Azure Pipelines

Validating Azure Pipeline Changes

When modifying Azure DevOps pipeline files (YAML files in build/azure-pipelines/), you can validate changes locally using the Azure CLI before committing. This avoids the slow feedback loop of pushing changes, waiting for CI, and checking results.

Prerequisites

1. Check if Azure CLI is installed: ``bash az --version ``

If not installed, install it:

   # macOS
   brew install azure-cli

   # Windows (PowerShell as Administrator)
   winget install Microsoft.AzureCLI

   # Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)
   curl -sL https://aka.ms/InstallAzureCLIDeb | sudo bash

1. Check if the DevOps extension is installed: ``bash az extension show --name azure-devops ``

If not installed, add it:

   az extension add --name azure-devops

1. Authenticate: ``bash az login az devops configure --defaults organization=https://dev.azure.com/monacotools project=Monaco ``

VS Code Main Build

The main VS Code build pipeline:

• Organization: monacotools
• Project: Monaco
• Definition ID: 111
• URL: https://dev.azure.com/monacotools/Monaco/_build?definitionId=111

VS Code Insider Scheduled Builds

Two Insider builds run automatically on a scheduled basis:

• Morning build: ~7:00 AM CET
• Evening build: ~7:00 PM CET

These scheduled builds use the same pipeline definition (111) but run on the main branch to produce Insider releases.

Queueing a Build

Use the queue command to queue a validation build:

# Queue a build on the current branch
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts queue

# Queue with a specific source branch
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts queue --branch my-feature-branch

# Queue with custom parameters
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts queue --parameter "VSCODE_BUILD_WEB=false" --parameter "VSCODE_PUBLISH=false"

# Parameter value with spaces
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts queue --parameter "VSCODE_BUILD_TYPE=Product Build"

Important: Before queueing a new build, cancel any previous builds on the same branch that you no longer need. This frees up build agents and reduces resource waste: ``bash # Find the build ID from status, then cancel it node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts status node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts cancel --build-id <id> node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts queue ``

Script Options

Product Build Queue Parameters (build/azure-pipelines/product-build.yml)

Example: run a quick CI-oriented validation with minimal publish/release side effects:

node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts queue \
   --parameter "VSCODE_BUILD_TYPE=CI Build" \
   --parameter "VSCODE_PUBLISH=false" \
   --parameter "VSCODE_RELEASE=false"

Checking Build Status

Use the status command to monitor a running build:

# Get status of the most recent builds
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts status

# Get overview of a specific build by ID
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts status --build-id 123456

# Watch build status (refreshes every 30 seconds)
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts status --watch

# Watch with custom interval (60 seconds)
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts status --watch 60

Script Options

Cancelling a Build

Use the cancel command to stop a running build:

# Cancel a build by ID (use status command to find IDs)
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts cancel --build-id 123456

# Dry run (show what would be cancelled)
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts cancel --build-id 123456 --dry-run

Script Options

Testing Pipeline Changes

When the user asks to test changes in an Azure Pipelines build, follow this workflow:

1. Queue a new build on the current branch
2. Poll for completion by periodically checking the build status until it finishes

Polling for Build Completion

Use a shell loop with sleep to poll the build status. The sleep command works on all major operating systems:

# Queue the build and note the build ID from output (e.g., 123456)