New Azure DevOps Boards to become permanent by early May

Microsoft is rolling out the latest update to Azure DevOps Boards, bringing enhancements designed to improve user experience and performance. This update reflects Microsoft's ongoing commitment to streamlining project management and collaboration for development teams. Stay tuned for what’s new in the Spring 2025 release.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Transition Goal: Azure aims to fully migrate all customers to New Boards, permanently disabling Old Boards for over 50% of organizations.

• Adoption So Far: 97% of users have already embraced New Boards without reverting.

• Migration Timeline: Transitions will occur in two phases—March 10–21 and April 14–May 5. By early May, Old Boards will be fully retired.

Microsoft Visual Studio now supports multiple GitHub accounts in Visual Studio

Microsoft Visual Studio now supports multiple GitHub accounts, making it easier to switch between personal and work repositories without signing in and out. This new feature streamlines development workflows, enhancing productivity for developers managing multiple accounts. Learn how to set up and maximize this capability in the latest Visual Studio update.

Here’s what’s new:

• Effortless Onboarding: Sign in with your GitHub account right from the first launch.

• Manage Multiple Accounts: Easily add and switch between multiple GitHub accounts with the "Add another account" option.

• Seamless Account Switching: Open your profile card, navigate to account options, and select "Set as active account" to switch effortlessly.

• GitHub Copilot Integration: Your active account will automatically enable GitHub Copilot if it has a valid entitlement.

• Smarter Version Control: Visual Studio remembers your preferences for each repository, making pull requests and issue tracking more intuitive.

Microsoft releases automatic documentation comment generation in Visual Studio

Microsoft continues to enhance developer productivity with the latest improvements in Visual Studio. The newest update introduces AI-powered capabilities designed to streamline coding workflows and reduce manual effort. These enhancements aim to make documentation easier and more efficient for developers.

Here’s how to use it:

• AI-Powered Documentation: Just type your preferred doc comment trigger, and Copilot will suggest a function description, including summaries, parameters, and return types.

• One-Tap Acceptance: Accept suggestions with a single Tab, just like regular code completions.

• Subscription Required: A GitHub Copilot subscription is needed to access this feature.

How to enable it:

• For C++: Go to Tools > Options > Code Style > General, select XML Doc Comments, and check all boxes.

• For C#: Navigate to Tools > Options > C# > Advanced and check all boxes under Comments.

Microsoft now converts large text fields into Markdown in Azure DevOps

Microsoft is making it easier for developers to work with large text fields in Azure DevOps. A new update, now in private preview, aims to enhance the way users format and manage extensive content. This improvement is set to streamline collaboration and readability within the platform.

Here’s how you can do it:

• Convert existing work items: Click Convert this field to transform large text fields from HTML to Markdown.

• Automatic conversion: Let the system seamlessly convert HTML to Markdown with a single click.

• Markdown editing: Once converted, the work item will display in Markdown whenever you edit it.

• Real-time preview: Toggle preview mode to see how your Markdown renders instantly.

• New work items: Start fresh with Markdown—no need for conversion.

• One-way conversion: Once converted, you cannot revert back to HTML.

Visual Studio makes debugging multithreaded applications easier with Parallel Stacks Window

Debugging multithreaded applications can be complex, but Visual Studio is making it easier than ever. A new update enhances the debugging experience, helping developers gain clearer insights into their code’s behavior. Stay ahead with tools designed to simplify multithreaded development.

Here’s how you can use these features:

- AI-Generated Thread Summaries: Instantly understand thread activity with AI-powered summaries, providing a high-level overview to help you quickly gain context.

- App Summarization with Copilot: Leverage Copilot Chat to explore and resolve debugging challenges interactively. Ask questions, get explanations, and receive AI-driven suggestions tailored to your debugging scenario.

February 2025 Copilot Studio updates

Microsoft has announced the latest updates to its Copilot Studio, enhancing customization and integration capabilities for users. These improvements aim to streamline workflows and bolster security measures within the platform.

Here are some of the updates:

• Publish to Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat: Seamlessly deploy custom agents directly into Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat.

• Expanded Microsoft Graph Connections: Connect your agents to data from Stack Overflow, Salesforce Knowledge, GitHub, and Unily, enabling richer, more informed responses.

• Effortless Import & Export of Agent Components: Use Component Collection to streamline workflows by eliminating the need for manual copying of messaging templates, content sources, and more.

• New Microsoft 365 Agents SDK for JavaScript: Empower developers with essential building blocks to create intelligent agents that handle user interactions efficiently.

• Enhanced Embedded Agent Builder: Makers can now ground agents on publicly available websites and collect valuable end-user feedback for continuous improvement.

• See the full list here.

Microsoft rolled out the GPT-4o Copilot code completion model in Visual Studio public preview

Microsoft is bringing the power of GPT-4o to Visual Studio, enhancing AI-driven development like never before. Now available in public preview, this latest update promises smarter, more efficient coding experiences for developers.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Enhanced Model – Built on GPT-4o mini, the model has undergone additional training on 275,000+ high-quality public repositories across 30+ popular programming languages for improved accuracy and suggestions.

• How to Enable It – Navigate to Tools > Options > GitHub > Copilot > Copilot Completions and select GPT-4o Copilot from the dropdown.

• Quick Access – You can also adjust settings by clicking the GitHub Copilot badge in the top-right corner and selecting Settings > Options.

Microsoft launches AI Accelerator for Sales and two new agents

Microsoft is set to transform sales operations with the introduction of its AI Accelerator for Sales, aiming to enhance efficiency and productivity across sales teams. This initiative underscores Microsoft's commitment to integrating advanced AI solutions into business processes, offering organizations innovative tools to optimize their sales strategies.

Here’s what you need to know:

• AI Accelerator for Sales: Launching on April 1, 2025, this exclusive program helps customers experience a new way of working with Copilot and AI agents.

• Sales Agent: This agent automates lead research, prioritization, meeting scheduling, and customer outreach, ensuring no lead is unattended.

• Sales Chat: This agent delivers actionable insights from CRM data, pitch decks, meetings, emails, and the web, allowing sales reps to spend less time searching and more time selling.

Power Apps February 2025 Updates

Microsoft has announced the general availability of Code View in Power Apps Studio, marking a significant advancement in their mission to enable seamless collaboration between citizen and professional developers. This update reflects Microsoft's commitment to enhancing user experience and productivity within the Power Platform ecosystem.

Here’s a summary of the new features:

• Code View: Work seamlessly with fellow developers in Power Apps Studio for faster, more efficient app creation.

• Power CAT Tools: Enhance your development across the Power Platform with a comprehensive suite of features.

• Power Fx functions: Easily create Power Fx functions for use in Canvas apps and Power Automate.

• Enterprise-grade Governance: Gain more control over critical environment settings with three powerful new rules for Environment Groups.

• Visualize with Copilot: Instantly transform business data into interactive charts for deeper insights.