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How to Create and Update Azure DevOps Work Items from HappyFox Workflows

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This article covers every workflow action available through the Azure DevOps integration — creating and updating work items such as Bugs, Tasks, User Stories, and Epics in an Azure DevOps project.

Note: To link or unlink an existing Azure DevOps work item to a HappyFox ticket, use the Link Azure DevOps Work Item and Unlink Azure DevOps Work Item actions instead. These are HappyFox Help Desk actions, not Azure DevOps actions.

Validation note legend

Term Meaning
Required The workflow will not run this action if the field is missing or blank.
Optional The field can be left empty; the action still runs.
Text A plain text string.
List (multiple entries) One or more structured objects or values.
File One or more file attachments (URLs or base64-encoded data).

Actions

Create Work Item

Creates a new work item — such as a Bug, Task, User Story, or Epic — in an Azure DevOps project. You must specify the project, the work item type, and at least one field value. Files can optionally be attached to the created item.

Field Description Validation
Organization The name of your Azure DevOps organization (for example, mycompany). If left blank, the organization name saved in the connected app settings is used automatically. Optional · Text
Project The name or ID of the Azure DevOps project where the work item will be created. Required · Text
Work Item Type The type of work item to create (for example, Bug, Task, User Story, Epic, Issue). Must match a valid work item type in your project. Required · Text
Extra Fields The field values to set on the new work item. Each entry is a Key / Value pair — see the Extra Fields reference below for accepted keys. Fields with empty values are skipped. Required · List (multiple entries)
Attachments Files to attach to the newly created work item. Each entry can be a file URL or a base64-encoded data URI. Attachments are uploaded to Azure DevOps and linked to the work item after creation. Optional · File

Update Work Item

Updates an existing work item in Azure DevOps, identified by its ID. Only the field values you provide are changed — all other data on the work item remains untouched. Files can optionally be added as new attachments.

Field Description Validation
Organization The name of your Azure DevOps organization. If left blank, the organization name from the connected app settings is used automatically. Optional · Text
Project The name or ID of the Azure DevOps project that contains the work item. Required · Text
Work Item ID The numeric ID of the work item to update. Required · Text (numeric string)
Work Item Type The type of the work item being updated (for example, Bug, Task). Used to validate field keys against the work item type's schema. Required · Text
Extra Fields The field values to update on the work item. Each entry is a Key / Value pair — accepts the same keys as Create Work Item. Fields with empty values are skipped. Required · List (multiple entries)
Attachments Additional files to attach to the work item. Each entry can be a file URL or a base64-encoded data URI. New attachments are uploaded and linked; existing attachments are not removed. Optional · File

Extra Fields Reference

Both Create Work Item and Update Work Item use the same set of field reference names (key) in their Extra Fields list. The most commonly used keys are:

Key Field Value type
System.Title Work item title Text
System.Description Detailed description HTML/rich text — inline images from HappyFox are automatically uploaded as attachments
System.State Current state (for example, Active, Closed) Dropdown
System.AssignedTo The user the work item is assigned to Identity/email
System.Parent Link to a parent work item Parent work item ID or full Azure DevOps API URL — automatically set as a hierarchy-reverse (parent) link
System.AreaPath The area path to assign the work item to Text
Microsoft.VSTS.Common.Priority Priority level Numeric dropdown (1–4)
Microsoft.VSTS.Common.Severity Severity level (Bug type) Dropdown
Microsoft.VSTS.Common.Activity Activity category Dropdown
Microsoft.VSTS.Common.Risk Risk level (Epic type) Dropdown
Microsoft.VSTS.Common.BusinessValue Business value (Epic type) Number
Microsoft.VSTS.Common.TimeCriticality Time criticality (Epic type) Number
Microsoft.VSTS.Common.ValueArea Value area (Epic type) Dropdown
Microsoft.VSTS.Common.StackRank Stack rank (Issue type) Number
Microsoft.VSTS.TCM.ReproSteps Steps to reproduce (Bug type) Rich text
Microsoft.VSTS.TCM.SystemInfo System information (Bug type) Rich text
Microsoft.VSTS.Scheduling.StoryPoints Story points estimate Number
Microsoft.VSTS.Scheduling.OriginalEstimate Original work estimate (hours) Number
Microsoft.VSTS.Scheduling.RemainingWork Remaining work (hours) Number
Microsoft.VSTS.Scheduling.CompletedWork Completed work (hours) Number
Microsoft.VSTS.Scheduling.Effort Effort estimate (Epic type) Number
Microsoft.VSTS.Scheduling.StartDate Start date Date
Microsoft.VSTS.Scheduling.TargetDate Target date Date
Microsoft.VSTS.Scheduling.DueDate Due date (Issue type) Date
Custom.* Any custom field defined in your Azure DevOps process Use the full reference name, beginning with Custom.

Note: Which fields are relevant depends on the Work Item Type you're creating or updating — for example, Microsoft.VSTS.Common.Risk only applies to Epics, and Microsoft.VSTS.TCM.ReproSteps only applies to Bugs. Setting a field that doesn't apply to the selected work item type has no effect.

Your Azure DevOps actions are now configured and ready to use as steps in any workflow.