Work in the Microsoft VS Code editor

You can do your ALM Octane work directly from the Microsoft Visual Studio Code (VS Code) coding editor. To do so, install the ALM Octane extension for VS Code.

Overview

Using the extension, developers can connect to an ALM Octane workspace, view ALM Octane items, and make updates.

The extension is open source.

The extension supports two-way integration:

The extension shows work item data from ALM Octane in VS Code.
Changes made in VS Code impact data in ALM Octane.

Prerequisites

The following prerequisites are necessary for working in the VS Code editor:

Windows 10
Microsoft VS Code 1.63.2 or later
ALM Octane 16.0.300 or later

Download and install the plugin

Download the extension from the VS Code Marketplace.

To download and install the extension:

From within the VS Code IDE, choose Extensions. Alternatively, go to the Visual Studio Code Marketplace.
Search for the Visual Studio Code plugin for the ALM Octane extension.
Follow the on-screen instructions to install it.

Connect to ALM Octane

After installing the plugin, an icon for the ALM Octane extension is displayed in the left toolbar.

In VS Code, choose the ALM Octane extension .
Enter the URL for the ALM Octane server. The URL can include the query parameters for the relevant space and the workspace, in which case the Space and Workspace fields are automatically populated. Use the following format
```
https://<server>:<port>/ui/?p=<spaceID>/<workspaceID>
```
Either log in with a browser or directly from the IDE:
- Login with username and password. Enter your credentials for logging into ALM Octane directly. This option retains your credentials so you do not have to enter them each time.
- Login using a browser. The ALM Octane login window displays and you can enter your credentials. Use this option in for both non-SSO and SSO, federated environments, and for session timeouts.
Click Authenticate.

You can now work with ALM Octane from within VS Code.
To log out or change credentials, click the Accounts icon in VS Code. Choose the ALM Octane user and click Sign Out.

Work on your ALM Octane items

This section describes how to access your ALM Octane items from the ALM Octane's My Work tab.

To view your work items:

After you establish a connection, the plugin shows the work assigned to you in the My Work view.

When you start another session, the ALM Octane VS Code plugin remembers what you were working on last time, and opens tabs in the ALM Octane pane accordingly.

Most ALM Octane items are available from the IDE.
View and edit an item's details
- Click most items to open their details in the right pane. You can also right-click an item in the left pane and choose the Details context menu option.
- Click the Filter button to select which fields to display. Once you set the filter, it applies to all items of the same type.
- Click to view the item's comments.
- Click the + icon to add an item to your My Work items.
Search for items

You can search all ALM Octane items and display the results, showing only the relevant items based on search criteria.

Tip: The search looks through all ALM Octane items, not just the ones assigned to you. After opening an item, you can add it to My Work to assign an item to yourself.

Enter a search string in the search box. The search results are opened in a drop-down.

The plugin remembers the last five searches you ran. Click the drop-down arrow to select one and re-run the search.
Update your items
- Move the status of an item from one phase to another, according to the defined ALM Octane workflow.
- Update field values.
  
  If a rule exists that makes a field read-only, and you modify its value, the plugin notifies you when you save the item.
- Click Comments to view and add comments.
Make sure to save .
Download Gherkin test scripts to implement automation

Gherkin tests can be initially created in ALM Octane, and then automated using VS Code.

In the ALM Octane pane, right-click a Gherkin test, and choose Download Script.
Download BDD scenarios to implement automation

You can create and run BDD (behavior-driven development) tests in ALM Octane using Gherkin scenarios, with the Cucumber-JVM framework.

In the ALM Octane pane, right-click a BDD scenario, and choose Download Script.
Commit changes with generated messages

You can declare to the SCM system, such as Git, that you have started work on an item in a VS Code project. This means that when you commit changes for that item, automatically-generated text can be copied and pasted into the commit message for the item.

You can commit changes for user stories, quality stories, defects, or active tasks.
1. In the ALM Octane pane, select a user story, a quality story, a defect, or an active task.
2. To generate the text for the commit message and copy it into the clipboard, right-click the item and select Copy commit message.
  
  The generated commit message is based on the default ALM Octane pattern.
  
  Tip: You must make the item active to copy the commit message.
3. Commit your changes. In the Git Staging area, paste the contents of the clipboard into the Commit Message area.
  
  The format for the commit message contains the item type, and the item ID. You can enter more details for your commit message after the name.
  
  For tasks, the item related to the task (such as a story or defect) is also included.
To cancel the commit message, in the ALM Octane pane, right-click the item and choose Stop work. Alternatively, click the Stop work button in the toolbar.

You can also manually edit commit messages. For details, see Track commits to your SCM system.
Dismiss items

Remove items from your My Work list if they are no longer relevant. Right-click the item and choose Dismiss. The items are removed from My Work, but are not deleted in ALM Octane.