Work in the Microsoft VS Code editor

You can do your OpenText Core Software Delivery Platform work directly from the Microsoft Visual Studio Code (VS Code) coding editor.

Overview

Using the extension for VS Code, developers can connect to a workspace, view OpenText Core SDP items, and make updates.

The extension is open source.

The extension supports two-way integration:

The extension shows work item data from OpenText Core SDP in VS Code.
Changes made in VS Code impact data in OpenText Core SDP.

Prerequisites

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

Windows 10
Microsoft VS Code 1.63.2 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, select Extensions. Alternatively, go to the Visual Studio Code Marketplace.
Search for the Visual Studio Code plugin for the OpenText Core SDP extension.
Follow the on-screen instructions to install it.

Configure the connection

After installing the plugin, the OpenText Core Software Delivery Platform extension button is displayed in the toolbar. Use the extension to configure the connection from VS Code to OpenText Core SDP.

To configure the connection:

In VS Code, choose the OpenText Core Software Delivery Platform extension button.
Enter the URL for the OpenText Core SDP 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>
```

Log in method	Description
Browser	The OpenText Core Software Delivery Platform login window opens, enabling you to enter your credentials. Use this option for both SSO and non-SSO, federated environments, and for session timeouts.
Username and password	Enter your credentials for logging in to OpenText Core SDP directly. This option retains your credentials so you do not have to enter them each time.

Click Authenticate.

You can now work with OpenText Core SDP from within VS Code.
To log out or change credentials, click the Accounts button in VS Code. Select the OpenText Core SDP user and click Sign Out.

Work on your items

You can perform the following actions on your items from the My Work tab.

Action	Details
Open the My Work tab	After you establish a connection, the plugin shows the work assigned to you in the My Work view. When you start another session, the OpenText Core SDP Visual Studio plugin remembers what you were working on last time, and opens tabs in the OpenText Core Software Delivery Platform pane accordingly. Most OpenText Core SDP items are available from the IDE.
View an item's details	Double-click an item to open its details in a separate pane. Click the Filter button to select which fields to display. After you set the filter, it applies to all items of the same type. Click the Comments button to view the item's comments.
Search for items	You can search all items and display the results, showing only the relevant items based on search criteria. Tip: The search looks through all items, not just the ones assigned to you. You can use the search to assign an item to yourself, or click Add to My Work from the context menu. Enter a search string in the search box. The search results are opened in a list. The plugin remembers the last five searches you ran. Click the search arrow to select one and re-run the search.
Update your items	As you implement stories and fix defects in VS Code, update your items. Move the status of an item from one phase to another, according to the defined 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.
Download Gherkin test scripts to implement automation	Gherkin tests can be initially created in OpenText Core SDP, and then automated using Eclipse. In the My Work pane, right-click a Gherkin test, and select Download script. The downloaded script name is in the format `<TestName>-<TestID>.feature`.
Download BDD scenarios to implement automation	You can create and run BDD (behavior-driven development) tests in OpenText Core SDP using Gherkin scenarios, using the Cucumber-JVM framework. In the My Work pane, right-click a BDD scenario, and select Download script. The downloaded script name is in the format `<BDD Name>_<BDD ID>`.
Start work and commit changes	You can declare to the SCM system, such as Git, that you have started work on an item in a VS Code project. When you commit changes for that item, automatically-generated text can be copied and pasted into the commit message for the item. In the My Work pane, select a user story, a quality story, a defect, or an active task. To generate the text for the commit message and copy it into the clipboard, right-click and select Copy commit message. The generated commit message is based on the default OpenText Core SDP pattern. Tip: You must make the item active to copy the commit message. 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 My Work pane, right-click the item and choose Stop work. You can also manually edit commit messages, without using auto-complete. 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 select Dismiss. The items are removed from My Work, but are not deleted in OpenText Core SDP.