Resolve errors received when configuring features

Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2013

You may be able to resolve errors and warnings that the Configure Features wizard displays. These problems occur because definitions in the team project conflict with definitions in the process templates uploaded to your team project collection. You should change the process template to resolve the error and rerun the wizard. Or, you can change your team project and then rerun the wizard.

In this topic

NoteNote

If you encounter problems while performing the following procedures, you might find solutions on the forums for Team Foundation Server (TFS), at the following pages on the Microsoft website: Work Item Tracking and Process Templates.

Required permissions

  • To download and upload process templates, you must be a member of the Project Collection Administrators group. If security permissions are set explicitly, your Manage process template permission for the team project collection must be set to Allow.

  • To run the witadmin command-line tool, you must be a member of one of the following groups: Team Foundation Administrators, Project Collection Administrators, or Project Administrators for the team project.

For more information, see Permission reference for Team Foundation Server.

Resolve errors reported by the Configure Features wizard

You can resolve an error by modifying the process template used to configure the new features, or by modifying your team project. After you've corrected the error, rerun the wizard.

Resolve errors by modifying a process template

You modify a process template by performing these steps:

  1. Download the process template from Team Foundation Server. See Download the latest version of the process templates.

  2. Modify a definition file for a work item type, categories, or process configuration. See Customize work tracking objects to support your team's processes

  3. Upload the process template to Team Foundation Server. See Upload, download, and delete process templates for a team project collection.

See also Update a customized process template to access new features.

Resolve errors by modifying your team project or team project collection

To resolve an error or warning, you may choose to modify the team project or team project collection using the witadmin command. See

witAdmin: Customize and manage objects for tracking work.

You can export a type definition, make changes to field definitions, and then import the type definition as needed. See Import, export, and manage work item types [witadmin].

Issues and resolutions

To resolve the errors listed in the following table, take the corresponding corrective actions, either to the process template or the team project, and then re-run the wizard.

Error

Issue

Process template resolution

Team project resolution

TF400613: The work item type '{1}' specified in category '{0}' does not exist.

A required work item type is missing from your team project because it was renamed, was removed, or was not added. Either rename the specified work item type definition, or import the missing work item type from the latest version of the process templates installed with the TFS upgrade.

Change the work item type defined in the specified category to specify an existing work item type.

To rename a work item type, use witadmin renamewitd. To add a missing work item type, locate it in the latest process template, and import it using witadmin importwitd. See

Import, export, and manage work item types [witadmin].

TF400614: Category '{0}' does not exist.

A required category is missing from the categories definition file in the process template that was selected to update your team project. Add the missing category.

Add the missing category to the process template. See Use categories to group work item types.

Add the missing category to the team project using witadmin importcategories. See Import and export categories [witadmin]

TF400617: The type of field '{0}' in work item type '{1}' conflicts with the type of the existing field.

The data type of the field defined in the work item type being added does not match the data type defined in the team project collection. Correct the assignment in the work item type definition and then rerun the wizard.

NoteNote

The upgrade Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2012 changes the Description field (System.Description) from a field type of plain text to HTML, in order to support text formatting and insertion of images and hyperlinks. In the latest version of Team Foundation Server, you can switch the data type between PlainText and HTML.

Download the process template, open the type definition, locate the FIELD assignment, modify the type attribute to match that defined for the collection, and then, upload the process template. See FIELD (Definition) element reference,

TipTip

To determine the type assigned to a field, run witadmin listsfields.

Use witadmin changefield and specify the type attribute. See Manage work item fields [witadmin].

NoteNote

You can change the type definition for the team project collection only when the type is PlainText or HTML.

TF400618: The reporting type of field '{0}' in work item type '{1}' conflicts with the reporting type of the existing field.

A reporting attribute assigned to a field in a work item type definition does not match the attribute defined in the team project collection.

Download the process template, open the type definition, locate the FIELD assignment and modify the reportable attribute to match that defined for the collection. Then, upload the process template. See FIELD (Definition) element reference,

Use witadmin changefield and specify the reportingtype attribute. See Manage work item fields [witadmin].

TF400619: The SyncNameChanges of field '{0}' in work item type '{1}' conflicts with the SyncNameChanges of the existing field.

The syncnamechanges attribute assigned to a field in a work item type definition does not match the attribute defined in the team project collection. This attribute specifies whether to update a person name field when that name changes in Active Directory.

Download the process template, open the type definition, locate the FIELD assignment, modify it to match the definition in the collection, and then, upload the process template. See FIELD (Definition) element reference.

Use witadmin changefield command and specify the /syncnamechanges parameter. See Manage work item fields [witadmin].

TF400620: The friendly name of field '{0}' in work item type '{1}' conflicts with the friendly name of an existing field.

The friendly name assigned to a field in a work item type definition must match that defined in the team project collection.

Download the process template, open the type definition, locate the FIELD assignment, and modify it to match that defined for the collection. Then, upload the process template.

To change the friendly name for the team project collection, use witadmin changefield command and specify the /name parameter. See Manage work item fields [witadmin].

TF400621: The reference name of field '{0}' in work item type '{1}' is already in use by a link type.

Each reference name assigned to fields and link types must be unique within a team project collection.

If the link type is active and in use linking work items, download the process template, open the type definition, locate the FIELD assignment, and modify the refname assignment to match that defined for the collection. Then, upload the process template.

TipTip

To determine if a link type is in use, create a direct links query, and then filter for all work items that are linked to another work item using that link type.

