How to customise process template in team foundation server 2017?

Question

How to customise I have knowledge to customise process template in tfs 2015 or in 2012 but for upgrade version in 2017 is there any changes or any enhancement. I have find in google but I have not found any helpful to customise process template in 2017 specifically. your help should be appreciated. thanks

Answer 1

The first step is you need to download the process template you want to edit from you TFS server. To do this, launch Visual Studio and navigate in the menus to "Team -> Team Project Collection Settings -> Process Template Manager". When the dialog shows up, you will be able to select the template you wish to edit and download it. Detailed instructions for this can also be found here.

Once you have downloaded the process template, you have a series of XML files that describe how TFS should handle almost everything when you create a new project using that template. The XML can get overwhelming quickly, even for the most seasoned person. You should ideally use the Process Template Editor which is a plugin for Visual Studio (the link is for Visual Studio 2017). For details on customizing a template, you should start off by reading the Customize a process template on the Visual Studio documentation site.

Once you've made your changes, you simply need to upload your process template back to the server using the Process Template Manager (where you downloaded the template). If you replace an existing template, anything using that template will get the updates. If you create a new template, only new projects using that template will be able to make use of it.

Not much has changed with editing the process templates between TFS 2013, TFS 2015 and TFS 2017. So if you find a blog or a write up on one of the versions, there is a good chance it's still valid. There may be slight differences in UI, but there shouldn't be anything ground breaking.

DISCLAIMER!!!

Now that I've answered your question, I would be negligent if I didn't explain the dangers of what you are about to do. Customizing a TFS process template can be very dangerous to your TFS server. Microsoft does not guarantee or put any warranty on changes you make. You customize a template, you are on your own. You have to understand that this template literally tells TFS how to work. It is highly recommended to have a sandbox environment complete separated from your production server and make all changes in said sandbox environment first. Only after you've validated the changes should you move it to your production environment. In addition, anytime you deploy a change to your production server, make sure you have healthy backups your databases. I can't stress this enough.

Lastly, any changes you make, you run the risk of locking yourself into a specific version of TFS or making your upgrade path far more difficult. My last piece of advice is to carefully weigh the need for customization over the risk associated with making it.