Use work item templates

Each template you capture in the web portal gets a unique GUID. Use the following steps to capture a work item as a template and copy its link.

1. In the web portal, open the work item you want to use as the template source.

2. At the right, select More actions > Templates > Capture:

   

3. In Capture Template, configure required and optional fields:

   • Team (required): Select the team to associate with the template.

   • Name (required): Enter a template name.

   • Fields: Use Add to include fields, Delete to remove fields, and set field Value as needed.

   • Notes: Add template context. When you create a work item from the template, this text appears as the first entry in the Discussion thread.

   

4. Select Save, and then select Copy link to copy the template URL.

   Use the URL to create work items of the same type with predefined values. For common sharing scenarios, see Create a work item from a template URL and Add a template link to a team dashboard.

5. Verify the template appears in the selected team's template list for that work item type, and the copied link opens a new work item form with predefined values.

In Visual Studio or Team Explorer, you can create work items from a work item template file (.wt) or similar file. Access these files from the Work Items page.

1. Sign in to Visual Studio.

2. Open or run a query that lists the work item whose fields you want to capture.

3. Right-click the work item, and select Capture Template:

   

4. In Capture Template, configure required fields and any optional fields:

   • Name (required): Enter a template name.

   • Fields (required): In the Includes column, select each field to include. Set field Value as needed. To include all fields, use Select All.

   

5. Select Save. The template appears in Team Explorer under Work Item Templates > Templates.

6. Verify the template is listed under Team Explorer > Work Item Templates, and that applying it prepopulates the selected fields.

Use these steps to open work item templates in the web portal:

1. In the web portal, open Project settings.

2. Under Boards, select Team configuration.

3. If you need a different team, use the Team selector in the breadcrumb trail.

4. On the Boards page, select Templates:

   

5. Select a work item type, such as Bug, Feature, or Test Case, to view or add templates for that type:

   

Create a work item template

Use these steps to create a work item template in the web portal:

1. On the work item type page, select New template:

   

   Note

   If you plan to use markdown in a large text field, add <br> tags to manage line breaks and ensure the markdown renders correctly.

2. In the New Template dialog, enter a Name (required), and then add any optional fields and values.

3. Select Save. The Copy link option becomes available.

4. Select Copy link to copy the template URL.

5. Verify the template is listed for the selected work item type and that the copied link opens a new work item form with template values.

Edit, delete, copy link, or create copy

After you save a template, you can update it, remove it, copy its link, or create a copy.

On the work item type page, select More actions for a template, and then choose one of these options:

• Edit: Select Edit, update the template, and then select Save.

• Delete: Select Delete, and then confirm. Deleted templates can't be recovered.

• Copy link: Select Copy link to copy the template URL. For sharing options, see Create a work item from a template URL and Add a template link to a team dashboard.

• Create copy: Select Create copy, enter a name, optionally adjust fields, and then select Save.

1. Verify the template list reflects your action (updated values, renamed item, copied template, or removed template).

2. Verify that Copy link opens a new work item form with the expected template values.

Use Visual Studio with Power Tools to manage your personal work item templates. For each work item type, you can view templates and use actions such as Add, Edit, Delete, and Copy. You can share templates by sharing the template URL or by saving a work item template (.wt) file.

• Manage Work Item Templates from the Team Explorer pane. The root Templates node is the parent for all templates:

  

  You can organize templates into folders under the root node.

  • Right-click the Templates node or another folder and select New Folder.

  • You can also drag and drop templates into folders.

• Cut, Copy, Paste, Rename, and Delete: Use the right-click context menu on templates and folders.

• To edit multiple templates, use Shift + Select for a range or Ctrl + Select for individual items. Then open the right-click context menu on one selected item and choose an action. The action applies to all selected items.

Define a template

Use these steps to define a work item template in Visual Studio and Team Explorer:

1. In the Team Explorer pane, right-click Templates and select New template to create a template from scratch.

2. In the Select Work Item Type dialog, use the dropdown list and select the Work Item Type to use for the new template, and select OK:

   

3. In the Save Work Item Template As dialog, enter a Name, choose where to save the template (under Templates or in a file), and then select Save:

   

4. After you save the template, select Copy link to copy the template URL. Use the URL to create work items based on the template.

5. Verify the template appears in your Work Item Templates tree and the copied link opens a new work item form with predefined values.

Edit, use, copy, or delete a template

You can perform other template actions in Visual Studio and Team Explorer by using the right-click context menu.

• Edit, Copy, Delete, and more: In Team Explorer under Work Item Templates, right-click a template and select an action:

  

• Set default templates: To make frequently used templates easier to access, set a default template for each work item type. Right-click a template and select Set As Default. In Team Explorer, a checkmark appears on the template icon.

Set your template save location

You can change the default save location for templates. Use Configure in Team Explorer under Work Item Templates, or select Tools > Options > Microsoft Team Foundation Server > Work Item Templates.

In the dialog, set the template store path. To share templates with your team, use a network location.

In the web portal, you can apply a template in an open work item or across selected work items.

Apply a template within a work item

Use these steps to apply a template to a new or existing work item:

1. Open a new or existing work item that you want to update with template-defined values.

2. Select More actions > Templates, and then select the name of a predefined template:

   

   Note

   The Templates list shows templates defined for teams of which you're a member. If the list is empty, there might not be any templates for the work item type. Refresh your browser to discover the latest available templates.

3. Select Save to apply the template. Field changes are recorded in the work item History field.

4. Verify the fields update in the form and the work item History records the saved changes.

Apply a template to several work items

Use these steps to apply a template to selected work items for a bulk update:

1. Select work items from the Backlog or a Queries results list. All selected items must be the same work item type, such as Bug or Feature.

2. Select More actions > Templates for one of the selected work items, and select the template to apply.

   

   The field changes are applied and saved automatically. Field changes are recorded in the work item History field. For more information about bulk updates, see Bulk modify work items.

3. Verify each selected work item shows updated field values and corresponding History entries.

Use these steps to apply a template to new or existing work items in Visual Studio:

1. Open or run a query that lists one or more work items to update.

2. Select the work items for the action. All selected work items must have the same work item type.

3. Right-click one of the selected work items and select Apply Template:

   

4. In the Select the Template to Apply dialog, select the template to apply, and select OK:

   

5. Select Save Results to save the work item changes:

   

6. Verify the updated field values are retained when you reopen the work item.