If the link type is not active nor in use linking work items within the team project collection, delete it. You can use witadmin deletelinktype to delete a link type. See Manage link types [witadmin].

TF400624: The friendly name of category '{0}' conflicts with category '{1}'.

You must assign a unique reference name and friendly name to each category of a team project. You can resolve this error by renaming the existing category '{1}' either in the process template or in your team project.

Download the process template, modify the categories file to rename the category, and then upload the process template. See Use categories to group work item types.

Export the category file using witadmin exportcategories, modify the friendly name assigned to category '{1}', and import the file. See Import and export categories [witadmin].

TF400654: Unable to configure Planning Tools.

A mapping defined in the CommonConfiguration file specifies a field or state that does not exist in the work item type defined for the team project.

Download the process template, modify the CommonConfiguration file to correct the mapping, and then upload the process template. See Customizing Process Configuration

Export the work item type using witadmin exportwitd, add the missing field or state, and then import the work item type. See Import, export, and manage work item types [witadmin].

To learn more, see the following topics:

Resolve warnings reported by the Configure Features wizard

To resolve the warnings listed in the following table, follow the resolution steps, and then re-run the wizard.

Warning

Issue

Resolution

TF400609: Cannot add the action '{0}' to the work item type '{1}' because the state '{2}' does not exist.

A required STATE is missing.

See

Resolve errors adding an ACTION statement to a work item type.

TF400610: Cannot add the action '{0}' to the work item type '{1}' because the transition from state '{2}' to '{3}' does not exist.

A required TRANSITION statement is missing.

See Resolve errors adding an ACTION statement to a work item type.

Storyboarding: Unable to insert tab to work item type '{1}' in category '{2}'.

The TabGroup element is missing in the type definition.

See Add the Storyboard links control .

Resolve warnings about adding an ACTION statement to a work item type

To support the My Work feature, the Configure Features wizard inserts two ACTION statements into the workflow transition section of the definition for task work item types. If either the states or the transitions for moving from a new to an active state, or from an active to a new state are missing, you will receive a warning.

To resolve the warnings, review the workflow for the indicated work item type. As needed, modify the workflow to match the workflow states and transitions that are defined for the latest version of the process template installed on the upgraded TFS that matches the one used to create your team project. Then, rerun the wizard. For team projects based on the Agile process template, see

Update the workflow for agile team projects.

To learn more, see the following topics:

  • Export and import work item types [redirected]

  • Change the workflow for a work item type

  • Download the latest version of the process templates

  • Support bug update status using My Work

Add the Storyboard links control tab

With the addition of Storyboarding, you can now link work items to storyboards. To do this, you add the Storyboard links control tab to the definition of the work item type. If the Configure Features wizard didn't or wasn't able to add the tab, then you can add it manually. In the latest versions of the process templates installed on the upgraded TFS, the Storyboard links control tab appears on all backlog work item types, such as Product Backlog, User Story, and Requirement.

NoteNote

The Configure Features wizard cannot add the Storyboard links control tab if the TabGroup element is missing from the work item FORM section. The following procedure adds just the Storyboard tab. If you want to add the standard set of tabs for your backlog work item type, see the type definition in the latest version of the process template for your team project. See Download the latest version of the process templates.

  1. To run the witadmin command-line tool, open a Command Prompt window where either Visual Studio or Team Explorer is installed and enter:

     Copy imageCopy Code
    cd %programfiles(x86)%\Microsoft Visual Studio 12.0\Common7\IDE

    On a 32-bit edition of Windows, replace %programfiles(x86)% with %programfiles%.

  2. Export the type definition file for the backlog item by substituting your data for the arguments shown:

     Copy imageCopy Code
    witadmin exportwitd  /collection:CollectionURL /p:"ProjectName" /n:"TypeName" /f:"DirectoryPath\FileName.xml"
       
    Where:
       CollectionURL specifies the URL of the team project collection
       ProjectName specifies the name of your team project defined within the collection
       TypeName specifies the name of your backlog item, for example User Story or Product Backlog Item.
       
    Use the following format for CollectionURL:  http://ServerName:Port/VirtualDirectoryName/CollectionName
    For example: http://srvalm:8080/tfs/DefaultCollection.
    
  3. Open the file using a text editor, such as Notepad.

  4. Add this code snippet just before the </Layout> end-tag of your backlog type:

     Copy imageCopy Code
    <TabGroup>
    <Tab Label="Storyboards"> 
       <Control Name="StoryboardsControl" Type="LinksControl"> 
          <LinksControlOptions> 
             <WorkItemLinkFilters FilterType="excludeAll" /> 
             <ExternalLinkFilters FilterType="include"> 
                <Filter LinkType="Storyboard" /> 
             </ExternalLinkFilters> 
             <LinkColumns> 
                <LinkColumn RefName="System.Title" /> 
                <LinkColumn LinkAttribute="System.Links.Comment" /> 
             </LinkColumns> 
          </LinksControlOptions> 
       </Control> 
    </Tab> 
    </TabGroup>
  5. Save and close the file.

  6. Import the type definition file by typing this command, substituting your data for the arguments that are shown:

     Copy imageCopy Code
    witadmin importwitd /collection:CollectionURL /p:"ProjectName" /f:"DirectoryPath\FileName.xml"
  7. Verify that the tab shows up in the backlog item.

See Also

Concepts

Configure features after a TFS upgrade