Usage

Integration type

The Azure DevOps plugin supports scheduled events integration which are listed in the following table.

Minimum permission to integrate with Azure DevOps

The Azure Devops Account used to generate the token must have the below permission:

1) Build – Read Permission
2) Code – Read Permission
3) Project and Team – Read Permission
4) Release – Read Permission
5) Work Items – Read Permission

How to use Build Tags Field

A new hidden field named as Build Tags is added to Azure Plugin for version 4.0.29 and later:

This field can take the comma-separated list to tags that have been added to a pipeline run. If you provide such tags, only the pipeline runs with these specific tags will be pulled to HCL DevOps Velocity as part of SyncAzureBuildsEvent.

This is how you can add tags to your pipeline run in Azure DevOps:

Here, HCL DevOps Velocity is the tag that has been added to the pipeline run.

Integration

To install the plug-in, perform the following steps:

1. In HCL DevOps Velocity, click Settings > Integrations > Available.
2. In the Action column for the Azure DevOps plug-in, click Install.

There are two methods to integrate the plug-in:

• Using the user interface
• Using a JSON file

Integrating the plug-in by using user interface

To integrate the plug-in using the user interface, perform the following steps:

1. In HCL DevOps Velocity, click Settings > Integrations > Installed.
2. In the Action column for the Azure DevOps plug-in, click Add Integration.
3. On the Add Integration dialog, enter the values for the fields to configure the integration and define communication.
4. Click Add.

Integrating the plug-in by using JSON file

The JSON file contains the information for creating a value stream. Within the JSON file is a section for integrations. It is in this section that plugin properties can be defined. Refer to the JSON sample code in Configuration Properties section.

To integrate the plug-in using a JSON, perform the following steps:

1. Navigate to value stream page, and then click the necessary value stream.
2. Click icon, and then Select Edit value stream to modify the JSON file in the code or tree view editors.
3. Alternatively, you can also click Download JSON option to download the JSON file, and then select the Import JSON option to upload the revised JSON file.
4. Edit the integration information in the JSON file to add the plug-in configuration properties. Refer to JSON sample code in the Configuration Properties section more details.
5. Click Save.

Configuration Properties

The following tables describe the properties used to configure the integration. Each table contains the field name when using the user interface and the property name when using a JSON file.

• The General Configuration Properties table describes configuration properties used by all plugin integrations.
• The Azure DevOps Properties table describes the Azure DevOps configuration properties are unique to the Azure DevOps plugin and define the connection and communication to the Azure DevOps server. When using the JSON method to integrate the plugin these properties are coded within the properties configuration property.

Not all configuration properties are initially displayed in the user interface, to see all properties enable the Hidden field.

Release orchestration

This plugin can be used to orchestrate releases in Azure DevOps.

Compatibility

• HCL DevOps Velocity version 2.4.0 and later is required to support release orchestration in Azure DevOps.
• Azure DevOps plugin version 3.0.1 and later supports release orchestration of Azure DevOps release pipelines.
• Azure DevOps plugin version 4.0.1 and later supports release orchestration using Azure DevOps yaml pipelines.

Orchestrating Azure release pipelines from HCL DevOps Velocity

The Azure DevOps plug-in syncs the repositories, builds, pipelines, releases definitions, environments, pipeline runs, and release executions for every five minutes with to HCL DevOps Velocity. An application is created in HCL DevOps Velocity pipeline. A pipeline application is created in HCL DevOps Velocity and map the application in HCL DevOps Velocity. The build that is created after mapping the application appears as version in the Input column of the HCL DevOps Velocity pipeline.

In the following graphic,

• App1 is the application created in HCL DevOps Velocity.
• DevShopSphere is release created for the Azure Project.
• Order Service is the primary artifact in the releases in Azure project.
• V2.0.69 is the latest build number of the primary artifact created in Azure DevOps.

The application environment can be added in the HCL DevOps Velocity pipeline. For example, DevShopSphere is the application environment added to DEV environment for the release as shown in the following graphic.

Stage 1 is the release environment in Azure DevOps for the above release definition. The following graphic shows the mapping the Azure DevOps environment in the HCL DevOps Velocity pipeline.

To orchestrate the deployment from HCL DevOps Velocity, select the version using the deploy option as show in the below picture.

A new release is created in Azure DevOps. The deployed version is synced with HCL DevOps Velocity within 5 minutes of deployment as show in the below picture.

Notes

In order to orchestrate the release in Azure using this plug-in, there should be separate release pipelines defined for each stage.

Notes

Plugin supports the release orchestration of:

• Scripted yaml pipeline for build and deployment
• Scripted yaml pipeline for build and release pipeline for deployment
• Designer UI yaml pipeline for build and deployment
• Designer UI yaml pipeline for build and Release pipeline for deployment

Plugin does not support release orchestration if the source code is not in Azure, i.e, if the source code is in GitHub or BitBucket, release orchestration from HCL DevOps Velocity is not possible.

Automation Tasks

You can create an automation task within a release to build and deploy the applications in Azure DevOps.

Adding automation tasks to a release

After the plugin is integrated automated tasks are available to add as a task within a release.

1. Verify that the Azure DevOps server is connected to the HCL DevOps Velocity.
2. On the Create Task dialog, select the automation task from the Type field drop-down list.
3. Enter a name in the Name filed.
4. Select the integration from Integration drop-down list.
5. Optional: Select group or user form the Assigned group or user drop-down list.
6. Select process from the Process drop-down list.
7. Select version from the Version drop-down list.
8. Optional: Select version from the Version drop-down list.
9. Click Save.