Defining and Customizing Objects for Tracking Work Items By Using the Work Item Tracking Plug-in

By using the plug-in for tracking work items, you define a team project's initial objects for tracking work. These objects include types of work items, work item queries, categories, link types, global lists, and instances of work items. After you create a team project, you can modify these objects by using the witadmin command-line tool.

In the plug-in file, you specify one or more tasks and their dependencies. In general, you specify one task for each major upload activity, such as link types, work item types, queries, and categories.

In this topic

• Work Item Tracking Plug-in Name and Location

• Work Item Tracking Plug-in Syntax Structure

• Element Reference for the WorkItemTracking Plug-in

For specific information about each type of object that you can define, see one of the following topics:

• Add Type Definitions for Work Items to a Process Template

• Add Type Definitions for Work Item Links to a Process Template

• Add Type Definitions for Work Item Categories to a Process Template

• Add Work Item Queries to a Process Template

• Add a Work Item Instance to a Process Template

Work Item Tracking Plug-in Name and Location

The following table summarizes the name and location of the file for the process templates for Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF), in addition to the name of the plug-in.

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Work Item Tracking Plug-in Syntax Structure

The plug-in file for work item tracking must conform to the schema definition that is defined in the WorkItemMethodology.xsd file, and the plug-in must be specified in its own file. You can download the schema files for process templates from the following page on the Microsoft website: Process Template and Work Item Schemas for Visual Studio Team Foundation.

The following syntax shows the high-level structure of the WorkItemTracking plug-in. Four tasks are specified, one each to upload the definitions for link types, types of work items, queries, and categories. If you were to add definitions for work item instances, you would specify an additional task for each.

For a description of each element, see Element Reference for the WorkItemTracking Plug-in later in this topic.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<tasks>
  <task id="LinkTypes" name="LinkType definitions" plugin="Microsoft.ProjectCreationWizard.WorkItemTracking" completionMessage="Work item link types created">
    <taskXml>
      <LINKTYPES>
        <LINKTYPE />
   . . . 
      </LINKTYPES>
    </taskXml>
  </task>
  <task id="WITs" name="WorkItemType definitions" plugin="Microsoft.ProjectCreationWizard.WorkItemTracking" completionMessage="Work item types created">
    <dependencies>
      <dependency taskId="LinkTypes" />
    </dependencies>
    <taskXml>
      <WORKITEMTYPES>
        <WORKITEMTYPE />
   . . . 
      </WORKITEMTYPES>
    </taskXml>
  </task>
  <task id="Queries" name="Stored Query Definitions" plugin="Microsoft.ProjectCreationWizard.WorkItemTracking" completionMessage="Work item queries uploaded">
    <dependencies>
      <dependency taskId="WITs" />
    </dependencies>
    <taskXml>
      <QUERIES>
        <Permission />
   . . . 
        <QueryFolder >
          <Query />
   . . . 
        </QueryFolder>
   . . . 
      </QUERIES>
    </taskXml>
  </task>
  <task id="Categories" name="Categories definitions" plugin="Microsoft.ProjectCreationWizard.WorkItemTracking" completionMessage="Work item type categories created">
    <dependencies>
      <dependency taskId="WITs" />
    </dependencies>
    <taskXml>
      <CATEGORIES fileName="WorkItem Tracking\Categories.xml" />
    </taskXml>
  </task>
</tasks>

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Element Reference for the WorkItemTracking Plug-in

The following table describes the elements that you use to upload work item tracking objects. You specify these elements within a taskXml container element in the WorkItemTracking plug-in file. For information about the task, dependency, and taskXml elements, see Defining the Tasks to Process a Plug-in.

<CATEGORIES fileName="CategoriesFilePathName" />

<FIELD refname="FieldReferenceName" value="Value" />

<GLOBALLISTS fileName="GlobalListFilePathName" />

<HYPERLINK URL="URL" relativePath="false" />

<LINKTYPE fileName="LinkTypeFilePathName" />

<LINKTYPES>
     <LINKTYPE />
 . . .
</LINKTYPES>

<permission allow="ListOfPermissions" identity="GroupName" />

<Query name="QueryName" fileName="QueryFilePathName" />

<QueryFolder name="
FolderName
">

<QUERIES>
   . . . 
</QUERIES>

<WI type="WorkItemType">
   <FIELD> . . .</FIELD>
   <HYPERLINK> . . .</HYPERLINK>
</WI>

WORKITEMS>
   <WI>
      <FIELD> . . .</FIELD>
      <HYPERLINK> . . .</HYPERLINK>
   </WI>
</WORKITEMS >

<WORKITEMTYPE fileName="WITFilePathName" />

<WORKITEMTYPES> 
    <WORKITEMTYPE />
 . . .
</WORKITEMTYPES>

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See Also

Tasks

Verify Work Item Type Definition Changes

Concepts

Customizing Process Templates

Step-by-Step Customization Process

Customizing Project Tracking Data, Forms, Workflow, and Other Objects

Working with Process Template Files

Customizing Functional Areas within a Process Template

Change History