VSTS Gems - Marketplace, the one stop location for added functionality

VSTS is a great platform, but did you know about its gems?

Follow this short post series where we undercover some of its coolest features.

Gem
Marketplace - Need a feature? Have you tried the marketplace?

<click> on image for animation.

Area

Administration.

TFS Availability

Now.

Value

• VSTS and TFS have public extension points
• A lot of features have been identified by Microsoft, partners and users and several extensions have been crafted to implent those gaps
• Marketplace is the one location to find all the existing extienions
• You can filter and sort extensions by name, dates and categories, including if they work with VSTS or TFS

As we move more projects, code and people to our instances of TFS and VSTS, it is not uncommon to imagine features that are not present OOB (Out-Of-the-Box). Well, when that happens, you have the Marketplace to rescue you!

Hundreds of extensions can be found there, some will work on both TFS and VSTS. Check out the "devlabs" extentions to find a lot of work close to our heart :)

After finding an extension, you can install it in one or more.

Here is a quick step-by-step:

• From your VSTS/TFS instance, click on the market place icon

• Search/sort/filter at will until you find what you are looking for (use the top filter combos)
• Click on the item you want
• Click on "Get it..." button

• Depending if you have VSTS or TFS, you can choose or confirm the installation instance or download the extension install package (*.vsix) that can be uploaded later on

• If you want to install the extension on TFS, you will have to navigate

If by any chance the extension is already installed, you should get a screen similar to this one:

Still didn't find what you are looking for? Well, you may be sitting on a great opportunity for a new extension. Check out the documentation and release your coding skills: Write your first extension for VSTS.

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