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App Center bug tracker integration

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Important

Visual Studio App Center is scheduled for retirement on March 31, 2025. While you can continue to use Visual Studio App Center until it is fully retired, there are several recommended alternatives that you may consider migrating to.

Learn more about support timelines and alternatives.

Overview

App Center has bug tracker integration for the crashes service. Users can be quickly informed about critical App Center events within the tools that you use regularly in your day to day flow for a seamless experience. App Center supports bug trackers like Jira Cloud, Azure DevOps (formerly Visual Studio Team Services (VSTS)), and GitHub. Users need manager or developer permissions to create and configure the bug tracker.

Getting Started

  1. Navigate to https://appcenter.ms/apps, and select the specific app you want for bug tracker integration.

  2. In your app, select Settings, Services, and click the Add account or service button.

  3. Select which bug tracker (Jira, VSTS, Azure DevOps, or GitHub) to integrate with. To add a bug tracker for a repository, you need admin permissions for it.

    1. For Jira:

      1. Login with your Jira credentials (email, password and base URL) and click Add. See here on how to find your base URL.

      Note: Jira has deprecated basic authentication. Instead of typing in your password, create an API token in Jira and use that as your password. 2. Select which Jira projects to integrate the bug tracker with and click Next. 3. Toggle On for Auto create ticket and click Add:

    2. For Azure DevOps (formerly VSTS):

      1. Login with your Azure DevOps credentials and click Accept when prompted on app authorization.
      2. Select which Azure DevOps projects to integrate the bug tracker with and click Next.
      3. Toggle On for Auto create ticket, and fill in the fields for Area and Default Payload, and click Add:
        • Default payload is an optional field to fill in for use in work items. For example, {"System.IterationPath": "Area\\Iteration 1", "System.AssignedTo": "Fabrikam"}. Refer to the work item types API for additional information.

    3. For GitHub:

      1. Login with your GitHub credentials and click Authorize App Center.
      2. Select which GitHub repository to integrate the bug tracker with and click Next.
      3. Toggle On for Auto create ticket and click Add:

  4. Done! Your bug tracker is now configured. With this configuration:

    • When a new crash group is created in App Center, it will trigger the creation of a bug in the configured bug tracker
    • The bug will contain a link to the crash group in App Center
    • When you change the state of the crash group in App Center, it changes the state of the bug in the connected bug tracker, and vice versa.

  5. Toggle to the extreme right hand of the bug tracker to Configure or Disconnect it.

    • Configure enables you to change the responses to Auto create ticket, Number of crashes, Area, and Default payload.
    • Disconnect unlinks all the bugs from your crash group.

  6. Bug tracker integration is done at the app level, and only one bug tracker can be configured per app. To change bug trackers:

    1. Go to the Services page.
    2. Toggle to the extreme right hand of the bug tracker to Disconnect it.
    3. Repeat step 3.

Note

A new work item will be created for new error groups with symbols provided. If no symbols are found for the new error group, the bug tracker integration won't create a new work item.

Changing the state of a crash group in App Center

  1. Navigate to https://appcenter.ms/apps, and select the specific app that has a bug tracker integration.

  2. In your app, select Diagnostics, Crashes, and click on the crash group that has a connected bug for it.

  3. In the top right corner, click on the green drop down box that has either of the states:

    • Open
    • Closed
    • Ignored

  4. Choose the state of the crash group. Once you've changed the state of the crash group in App Center, it will update the state in bug. Similarly, if you change the state of the bug in your connected bug tracker, it will update the state in the crash group as well.