Apply pattern matching to a string field
Azure DevOps Server 2022 - Azure DevOps Server 2019 | TFS 2018 - TFS 2013
You can use the MATCH element to force values in a field of String type to follow a pattern that you specify. If you define multiple MATCH elements, the value will be valid if it matches any of the patterns that you specify for the field. If at least one element succeeds, the field has a valid value.
Note
To add a rule to a FIELD definition, use the witadmin command-line tool to import and export the definition for the work item type. See Import, export, and manage work item types.
MATCH Element Syntax Structure
You use the MATCH element to enforce basic pattern matching by defining a pattern that values in String type fields must match.
<MATCH pattern="patternValue" for="userGroupName" not="userGroupName" />
Attributes
You can specify to which users the MATCH rule applies. If you do not define any optional attributes, all valid users and groups in Team Foundation Server must specify a value that matches the pattern.
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
pattern |
Required. Enforces basic pattern matching for strings only, and only for strings whose syncnamechanges="false".Valid values for the patternValue are "A", "N", and "X", which denote the following types of characters: - "A" represents an alphabetical character. - "N" represents a numeric character. - "X" represents any alphanumeric character. All other values are taken as literals. Minimum length: 1; maximum length: 255. Pattern value: ^[^\\]*$ Pattern value example: xxxxx.nn.nn |
for |
Optional. Specifies the name of a user or group in Team Foundation to whom the rule applies. Valid names consist of a string of text that contains between 1 and 255 characters. Pattern value: ^[^\\]+\\[^\\]+$ Pattern value example: Domain\UserID |
not |
Optional. Specifies the name of a user or group in Team Foundation to whom the rule does not apply. Valid names consist of a string of text that contains between 1 and 255 characters. Pattern value: ^[^\\]+\\[^\\]+$ Pattern value example: Domain\UserID |
Pattern Matching Examples
The following examples illustrate successful and unsuccessful pattern matches for a variety of field uses.
Release Number
Pattern: ANN.NN.NN
| Validates/Fails | Example |
|---|---|
| Validates | R01.03.04 or V05.08.99 |
| Fails validation | 1.3.4 or V5.8.99 or v1.3 |
A Flexible Identifier
Pattern: XXX-XXX
| Validates/Fails | Example |
|---|---|
| Validates | 001-abc or a00-b02 |
| Fails validation | 1-abc or 001.abc |
Priority
Pattern: PN
| Validates/Fails | Example |
|---|---|
| Validates | P1 or P5 or P9 |
| Fails validation | 1 or P10 |
Match tags are case-insensitive. Therefore, "PN" matches both P1 and p1.