Filtering “Assigned To” field in TFS 2010

CodingWhen you select the Assigned To drop down in a TFS work item, you’ll often see a lot of system accounts that you don’t want.  Nikos’ post on TFS 2008 still works for TFS 2010 with the Power Tools.  Previously, I was exporting the XML, editing it, and then re-imported based on Edward Smit’s post and several other forums but once I found Nikos’ post I’ve started just updating it direct with the Power Tools.  I wanted to filter by the Project Administrators and Contributors groups.

I also wanted the ability to “unassign” a task after it had been assigned to a user.   If there’s an easy way to set a work item back “nothing” for the assigned user after it’s been assigned, I don’t know it.  But this is an easy work around.  Create a user called Unassigned and then we just set it to that when we want to let them team know it’s currently unassigned. Here’s the steps…

  1. In VS 2010, click ToolsProcess EditorWork Item Types, and Open WIT from Server. (assumes you’ve install TFS Power Tool)
  2. Select the Work Item Type you want to edit for your Team Project.
  3. Double click the row for Assigned To.
  4. Click the Rules tab.
  5. Select VALIDUSER and click Delete (if you don’t do this you want see users that aren’t valid like our Unassigned user)
  6. Click New and select ALLOWEDVALUES and click OK
  7. On ALLOWEDVALUES, leave For and Not blank.  Click New and enter each of these:
    • [Project]\Contributors
    • [Project]\Project Administrators
    • Unassigned

  1. Click OK

  1. Click OK again.

That should do it.  Refresh you Team Project and now open the work item of the type you edited and the Assigned Toshould be filtered now and should include the option to set it Unassigned.