MSDN Magazine - December 2008 - (Page 50)

Figure 8 Edit the Name and Description of Your New Template Figure 9 Editing the Bug Work Item Type access the Process Template Editor from the Tools menu within Visual Studio. Before you open any of the files from the download template, you should rename the folder to the name you want to use for the template—for example, “MSDN Magazine Agile 1.0.” Once you’ve done this, with the latest version of the Power Tools installed, open the ProcessTemplate.xml file by clicking Tools | Process Templates | Open Process Template in Visual Studio. The template designer will open. Change the name and description to something reasonable (see Figure 8) and then save your changes. If you close the designer and reopen the file, the editor will show your new name. The tree view on the left side of the editor provides access to the core files described in Figure 7 as well as all of the work item type definitions and work item queries. 50 msdn magazine Most of the items exposed with the main Process Template Editor are self-explanatory when it comes to editing. As mentioned earlier, work items tend to be the first big item changed. In the tree view, select the Bug work item under the Work Item Types Definitions node. Visual Studio opens the work item type in the Work Item Type definition editor. The editor lets you change the name and description using normal textbox controls. The work item editor has three tabs (see Figure 9) that provide access to the work item type’s definition: Fields, Layout, and Workflow. In addition, the View XML button provides you with an easy way to see the XML representation for the type. You’ll see this button throughout the editors, and it is a good way for you to learn the effects of your changes to the raw XML files. As you get more comfortable, you might find editing the XML files is quicker and easier than using the Process Template Editor. The Fields tab lists all of the fields used by the work item type. Microsoft defines a field as having a name, a type, and a ref name. You can think of a ref name as a field’s fully qualified name. It must have at least a two-part name separated by a period. Ref names serve as column display names in work item queries. Click the New button to add a new field. In the Field Definition dialog, fill in the fields, as in Figure 10, and click OK. The name and type fields are obvious. Other valid data types you can choose include DateTime, Double, History, HTML, Integer, PlainText, String, and TreePath. History and TreePath are specialized controls for history fields and the areas and iterations fields, respectively. The Help Text shows up when you hover over the field when working with a work item instance. The Reportable field controls whether or not TFS exports the field to the TFS data warehouse so that you are then able to include it in your reports. If you decide to make it a Reportable field, it is important that you choose whether it’s a dimension, detail, or measure. You use a dimension for DateTime, Double, Integer, and String fields. You choose a dimension field if you want to filter using the field. This choice is best when the field uses a standard set of values. Use the detail option when you have large text fields on which you want to report. TFS does not put detail fields into the data wareFigure 10 Values for a New Field Definition Field Name Type RefName Help Text Reportable Value Beverage String mSDN.mag.Beverage The beverage you drink once you’ve closed the bug. None Custom Process Templates

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of MSDN Magazine - December 2008

MSDN Magazine - December 2008 Contents Toolbox CLR Inside Out Advanced Basics Cutting Edge Patterns In Practice Team System Real-World WF Visual Studio OBA Tools SOA Data Access Geneva Framework Test Run Foundations Windows With C++ Going Places End Bracket

MSDN Magazine - December 2008

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