Understanding Reopened Work Items

Oct 13, 2025 by wbrum.org 45 views

Introduction

Azure DevOps is a powerful platform for software development and project management. One of its key features is the ability to track changes to work items, such as tasks, bugs, and user stories. The Reporting Revisions API provides a way to access this data, allowing developers to create custom reports and analytics. In this article, we will explore how to use the Reporting Revisions API to filter reopened work items in Azure DevOps.

Understanding Reopened Work Items

Reopened work items are those that have been closed before and are now open again. This can happen when a team member reopens a work item after it has been closed, or when a work item is reopened as part of a larger process, such as a sprint or iteration. Identifying reopened work items can be useful for several reasons:

It can help teams understand why work items are being reopened and what changes are being made.
It can provide insights into the effectiveness of the team's processes and workflows.
It can help teams identify areas for improvement and optimize their workflows.

Using the Reporting Revisions API

The Reporting Revisions API provides a way to access the revision history of work items in Azure DevOps. To use this API, you will need to make a GET request to the following endpoint:

https://dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/_apis/wit/workitems/{workitemid}/revisions?api-version=6.1

Replace {organization}, {project}, and {workitemid} with the actual values for your Azure DevOps organization, project, and work item.

Filtering Reopened Work Items

To filter reopened work items, you will need to use the fields parameter in the API request. This parameter allows you to specify the fields that you want to include in the response. To filter reopened work items, you will need to include the following fields:

rev: This field represents the revision number of the work item.
revs: This field represents the list of revisions for the work item.
fields: This field represents the fields that are included in the response.

Here is an example of how you can use the fields parameter to filter reopened work items:

https://dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/_apis/wit/workitems/{workitemid}/revisions?api-version=6.1&fields=rev,revs,fields

Python Code Example

Here is an example of how you can use the Reporting Revisions API to filter reopened work items in Python:

import requests
endpoint = f"https://dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/_apis/wit/workitems/{workitemid}/revisions&quot;
params = 
"api-version" "6.1",
"fields": "rev,revs,fields"

response = requests.get(endpoint, params=params)
if response.status_code == 200:
# Get the JSON response
data = response.json()
# Loop through the revisions and check if the work item was reopened
for revision in data[&quot;value&quot;]:
    # Check if the work item was closed before and is now open
    if revision[&quot;fields&quot;][&quot;System_State&quot;] == &quot;Closed&quot; and revision[&quot;fields&quot;][&quot;System_State&quot;] != data[&quot;value&quot;][0][&quot;fields&quot;][&quot;System_State&quot;]:
        # Print the work item ID and revision number
        print(f&quot;Work item {workitemid} was reopened at revision {revision[&#39;rev&#39;]}&quot;)

else:
# Print an error message if the response was not successful
print(f"Error: {response.status_code}")

Conclusion

In this article, we explored how to use the Reporting Revisions API to filter reopened work items in Azure DevOps. We discussed the importance of identifying reopened work items and how to use the fields parameter to filter them. We also provided a Python code example that demonstrates how to use the Reporting Revisions API to filter reopened work items.

Additional Resources

Azure DevOps Reporting Revisions API
Azure DevOps Work Item Fields
Python Requests Library
Filtering Reopened Work Items in Azure DevOps using Reporting Revisions API: Q&A ================================================================================

Introduction

In our previous article, we explored how to use the Reporting Revisions API to filter reopened work items in Azure DevOps. In this article, we will answer some of the most frequently asked questions about filtering reopened work items using the Reporting Revisions API.

Q: What is the Reporting Revisions API?

A: The Reporting Revisions API is a REST API provided by Azure DevOps that allows developers to access the revision history of work items. It provides a way to track changes to work items, such as tasks, bugs, and user stories.

Q: How do I use the Reporting Revisions API to filter reopened work items?

A: To use the Reporting Revisions API to filter reopened work items, you will need to make a GET request to the following endpoint:

https://dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/_apis/wit/workitems/{workitemid}/revisions?api-version=6.1

You will also need to include the fields parameter in the API request to specify the fields that you want to include in the response. For example:

https://dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/_apis/wit/workitems/{workitemid}/revisions?api-version=6.1&fields=rev,revs,fields

Q: What fields do I need to include in the API request to filter reopened work items?

A: To filter reopened work items, you will need to include the following fields in the API request:

rev: This field represents the revision number of the work item.
revs: This field represents the list of revisions for the work item.
fields: This field represents the fields that are included in the response.

Q: How do I check if a work item was reopened?

A: To check if a work item was reopened, you will need to loop through the revisions and check if the work item was closed before and is now open. You can do this by checking the System_State field in the revision history. For example:

for revision in data["value"]:
    if revision["fields"]["System_State"] == "Closed" and revision["fields"]["System_State"] != data["value"][0]["fields"]["System_State"]:
        print(f"Work item {workitemid} was reopened at revision {revision['rev']}")

Q: What is the difference between the `rev` and `revs` fields?

A: The rev field represents the revision number of the work item, while the revs field represents the list of revisions for the work item. The revs field is an array of revision objects, each of which contains the revision number and the fields that were changed in that revision.

Q: Can I use the Reporting Revisions API to filter work items by other criteria?

A: Yes, you can use the Reporting Revisions API to filter work items by other criteria, such as the work item type, the assignee, or the creation date. You can do this by including additional fields in the API request. For example:

https://dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/_apis/wit/workitems/{workitemid}/revisions?api-version=6.1&fields=rev,revs,fields,System_WorkItemType,System_AssignedTo,System_CreatedDate

Q: What are some common use cases for the Reporting Revisions API?

A: Some common use cases for the Reporting Revisions API include:

Tracking changes to work items over time
Identifying reopened work items
Analyzing the effectiveness of team processes and workflows
Creating custom reports and dashboards

Conclusion

In this article, we answered some of the most frequently asked questions about filtering reopened work items using the Reporting Revisions API. We hope that this article has been helpful in providing a better understanding of how to use the Reporting Revisions API to filter reopened work items in Azure DevOps.