Problem opening items VS Process Editor

Question

I've downloaded the process template (Scrum for Team System V3) from my server's Project Collection to the local file system. The XML definitions files can be opened fine as raw XML but if I try to open them using the Team Foundation Power Tools Process Editor add-in (Tools->Process Editor->Work Item Types->Open WIT from file), the open operation fails with message "This file does not contain a Work Item Definition".

I can open item definitions from the Microsoft Scrum and MSF Agile templates in the Process Editor without a problem. I can also open the SfTS item definitions directly from the server, just not from the local file system.

Please can someone let me know why the definitions are incompatible with the editor, and what I can do to fix it (if anything).  I'm using Scrum for Team System v3.0.4281.00.

Thank you,

Ian

Answer 1

Hi Ian,

What version of Visual Studio and Power tools are you using?

Try opening the xml using VS2008 and Power tools 2008.

 

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Regards, Adhi TFS/ALM Lead http://my2centsontfs.blogspot.com/

Answer 2

Hi Adhi,

This is in VS2010 SP1 with December 2011 TFPT. I've just tried in VS2008 with October 2008 TFPT and the same error is displayed. I can open any of the item definition xml files in the VS XML editor, but not using the TFPT Process Editor.

Thanks,

Ian

Answer 3

Hi Ian,

Thank you for your post.

According to your description of the issue, I suppose you want to open process template file through process editor.

Actually, open Process Template XML file, please follow Tools-->Process Editor-->Process Templates-->Open Process Template.

 

Tools->Process Editor->Work Item Types->Open WIT from file is used to open WIT XML file. Otherwise, you will get following information.

I hope this information will help resolve this issue.
 
If anything is unclear, please free feel to let me know.

Best Regards,

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Lily Wu [MSFT]
MSDN Community Support | Feedback to us

Answer 4

Thank you Lily, that's what I needed.

I didn't realise it was necessary to open the entire template in this way, but it makes sense.

Ian

Answer 5

I have been using Open WIT from file for a few weeks now as I work through some issues with our sfts v3 process template.

Suddenly, this morning, I can no longer simply use Tools->Process Editor->Work Item Types->Open WIT from file it gives me the same error as Ian sees. 

Searching for a possible explanation I found this, Ian's post.

I can open the WIT from the full template, as Lily recommends. But I could swear that open WIT from file was working for me just yesterday.

I can open the Work Item Template .xml file as a process editor work item definition if I export the work item definition first (Tools->Process Editor->Work Item Types->Export WIT) and then open it using ...->Open WIT from file.

How does the Process Editor identify the .xml file as a work item definition?

Here is something that I discovered when I compared the WIT definition that I exported using Process Editor with the same WIT definition that I downloaded use Process Template Manager.

The exported WIT had the following:

<WORKITEMTYPE name="Acceptance Test">

whereas the same work item definition downloaded with the process template manager had the following:

<WORKITEM xmlns="" name="Acceptance Test">

Note the xmlns="" is not present in the exported WIT definition.

As an experiment I changed the AcceptanceTest.xml dowloaded with the process template manager to:

<WORKITEMTYPE name="Acceptance Test">

and saved it.  It then successfully opened with ...->Open WIT from file.

The mystery that remains is why I am so certain that this ever worked correctly before.

Richard