Change reporting attributes<\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span>Synchronize a person name field<\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span>Add custom controls to a field<\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            Add a field that supports integration with test, build, or version control\n          <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<li>\n          <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/ms404684.aspx\">Add or change how Project fields map to TFS fields<\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000\">(*)<\/span><\/span>\n        <\/li>\n<h4 style=\"font-size: 12px\">\n          Queries, filters, and reports\n        <\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/dd286705.aspx\">Define queries<\/a>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/dn132606.aspx\">Add tags<\/a>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/dn407521.aspx\">View progress charts<\/a>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/dd433251.aspx\">Create Excel reports from a work item query<\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000\">(*)<\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/en-us\/library\/bb649552.aspx#ssrs_reports\">Customize a report (SQL Server Reporting Services)<\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000\">(*)<\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<h4>\n          <span>Work item types<\/span>\n        <\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>\n            <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdnstage.redmond.corp.microsoft.com\/library\/hh409273.aspx\">Modify or add a custom work item type<\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000\">(*)<\/span><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\n            <span>Customize the states, reasons, or transitions of a workflow<\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span>Add text, hyperlinks, or web content \u00a0to a form<\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span>Add a new WIT<\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span>Add or remove a WIT from a backlog or task board<\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span>Change the color associated with a WIT<\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span>Rename a WIT<\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span>Delete a WIT<br \/><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span>Add custom controls to a WIT<br \/><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<li>\n          <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/dn217880.aspx\">Add a WIT to the portfolio backlog<\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000\">(*)<\/span><\/span>\n        <\/li>\n<li>\n          <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/ms400780.aspx\">Change the maximum attachment size for work items<\/a>\u00a0(on-premises only)<\/span>\n        <\/li>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2>Test<\/h2>\n<p>With VS, Microsoft Test Manager, and Team Web Access, you can create unit, manual, exploratory, and automated system tests. These tests reference one or more of the test elements as part of their execution.\u00a0\u00a0Items marked with an asterisk\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000\">(*)\u00a0<\/span>are available only with TFS on-premises deployments.<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\n        \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/devops\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2013\/12\/8741.ALM_Nav_TestImage.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/devops\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2013\/12\/8741.ALM_Nav_TestImage.png\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a>\n      <\/td>\n<td>\n<h4>\n          Test types\n        <\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>\n            <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/ms182409.aspx\">Manual tests, test plans, and test suites<\/a><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/hh191621.aspx\">Exploratory tests<\/a><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/ff472576.aspx\">Automated system tests<\/a><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/dd264975.aspx\">Unit tests<\/a><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/dn250793.aspx\">Web performance and load tests<\/a><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/jj620889.aspx\">System testing<\/a><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/hh405417.aspx\">Windows store app testing<\/a><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\n          \u00a0\n        <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<h4>\n          Test elements\n        <\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/dd286643.aspx\">Test configurations<\/a>\u00a0(test platforms)\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/ff398070.aspx\">Test failure types<\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000\">(*)<\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/ff398070.aspx\">Test resolution states<\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000\"><span>(*)<\/span><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/f64b9297-2526-48e7-9758-205ed7a0e284\">Test settings<\/a>\u00a0\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/dd465178.aspx\">Test tool extension (API reference)<\/a>\u00a0\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/dn448570(v=vs.120).aspx\">Custom code and plug-ins for web performance tests<\/a>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/ff398070.aspx\">Specify a custom work item type as default bug type<\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000\">(*)<\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\n        \u00a0\n      <\/td>\n<td>\n<h4>\n          <span style=\"font-size: 1em\">Lab management<\/span>\n        <\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>\n            <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/ee390842.aspx\">Standard lab environments<\/a><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<li>\n            <span><a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/library\/ee943322.aspx\">SCVMM (virtual) environments<\/a><\/span>\n          <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\n          \u00a0\n        <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n        \u00a0\n      <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Several test types use the test case WIT to plan and run tests. You can customize the test case in the same way as you customize other WITs.<\/p>\n<h3>Are there other areas that you can customize? \u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>The short answer is Yes. \u00a0Other areas include <a href=\"http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/en-us\/library\/dd286521.aspx\">TFS groups, permission, and process templates<\/a>. Also, new features, such as <a href=\"http:\/\/www.visualstudio.com\/get-started\/find-performance-problems-vs\">Application Insights<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.visualstudio.com\/get-started\/manage-your-release-vs\">Release Management<\/a>\u00a0 present additional areas to configure or customize, We&#8217;ll add information about those areas later.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span>What other scenarios would you like to see more content coverage with regard to configuration or customization?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000\">Please add a note in the comments below.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With Visual Studio ALM and TFS, you gain access to a wealth of tools, many of which you configure or can customize. Common areas that team&#8217;s customize include team alerts, team home page, shared queries, and test platforms. For on-premises deployments, you can also add fields, customize work item types (WITs), and Agile planning tools.\u00a0 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":45953,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[228,227,253,1,225,252],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-admin-licensing","category-agile","category-azure-devops-server","category-devops","category-git","category-testing"],"acf":[],"blog_post_summary":"<p>With Visual Studio ALM and TFS, you gain access to a wealth of tools, many of which you configure or can customize. Common areas that team&#8217;s customize include team alerts, team home page, shared queries, and test platforms. For on-premises deployments, you can also add fields, customize work item types (WITs), and Agile planning tools.\u00a0 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/devops\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9755","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/devops\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/devops\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/devops\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/devops\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9755"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/devops\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9755\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/devops\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/devops\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/devops\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/devops\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}