News
Sprint 100: A Milestone Visual Studio Team Services
Last week, Microsoft's Visual Studio team released the 100th sprint for VSTS. It includes Docker release management and a Dashboard SDK for VSTS dashboard customization.
- By Michael Domingo
- 06/07/2016
June 1 marked a milestone release for Microsoft's Visual Studio team, as it marked the release of the 100th sprint for Visual Studio Team Services.
"That means we've been doing a Scrum (or Scrum like) development process for 300 weeks," writes Microsof's Brian Harry, in his blog. "And for most of that time, actually releasing at the end of every sprint." In his blog, he lists a few of his favorite features, which include release management support for Docker, a Dashboard SDK for building custom dashboard widgets, and SSH support for Git.
The release management support for Docker is meant to streampline continuous integration by allowing the building of Docker images through VSTS that can then be uploaded to a Docker hub. Developers need to download (for Team Foundation Server) or install (for VSTS) a Marketplace extension that installs the necessary components to make the necessary Docker connections. (Full instructions and usage of the extension can be viewed here.)
As Harry noted, another nifty feature is the Dashboard SDK, which allows for flexible customization of the VSTS dashboard. The customization is done by way of using REST APIs, which allow for the addition, removal, or reconfiguration of widgets on a dashboard. According to the Visual Studio docs for using the Dashboard SDK, this feature is in preview at the time, so developers should proceed cautiously while using it.
With SSH support for Git, developers can now make SSH connections from Mac and Linux to Team Services Git repos. SSH keys can be managed from a profile page or cloned from specific IDEs. The release notes emphasize that while all existing acounts have this SSH support, in sprint 101 "SSH won't be enabled on new accounts until a few hours after the account is created." It's a restriction that is meant to be temporary, though.
Sprint 100 also has a number of new enhancements that include:
- The way Kanban boards can be personalized via filtering.
- Redesigned Branch pages with a "mine" pivot for filtering on a specific user's branch
- Ability to send code references via code links
- Updates to the Packaging and Polling APIs
You can read the detailed release notes here.
About the Author
Michael Domingo is a long-time software publishing veteran, having started up and managed several developer publications for the Clipper compiler, Microsoft Access, and Visual Basic. He's also managed IT pubs for 1105 Media, including Microsoft Certified Professional Magazine and Virtualization Review before landing his current gig as Visual Studio Magazine Editor in Chief. Besides his publishing life, he's a professional photographer, whose work can be found by Googling domingophoto.