Azure DevOps Checkout and Build Pipeline Best Practices

Setting up a robust Azure DevOps checkout and build pipeline is crucial for smooth software development and deployment. A well-structured pipeline can greatly reduce errors and improve overall efficiency.

To achieve this, it's essential to understand the importance of checkout and build stages in Azure DevOps pipelines. The checkout stage is responsible for retrieving the code from a repository, while the build stage compiles the code into a deployable format.

A typical Azure DevOps pipeline consists of multiple stages, including checkout, build, test, and deployment. Each stage serves a specific purpose and must be properly configured to ensure a successful pipeline execution.

By following best practices, you can ensure your pipeline is efficient, reliable, and scalable. This includes using Azure Pipelines variables to store sensitive information and configuring the pipeline to run automatically on code changes.

Automating checkout can be achieved through the use of Powershell scripts.

The Harvest API provides a useful way to conduct checkout in an automated way by using the "hco.exe" located in the Harvest install directory.

This Powershell script, named "CheckoutHarvest.ps1", can be used to check out code at a directory of your choice.

The script can be used in an Azure DevOps Build Pipeline.

You can find the necessary commands to use with the "hco.exe" in the Broadcom - hco Command-Check-out documentation.

Azure DevOps Build Pipeline is a powerful tool that allows you to automate the build process of your code.

You can create a Build Pipeline using a dedicated Powershell Script for doing the checkout of the code from Harvest, and the destination location of the source is the Build Sources Directory of the Agent.

The pipeline will manage the clean up for a build, so you don't have to worry about it.

You can add a specific demand to the Agent job, so the Build Pipeline only triggers jobs at a specific Agent, like "myHarvestAgent".

The Checkout from Harvest is done using the Powershell Script "CheckoutHarvest.ps1", which is included in the Git Repository.

You can provide the necessary arguments for the script, like the name of the broker, the name of the project, etc.

The argument "-path_client_default" gets the value of the predefined variable $(Build.SourcesDirectory), which is the local path on the build machine where the source files are downloaded by default.

The solution is included within the directory of the $(Build.SourcesDirectory), and it contains the "CheckoutHarvest.ps1" Powershell Script and a Console Application named "SampleConsoleApp".

The Build Pipeline can be created using an Azure DevOps YAML pipeline that runs the script.

You can add logic to check if the file has been added or a comment has been left before posting a message to the pull request.

The pipeline can be registered by navigating to the Pipelines section of the project and selecting New Pipeline.

To manage your Azure DevOps repository, you can use a Git repository as a source for your build pipeline. This allows you to version control your PowerShell script and deploy it to an agent in an automated way.

You can clone an existing repository from the Azure DevOps portal by navigating to the Repos hub, clicking Clone, and copying the repository clone URL. You can then paste this URL into a Git-compatible tool like Visual Studio Code to get a copy of the codebase.

In Visual Studio Code, you can execute the Git: Clone command by pressing Ctrl+Shift+P and pasting in the repository URL. You can then select a local path to clone the repository to and log in to your Azure DevOps account when prompted.

To manage branches in your repository, you can use the Branches view on the web. You can also customize this view to track the branches you care most about and stay on top of changes made by your team.

The Git Repository is a crucial part of any development project. It's where you store your code and track changes over time.

To get started with a Git Repository, you can clone an existing repository from Azure DevOps. This involves navigating to your team project, clicking Clone, and copying the repo clone URL to your clipboard. You can then use this URL in any Git-compatible tool to get a copy of the codebase.

Cloning a repository can be done using Visual Studio Code. To do this, open an instance of Visual Studio Code and press Ctrl+Shift+P to show the Command Palette. Then, execute the Git: Clone command and paste in the URL to your repo.

A Git Repository is not just for storing code, though. It's also used for version control and deployment. For example, Azure DevOps Build Pipelines require a source, and using a Git Repository allows you to version control your Powershell Script and deploy it on an Agent in an automated way.

Here are some key steps to take when working with a Git Repository:

Managing branches is a crucial part of the Git workflow. You can manage your repo branches from the Azure DevOps portal, in addition to the functionality available in Visual Studio Code.

To stay on top of changes made by your team, you can customize the Branches view on the web to track the branches you care most about. This makes it easier to see what's happening in your project.

Committing changes to a branch won't affect other branches, so you can work on new features or bug fixes without disrupting the rest of your project. You can also share branches with others without having to merge the changes into the main project.

Isolating work in branches makes it simple to change what you're working on by simply switching to a different branch. This is because Git doesn't create multiple copies of your source when working with branches, but rather uses the history information stored in commits to recreate the files on a branch when you start working on it.

You can create new branches to isolate changes for a feature or a bug fix from your master branch and other work. This is a good practice to follow, as it keeps your project organized and makes it easier to manage changes.

Azure DevOps checkout provides a seamless experience for developers, allowing them to focus on writing code rather than managing version control.

With Azure DevOps, developers can easily switch between different branches, making it simple to collaborate on multiple projects simultaneously.

Azure DevOps checkout supports Git, allowing developers to take advantage of its powerful features, such as branching and merging.

This makes it easier to manage complex codebases and collaborate with team members.

Azure DevOps checkout also allows developers to easily resolve conflicts between different versions of code, reducing the time spent on debugging and testing.

By automating many of the tasks involved in version control, Azure DevOps checkout frees up developers to focus on more important tasks.