I have been working on a new Node.JS based VSTS Build Extension, so loads of Node learning going on as it is a language I have not done much with in the past. I expect to get caught out in places, but I have just wasted a good few hours on this one! I am working in VS Code using Typescript to generate my Node based task. Whilst hacking around I have been just running the script in the VS Code debugger, getting the logic right before packaging it up and testing within a VSTS Build extension. ...

It has just been announced by Microsoft that it’s Open Source service CodePlex is shutting down before the end of the year. The reality is that the Microsoft focused Open Source community, and Microsoft itself, have moved to GitHub a good while ago. I think I, like most developers, have moved any active Open Source projects to GitHub a good while ago, but I still had legacy ones on CodePlex. Microsoft have provided a nicely documented process to move the key assets of projects, whether TFVC or Git based, to GitHub. This process worked for me. However, I will suggest a could of changes/additions ...

I m really pleased to say that we at Black Marble are hosting a Yorkshire venue for the upcoming Global DevOps Bootcamp, to quote the main bootcamp site… “Global DevOps Bootcamp is a global event that will be held on Saturday June 17th and is all about DevOps on the Microsoft Stack. Centrally organized by Xpirit and Solidify and offered to you by Black Marble. During this 1-day event we will join (Microsoft) DevOps communities all around the world to talk, learn and play with DevOps concepts. ...

I am speaking “Any Developer, Any App, Any Platform” a Visual Studio 2017 Launch Event at Microsoft’s offices in Dublin on the 30th of this month. A bit of a departure for me I will be speaking on Xamarin, makes a change To register see the event site

Pleased to say I’m presenting on DevOps with VSTS at the SharePoint UG in Leeds on the 7th of March To register have a look at the Usergroup’s events site

You never know how people will use a tool once it is out ‘in the wild’. I wrote my Generate Release Notes VSTS extension to generate markdown files, but people have attempted to use it in other ways. I realised, via an issue raised on Github, that it can also be used, without any code changes, to generate other formats such as HTML. The only change required is to provide an HTML based template as opposed to markdown one. ...

I have posted on previously how we used TFS Lab Management to provision our test and development environments. With our move to VSTS, where Lab Management does not exist, we needed to look again at how to provision these labs. There are a few options… Move to the Cloud – aka stop using Lab Management Arguably the best option is to move all your lab VMs up to the cloud. Microsoft even has the specific service to help with this Azure DevTest Labs. This service allows you to create single VMs or sets of VMs for more complex scenarios using of ARM templates. ...

I recorded a podcast on DevOps with Paul Stringfellow @techstringy last weeks Black Marble event. It has just been published on his blog

I have just published Version 1.5 of my Parameters.Xml Generator Visual Studio add-in . After much fiddling this VSIX now supports VS2017 as well as VS2013 and VS2015. The complexity was that VS2017 uses a new VSIX format, V3. You have to makes changes to the project that generates the VSIX and to the VSIX manifest too. The FAQ says you can do this within VS2015 my hand, but I had no luck getting it right. The recommended option, and the method I used, is to upgrade your solution to VS2017 (or the RC at the time of writing as the product has not RTM’d yet). ...

I have a VSTS instance that is backed by an Azure Directory. This is a great way to help secure a VSTS instance, only users in the Azure Directory can be added to VSTS, not just any old MSA (LiveIDs). This is a directory that can be shared with any other Azure based services such as O365, and centrally managed and linked to an on-premises Active Directory. When I tried to add a user to VSTS, one that was a valid user in the Azure Directory, their account did not appear in the available users drop down. ...