Can a Stackholder access a version controlled file in VSTS? - azure-devops

I know a Stakeholder doesn't have access to the most of the code related things in VSTS. But, can he/she access a single file in a read-only mode which is in the code? Let's say for example a readme.md file.

No, but a markdown file can be pinned to the team's dashboard with the markdown widget or used as a wiki, which should work even for stakeholders.

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How can I rename a Page/Topic on GitHub wiki without renaming the file?

I want to update Topic/page titles on my GitHub wiki (which is currently using Markdown syntax). When I do that using the GUI it renames the Markdown files, and breaks all of the links.
I know that I can rename the Topic files in the Git repository and push the changes, but that doesn't help the broken links.
Is there a way to avoid this, and make GitHub Wiki's behave more like other Wiki products? I could not find an better way on GitHub documentation.
Welcome to StackOverflow. As best I can determine you cannot rename a GitHub Wiki page without its markdown file also being updated to the new name. The two are tightly coupled.
This Web Applications (StackExchange) Question has some alternatives you may consider, i.e. instead of renaming the page, create a copy. Then edit the original page so that it directs visitors to the new page via a link. This way the original page link remains valid but directs visitors to the new page.

Azure DevOps does not allow to add xlsm files as link in wiki

I'm trying to add an xlsm file to one of the markdown files in my repository, and that repository is published as wiki. What I want to do is that I want to have the xlsm file to be downloadable from the markdown file when click on it. This works perfectly fine for file formats such as docx, pdf and xlsx, but when I add an xlsm file as a link, it gets blocked. The link is highlighted as red and when I click on it, it goes to a not-found page instead of downloading it.
It looks like this is implemented by Microsoft as a sort of a security precaution for macro-enabled excel files, but is there a way to bypass this?
A rather poor workaround is to name your files with another, fictitious file extension, e.g. MyFile.xlsm.xlsx or MyFile.xlsm.txt. Then you can provide instructions to your users to download/save them with the fictitious extension removed, e.g. MyFile.xlsm. From a security perspective, this is not an advisable practice.
I cannot find official documentation stating which files are or are not supported. However, it's reasonable to assume you are correct. The .xlsm files are likely blocked for security reasons.

Created issue templates as mentioned on github but they are not activated somehow

The current project contains the directory: .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/ and a bug_report.md and a feature_request.md file inside there. Also I have a config.yml file but unfortunately If I try to create an issue none of the templates will be taken into account?
Does someone has a hint/idea what I could have forgotten or made wrong?
Creating an issue template mentions
This is the legacy workflow to create an issue template. We recommend using the upgraded multiple issue template builder to create multiple issue templates.
The configuration mentions:
If you used the legacy workflow to manually create an issue_template.md file and enable blank issues in your config.yml file, the template in issue_template.md will be used when people chose to open a blank issue.
If you disable blank issues, the template will never be used.
The OP khmarbaise adds in the comments:
I recreated them.
And the issue was that my templates contained comments which seemed to be a problem or the config.yml...This is now working.
Starting June 2021, this is evolving:
Issues forms beta for public repositories
Issues submitted to open source projects often lack important information.
Markdown issue templates can help by providing text that contributors can remove and replace with their own input – but sometimes contributors can miss details or get confused.
New, YAML configured issue forms enable maintainers to build structured forms with required fields and easy-to-follow steps so that they can capture every important detail.
Issue forms are now available in beta for all publicly accessible repositories.
Learn more about issue forms
Just to add that if you have any old .md template with the same name as a .yml template it will not shown any repo should you try to make organization default template .

How should I provide guidelines for issues? (Github)

I want to give the users of my repository some info on how they should report issues and what info they should provide. What is the best way to present this information, and where? I was hoping there would be a readme on the /issues tab but there seems no such option. Maybe I should create an 'issue' named 'Read before creating issue'?
If you're worried about the added clutter in the root directory of your project.
You can put CONTRIBUTING.md, ISSUE_TEMPLATE.md, and PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md files in the project directory.
Yes, it will easy both parties to creating the issue or pull request fill all info.
What is the best way to present this information, and where?
Put it into your this three files and file name should be same as here.
More information about it
I'm not sure if github exclusively provides any such feature. Alternatively, you could include the guidelines (or link to- how to create an issue) in the readme.md file at the main branch of the project (e.g. a section #HowToCreateAnIssue along with other sections). At least, this is what I follow.
For my Projects (and I guess thats how most People will handle it) I added a readme to the Projects repository and create a link to the most important wiki pages. The wiki will be managed as an additional repository and provides possibility to store Information and updates as needed.
If you also have a Webpage created this could also be a place to add some Information on how to participate as a contributor.

Visual Studio Online - Possible to prevent solution downloading?

I'm trying to create a "Read-only" user account within Visual Studio Online. I've created the user and set all permissions to "Deny" except for "View project-level information", which is set at "Allow".
I've noticed that the user still has the ability to download the solution in its entirety and/or by directory. Is it possible to disable/prevent downloading functionality?
Ideally, I'd like only for this user to browse the solution's directory-tree and corresponding file contents.
Thanks for your help
There is a default Readers group (see https://your_account.visualstudio.com/DefaultCollection/your_project/_admin/_security).
Add the user to this group, and do not forget to restore the defaults permissions.
If people can read the files, then you can't prevent them downloading those files. In any case, even if you could, once the source is on screen people can always copy and paste the contents.
The 'Read' permission will only stop them from uploading any changes.