Enable Conditional Build/Release Tasks in VSTS

TFS/VSTS new build and release management is providing great flexibility in implementing CI,CD pipelines. To further enhance the flexibility a new feature “Conditional Tasks” is introduced to Tasks of build and release management. This was a user voice request that got implemented and available as preview in Team Services. This new conditional control option let’s you execute a task base on few predefined conditions and using custom conditions.

Predefined conditions

• Only when all previous tasks have succeeded
• Even if a previous task has failed, unless the build was canceled
• Even if a previous task has failed, even if the build was canceled
• Only when a previous task has failed

 

Restart Widows Services–VSTS/TFS Release Management Task - Chamindac.vsts.release.task.restart-win-service

This release task can be used with Visual Studio Team Services or With TFS 2015.2.1 onwards, to restart a windows service with all its dependent windows services, currently running. Source code available in github.

Task requires one mandatory parameter Service Name. For this parameter Service Name or Service Display name can be provided.

Once run it will stop all dependent services that are running currently, and restart the main service, then start the dependent services stopped earlier. The dependent services that were not running when the restart request made, will not be started, so that the system services state will remain same after restart service script run.

Known Issue

If the agent is running with non administrator account like NetworServices account, task will fail with an error. For example attempting a restart of w3svc might fail with below error.

Service 'World Wide Web Publishing Service (w3svc)' cannot be stopped due to the following error: Cannot open w3svc service on computer '.'

TFS 2013 - Web Access - MSF Agile - Backlog & Board

Lets have a quick look at few cool stuff that will be available with TFS 2013 in MSF Agile Template. With this release Microsoft added Feature work item representing a Feature that is implemented with many user stories. They have made the Backlog and the Board appearance consistent across Web Access Work tab.

Vertical color bars to denote different types of work items, giving a great look to the Board and the Backlog.

1. Feature Backlog

2. Feature Backlog - with User Stories

 

 3. Feature Backlog - with User Stories & Tasks

4. Ease of Access

5. Feature Board

6. Stories

7. Stories to Features

 

8. Stories to Tasks

9. Stories Board

10. Iteration Backlog

11. Iteration Board - Grouped by Stories

12. Iteration Board - Grouped byPeople

13. Queries

 Cool stuff...greater consistency...and await for more... as I explore in the coming weeks...