How to add widgets to DevOps project standard(default) Overview Dashboard using REST API

Question

I am trying to add widgets to the standard(default) overview dashboard using the rest API (PAT). basically I want to update default overview dashboard and add widgets to it. while doing this, REST API call is adding new overview dashboard instead of updating existing overview dashboard

**Documentation **: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/rest/api/azure/devops/dashboard/widgets/create?view=azure-devops-rest-7.1&tabs=HTTP

Method: PUT/PATCH URL : https://dev.azure.com/TenantN/DemoProject/_apis/dashboard/dashboards/e63247c4-b069-4bfe-ad1f-6fe609579629?api-version=7.1-preview.2

Body JSON:

{
    "position": 2,
    "name": "Individual 2",
    "description": "TestDB3",
    "eTag": "3",
    "refreshInterval": 0,
    "dashboardScope": "project",
    "widgets": {
        "name": "TestSQ",
        "position": {
            "row": 1,
            "column": 1
        },
        "size": {
            "rowSpan": 1,
            "columnSpan": 1
        },
        "settings": "",
        "settingsVersion": {
            "major": 1,
            "minor": 0,
            "patch": 0
        },
        "contributionId": "ms.vss-dashboards-web.Microsoft.VisualStudioOnline.Dashboards.QueryScalarWidget"
    }
}

The proper way to update existing overview dashboard using rest API

Answer 1

You can add a widget in an existing dashboard in the following way-

I have used the below URL to add widget in an existing dashboard-

POST https://dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/_apis/dashboard/dashboards/{dashboardId}/widgets?api-version=7.1-preview.2

Request Body

{
"name": "Other Links",

"position": {
"row": 1,
"column": 1
},

"size": {
"rowSpan": 1,
"columnSpan": 2
},

"settings": null,
"settingsVersion": {
"major": 1,
"minor": 0,
"patch": 0
},

"dashboard": {
"eTag": "18"
},

"contributionId": "ms.vss-dashboards-web.Microsoft.VisualStudioOnline.Dashboards.OtherLinksWidget"
}

Output:

Dashboard:

Update

We can add widgets in Team dashboard as well in the following way-

Get Request

To check if the Team dashboard is present in the given Team.

URL-

GET https://dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/{team}/_apis/dashboard/dashboards/{dashboardId}?api-version=7.1-preview.3

Use the above Team dashboard Id and the same team name while making POST request.

URL-

POST https://dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/{team}/_apis/dashboard/dashboards/{dashboardId}/widgets?api-version=7.1-preview.2