Documentation Plugins Azure DevOps Template variables

Azure DevOps template variables

Use template variables to create dynamic, reusable dashboards that let you switch between projects, repositories, and other resources without editing individual queries.

Before you begin

• Configure the Azure DevOps data source.
• Understand Grafana template variables.

Supported variable types

Create a query variable

To create a query variable:

1. Navigate to Dashboard settings > Variables.
2. Click Add variable.
3. Select Query as the variable type.
4. Select the Azure DevOps data source.
5. Choose a Query Type from the drop-down.

Query variable types

The Azure DevOps data source supports the following query variable types:

Use variables in queries

Template variables work in two ways within the query editor.

Drop-down pickers

The Project and Repository drop-downs automatically include dashboard template variables as selectable options. When you create a variable of type Projects or Repositories, it appears in the drop-down list alongside regular values.

Text filter fields

You can also use the $variableName syntax in any text input field across all query types. For example, you can use a variable in the Branch field to dynamically filter builds, or in the Creator Id field to filter pull requests by a variable-controlled identity.

Examples

The following examples show common patterns for using template variables with the Azure DevOps data source.

Switch between projects

Create a variable that lets dashboard viewers select which project to display data for:

1. Create a Projects query variable named project.
2. In a query, select $project from the Project drop-down.
3. Use the dashboard variable selector to switch between projects, and all panels using that variable update automatically.

Chain project and repository variables

Create cascading variables where the repository list updates based on the selected project:

1. Create a Projects query variable named project.
2. Create a Repositories query variable named repo.
3. In the repo variable settings, select $project from the Project drop-down to filter repositories to the selected project.
4. In your queries, select $project for the Project and $repo for the Repository.

When a user changes the project, the repository variable automatically refreshes to show only repositories in that project.

Use a variable in a filter field

Use variables in text filter fields to create flexible, reusable queries:

1. Create a Custom variable named branch with values like refs/heads/main and refs/heads/develop.
2. In a Builds query, type $branch in the Branch field.
3. Dashboard viewers can switch between branches to see builds for each one.

This pattern works in any text input field, including Creator Id, Source Ref, Requested For, Source branch, and others.

Known limitations

• Template variables don’t support multi-select. Only single selection is supported.
• Regex filtering by project or repository name isn’t supported in the variable editor.