Troubleshooting Image Display Issues in Azure DevOps Explorer Work Item Forms

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Visual Studio Team Explorer is a crucial tool for developers working with Azure DevOps. It provides a seamless interface to manage work items, source control, and builds directly within the Visual Studio IDE. However, users sometimes encounter issues that can hinder their workflow. One such issue is the failure of inline images to display correctly within work item forms in Team Explorer. This problem can be frustrating, especially when images are essential for understanding bug reports, feature requests, or design specifications embedded within work items. This article delves into the causes of this image display problem and provides a step-by-step workaround to restore the visibility of inline images in your Visual Studio Team Explorer.

Symptoms¶

The primary symptom of this issue is that inline images within work items are not rendered in Visual Studio Team Explorer. When you open a work item that contains embedded images, instead of seeing the images as expected, you might see broken image icons, empty spaces where images should be, or simply no indication that an image is present at all. This can occur across different types of work items, such as bugs, tasks, user stories, or features, as long as they contain inline images.

It’s important to note that this issue is typically isolated to Visual Studio Team Explorer. If you access the same work item through the web browser interface of Azure DevOps Services or Microsoft Team Foundation Server, the images are displayed correctly without any problems. This distinction is a key indicator that the problem is not with the image itself, the work item data, or the Azure DevOps server, but rather with the way Visual Studio Team Explorer is handling or accessing resources. This discrepancy helps narrow down the potential causes to issues specifically related to the Visual Studio environment and its connection to Azure DevOps. The web browser environment often uses different authentication mechanisms and might have persistent session cookies that keep you logged in, even when your Visual Studio credentials have expired. Therefore, the consistent image display in the web browser points towards an authentication or credential-related problem within Visual Studio Team Explorer.

Cause¶

The root cause of images failing to display in Visual Studio Team Explorer work item forms is often related to expired Visual Studio browser credentials. Visual Studio, when interacting with online services like Azure DevOps Services or Microsoft Team Foundation Server, relies on browser-based authentication for user identity and access control. This authentication process involves storing credentials that allow Visual Studio to seamlessly communicate with Azure DevOps without requiring you to re-enter your username and password every time.

These credentials, however, are not indefinite. They have an expiration period, usually set for security reasons. When your Visual Studio browser credentials expire, Visual Studio loses its authenticated connection to Azure DevOps. While many Team Explorer functions might continue to work seemingly normally, functionalities that require authenticated access to resources, such as displaying inline images that are often served from secured Azure DevOps storage, will be affected.

The reason image display is specifically impacted is because retrieving and rendering these images typically requires a valid authenticated session. When credentials expire, the requests from Visual Studio to fetch image resources from Azure DevOps are no longer authorized. The server then refuses to serve the images, leading to the broken image display within the work item form. This contrasts with text data, which might be cached or accessed through a partially authenticated session, allowing it to display even when image resources fail to load. Therefore, expired browser credentials act as a barrier, preventing Visual Studio Team Explorer from successfully downloading and displaying the inline images embedded in your work items. Regular password changes, security policies, or simply the passage of time can lead to credential expiration, making this a common cause of the image display issue.

Workaround¶

To resolve the issue of missing inline images in Visual Studio Team Explorer work item forms, you need to refresh or renew your Visual Studio browser credentials for Azure DevOps. This process essentially re-authenticates your Visual Studio session with Azure DevOps, granting it the necessary permissions to access and display image resources. The workaround involves using the built-in web browser within Visual Studio to explicitly log in to your Azure DevOps account, effectively renewing your credentials. Here are the detailed steps to implement this workaround:

1. Open the Visual Studio Web Browser: The first step is to activate the web browser tool within Visual Studio. Navigate to the top menu bar and click on View. From the dropdown menu, select Other Windows. A submenu will appear; within this submenu, click on Web Browser. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Alt+R to directly open the Web Browser window. This action will open a new pane within your Visual Studio environment that functions as a basic web browser.

   

2. Navigate to Your Azure DevOps Account: Once the Web Browser pane is open, you need to navigate to the web address of your Azure DevOps Services organization or your on-premises Team Foundation Server. In the address bar of the newly opened Web Browser within Visual Studio, type in the URL of your Azure DevOps account. This URL typically follows the format https://dev.azure.com/{yourorganization} for Azure DevOps Services, or the URL of your Team Foundation Server if you are using an on-premises installation. Press Enter to load the page.

   

3. Log in to Your Account: After navigating to your Azure DevOps URL, you will likely be presented with a login page. This is where you need to explicitly log in using your Azure DevOps account credentials. Enter your username (usually your email address) and password associated with your Azure DevOps account. If you use multi-factor authentication, you may need to complete the additional authentication steps as prompted. Ensure you are using the same account that you use to access Azure DevOps through Visual Studio Team Explorer. Successful login in this embedded browser is crucial for refreshing the credentials that Visual Studio uses.

   

4. Refresh the Work Item in Team Explorer: After successfully logging in to your Azure DevOps account within the Visual Studio Web Browser, the final step is to refresh the work item in Team Explorer. Go back to the work item form in Team Explorer where you were experiencing the image display issue. Look for a refresh button or option within the work item form or the Team Explorer interface. Click the refresh button or option to reload the work item data. This action will force Team Explorer to re-fetch the work item content, including the inline images, using the newly refreshed browser credentials.

   

After completing these steps, the inline images within your work item form in Visual Studio Team Explorer should now be displayed correctly. This workaround effectively renews the necessary browser credentials, allowing Visual Studio to authenticate properly with Azure DevOps and retrieve the image resources. If the problem persists even after following these steps, it is advisable to restart Visual Studio entirely and repeat the workaround process. In rare cases, there might be other underlying issues, such as network connectivity problems or specific Visual Studio configurations, but for the majority of cases, refreshing browser credentials resolves the image display problem.

It is also a good practice to periodically refresh your Visual Studio browser credentials proactively, especially if you frequently work with work items containing inline images. This preventative measure can help avoid encountering the image display issue in the first place and ensure a smoother workflow when using Visual Studio Team Explorer with Azure DevOps. Keeping your credentials up-to-date is not only important for image display but also for the overall seamless integration and functionality of Visual Studio with Azure DevOps services.

If you continue to experience issues, consider checking for Visual Studio updates and Azure DevOps service status to rule out any broader problems. Consulting with your IT support or Azure DevOps administrator might also be beneficial if the problem persists despite trying the recommended workaround.

Do you have any other questions or issues related to Azure DevOps or Visual Studio Team Explorer? Feel free to leave a comment below!