Question

I am connected to a TFS server, and when I create a work item (Bug, Task, etc.), the “Assign To” shows WAY too many users. I cannot find a way to limit the users shown that will affect anyone else who connects to the server.

For example, I have under the “Assign To” dropdown:

Administrator
LOCALE SERVICE
User 1
User 2
User 3
User 4
User 5

I want the “Assign To” dropdown to only show:

User 1
User 3
User 5

How would I do this, so that it changes on the server, and if anyone new connects to the server, they can only see the three users on the “Assign To” dropdown?

Answer 1

Here’s what you should do:

1. Open the Visual Studio Command Prompt. This will give you a command line window with the PATH set to run VS / TFS tools

2. Download the Work Item Type definition that you want to modify (e.g. Bug, Task):

   • witadmin exportwitd /collection:collectionurl /p:project /n:typename [/f:filename]

   This will give you the WIT’s definition, in XML format.

3. Open the XML file. You will edit the rules for the Assigned To field. Find the term “System.AssignedTo”
4. In the Allowed Values rule element, modify (or add if none exists) your List Item element to limit the values to members of one (or more) TFS / Active Directory group(s).
   Your field definition should look like this:

<FIELD name="Assigned To" refname="System.AssignedTo" type="String" syncnamechanges="true" reportable="dimension">
<HELPTEXT>The person currently working on this bug</HELPTEXT>
<ALLOWEXISTINGVALUE />
<ALLOWEDVALUES expanditems="true" filteritems="excludegroups">
<!-- Below is a TFS group. Note you actually type "[project]" verbatim -->
<LISTITEM value="[project]\Contributors" />
<!-- Below is an AD group. The name and group are examples only -->
<LISTITEM value="MYDOMAIN\Developers" />
</ALLOWEDVALUES>
</FIELD>

Importing your changes:

1. Save your file.
2. In the command line window type the following:
   witadmin importwitd /collection:collectionurl /p:project /f:filename

That’s it. Your work item type is now limited to the people you want.