Conditional Tags

This extension automates the creation and removal of tags on work items based on the values of specific fields. This extension allows you to define rules that either add or remove tags depending on the field value, creating a more efficient and automated tagging system for your work items.

Last Updates:

March, 2025 (v.1.1)

New Features:

• New Conditional Rule Operators: Added support for + and - operators in tag rule processing.
  • '+' now checks if the field has no value (isEmpty check).
  • '-' now checks if the field has a value (hasValue check). 0 is considerated as empty for numeric fields.

Improvements:

• Simplified field references: Removed the need for full field path references (e.g., System/Custom prefix).
  • Now, custom control configuration values can be specified using just the field name.
  • Full field references (including the System/Custom prefix) are still supported for compatibility.]

Features

• Automated Tagging: Automatically add or remove tags based on field values in the work item.
• Conditional Logic: Define conditions for adding or removing tags using operators like =, !, >, <, ~, ^, +, -.
• Customizable Rules: Set rules for tag addition and removal based on the value of any work item field.
• Simple Configuration: Configure the extension easily through the work item form, with inputs for the source field and tag rules.

Configuration Inputs

• Source Field: The work item field whose value is used to evaluate the tag conditions (e.g., "Priority", "Type", "Description", "customField").

• Rules - Adding Tags: Define rules for adding tags based on the source field value. You can use various operators:

  • =: Equal to a value
  • !: Not equal to a value
  • >: Greater than a value
  • <: Less than a value
  • ~: Contains a value (substring match)
  • ^: Does not contain a value (substring exclusion)
  • +: Is not empty
  • -: Is empty (0 is considerated as empty for numeric fields)

  Example: HighPriority(=1);UrgentTag(^Medium)

• Rules - Removing Tags: Define rules for removing tags based on the source field value. These are processed similarly to the add tag rules.

How It Works

1. Tag Evaluation: The extension checks the value of the specified source field in the work item.
2. Tag Rules Processing: The rules for adding or removing tags are processed:
   • If the field value matches the condition in the rule, the tag is either added or removed.
3. Tag Update: The tags are updated on the work item based on the results of the rules.

Example Usage

• Source Field: Priority
• Add Tag Rules: High Priority(=1);Medium Priority(=2);Low Priority(=3)
• Remove Tag Rules: Low Priority(<3);Medium Priority(!2);High Priority(>1)

In this example:

• If the Priority field equals 1, the tag High Priority is added.
• If the Priority field equals 2, the tag Medium Priority is added.
• If the Priority field equals 3, the tag Low Priority is added.
• If the Priority field is less than 3, the tag Low Priority is removed.
• If the Priority field does not equal 2, the tag Medium Priority is removed.
• If the Priority field is greater than 1, the tag High Priority is removed.

Important Notes

• One Condition per Rule: The current version of the extension supports only one condition per tag rule. However, you can create multiple rules for the same tag. Multi-condition rules are under consideration for future releases.
• Field References: When defining fields to fetch, make sure the fields exist in the source work item and are accessible via the Azure DevOps API.
• Refreshing Data: The current version requires the work item to be reloaded to enforce any changes to the source field. Once the data is fetched, you may need to refresh the work item page to see the most up-to-date values.
• Custom Control Placement: It is recommended to add the custom control to the main page/tab of the work item. This ensures that the tag rules are enforced automatically when the work item loads, without the need to activate the specific page/tab where the custom control is set.

Feedback and Issues

If you have any questions or encounter issues, feel free to leave them in the Q&A section. For feedback or suggestions on new functionalities, please provide them via the Ratings & Review section.

You can also reach us via email. We appreciate your input and strive to improve the extension based on your needs!