Introduction

TeamCity is a powerful continuous integration and build management tool designed for smooth integration into various development workflows. It supports numerous version control systems, including Git. One feature that often goes under-utilized with TeamCity is the ability to use short branch names. Understanding and incorporating the use of short branch names can enhance the clarity and efficiency of your CI/CD processes.

What Are Short Branch Names?

In Git, branch names can sometimes get unwieldy, especially when using naming conventions that include prefixes or other descriptors. In TeamCity, the use of short branch names can strip away these extraneous details and provide a cleaner, more readable representation of your branch names.

Consider the following branch name:

• `feature/implement-new-api`

Using the short branch name, TeamCity can represent it simply as:

• `implement-new-api`

This simplification is particularly useful in dashboards, notifications, and logs, where clarity and brevity are crucial.

Configuring Short Branch Names in TeamCity

Step-by-Step Guide

1. VCS Root Configuration:
   Navigate to your project configuration in TeamCity and access the VCS Roots settings.
2. Branch Specification:
   In the Branch Specification field, you can define the branches you want to monitor. TeamCity uses patterns to match branch names. For example, a typical pattern might look like `+:refs/heads/(feature/*)`, which includes all branches that start with `feature/`.
3. Use Short Branch Name Parameter:
   Within your build configurations, you can refer to the short branch name using the `%teamcity.build.branch%` parameter. This parameter automatically strips out common prefixes based on your branch specification settings.
4. Displaying Short Branch Names:
   In various parts of TeamCity, such as build names, configurations, and notification templates, you can use the `%teamcity.build.branch%` parameter to display the short branch name.

Technical Example

Assume we have three branches with the following names:

• `feature/refactor-ui-component`
• `hotfix/urgent-bug-fix`
• `release/1.0.0`

Here's how you might configure your Branch Specification and use short branch names:

• Track branches with the specified patterns.
• Use `%teamcity.build.branch%` to output `refactor-ui-component`, `urgent-bug-fix`, and `1.0.0` respectively.
• Notifications: Improve readability in emails or chat notifications by using short branch names instead of full names.
• Dashboard Views: Simplify your TeamCity dashboard by avoiding clunky branch names.
• Build Tags and Names: When creating build tags or naming builds, short branch names offer cleaner alternatives.