Azure-devops-docs: Convert from visual designer to YAML

[MisinformedDNA]

I've been working with the visual designer for some time, but I read that we are encouraged to move to YAML. Is there a way to easily convert from visual designer to YAML?

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Document Details

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• ID: f94a6e7d-3cb5-790c-2b8b-c09abd1de3f6
• Version Independent ID: a0d381e1-07ad-9191-4697-6faf600a7bd8
• Content: Use Azure Pipelines - Azure DevOps Services
• Content Source: docs/pipelines/get-started/pipelines-get-started.md
• Product: devops
• GitHub Login: @erickson-doug
• Microsoft Alias: douge

[RolfEleveld]

Export the yaml from the visual designer using view yaml (on the far right of the edit screen) copy the yaml and then paste that into a new file in the root of the git repository with name azure-pipeline.yml

[renenadorp]

Is it also possible to convert release-pipelines, initially developed using the visual designer, to yaml, and keep this separate from the build-pipeline?
Regards,
R.

[andyjlewis]

You can deploy from a YAML pipeline; some of our docs show examples of this. However, YAML pipelines don't have stages or approvals.

[vtbassmatt]

For designer builds, the "view YAML" button is the best bet.

As Andy said, we aren't quite there on feature parity for designer releases.

[yannduran]

@RolfEleveld , @vtbassmatt

Does anyone know where the "View YAML" button went? I can't see it on the far right of the edit screen, or anywhere else for that matter.

[RolfEleveld]

@yannduran, open edit on the visual build pipeline and now for each step, select the step and you can see yam button right top.

[yannduran]

@RolfEleveld, oh I see. You only see the YAML step-by-step, not for the whole pipeline. Thanks!

I was expecting something that allowed you to see the YAML for the whole pipeline. I mean you can export a whole pipeline to JSON, so it'd seem reasonable to expect that you could also see/export it to YAML, especially with the emphasis that's being placed on YAML now.

[vtbassmatt]

It's available at the Job level.

[f2calv]

FYI soon will be possible to export an entire pipeline as YAML;

• https://devblogs.microsoft.com/devops/replacing-view-yaml/