Automating Work Item Access from Git Branches

Automating Work Item Access from Git Branches

Streamlining Azure DevOps integration with local development environments helps maintain context and reduces context-switching during task transitions.

The Branch-Work Item Discovery Challenge

• Lost references: Difficulty tracing work items across multiple feature branches
• Manual searching: Time-consuming navigation in Azure DevOps portal
• Context switching: Breaking development flow to find requirement details

PowerShell Automation Solution

Script functionality:

1. Gets current Git branch name using git rev-parse
2. Extracts work item ID using regex pattern [TF](\d+)
3. Constructs Azure DevOps URL dynamically
4. Opens web browser directly to the work item

Implementation code:

function Open-WorkItem {
    $branchName = git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD | ForEach-Object { $_.Trim() }
    if ($branchName -match '[TF](\d+)') {
        $workItemId = $matches[1]
        Start-Process "https://dev.azure.com/ProjectName/Q/_workitems/edit/$workItemId"
    }
}

Component	Function
[TF]	Matches ticket type (Task/Feature)
(\d+)	Captures numeric work item ID
$matches[1]	Extracts first regex group
Start-Process	Launches default browser

Configuration Guide

1. Add function to PowerShell profile (Microsoft.PowerShell_profile.ps1)
2. Ensure branch naming contains work item ID prefix:
   • Format examples: T1234-feature-description or F5678-bugfix
3. Save and reload profile: . $PROFILE

Usage Workflow

1. Checkout feature branch: git checkout T7890-new-api
2. Execute command: Open-WorkItem
3. Browser opens directly to work item #7890 ```