Search your code

Open the Azure Repos section in Azure DevOps, for more information, see Web portal navigation).

Enter a search string in the textbox, and then select Enter (or choose Search).

Open the Azure Repos section in Azure DevOps, for more information, see Web portal navigation).

Enter a search string in the textbox, and then select Enter (or choose Search).

In the search textbox at the top right of the window, check that the text says Search code. The search text box may say Search work items. In this case, use the drop-down selector to change it.

If you don't see Search in the Search box, open the Manage extensions page and check that Code Search is installed (see Administer Search).

Enter a search string in the textbox, and press Enter (or choose Search) to start your search.

The search page shows a list of the matching code files. The selected file has all instances of the search string highlighted (only the first 100 hits are highlighted).

If you see a list of work items, ensure that Code is selected in the top left.

Sort the results as you need using the drop-down list of properties, or by relevance.

Open the search results in a new browser tab from either search box by pressing Ctrl + Enter. In Google Chrome and Firefox press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to switch the focus to the new browser tab.

Try assembling more complex search strings using the operators and functions listed in the handy drop-down list. Select the filter function or code type you want to include in your search string from the list. Then, enter the criteria value.

• You can find all instances of "ToDo" comments in your code simply by selecting comment: and typing todo.

• You can search in specific locations, such as within a particular path, by using a search string such as Driver path:MyShuttle/Server.

• You can search for files by name, such as Driver file:GreenCabs.cs, or just by file extension. For example, the search string error ext:resx could be useful when you want to review all error strings in your code. But, even if your plain text search string (without specific file-type functions) matches part of a filename, the file appears in the list of found files.

• You can combine two or more words by using Boolean operators; for example, validate OR release.

• You can find an exact match to a set of words by enclosing your search terms in double-quotes. For example, "Client not found".

• You can use the code type search functions with files written in C#, C, C++, Java, and Visual Basic.NET.

• You can use proximity operators like NEAR, BEFORE, and AFTER to search for files in the vicinity of a term.

• See also full details of the search syntax.

The search page shows a list of the matching code files. The selected file has all instances of the search string highlighted (only the first 100 hits are highlighted).

If you see a list of work items, ensure that Code is selected in the top left.

Sort the results as you need using the drop-down list of properties, or by relevance.

Open the search results in a new browser tab from either search box by pressing Ctrl + Enter. In Google Chrome and Firefox press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to switch the focus to the new browser tab.

Try assembling more complex search strings using the operators and functions listed in the handy drop-down list. Select the filter function or code type you want to include in your search string from the list. Then, enter the criteria value.

• You can find all instances of "ToDo" comments in your code simply by selecting comment: and typing todo.

• You can search in specific locations, such as within a particular path, by using a search string such as Driver path:MyShuttle/Server.

• You can search for files by name, such as Driver file:GreenCabs.cs, or just by file extension. For example, the search string error ext:resx could be useful when you want to review all error strings in your code. But, even if your plain text search string (without specific file-type functions) matches part of a filename, the file appears in the list of found files.

• You can combine two or more words by using Boolean operators; for example, validate OR release.

• You can find an exact match to a set of words by enclosing your search terms in double-quotes. For example, "Client not found".

• You can use the code type search functions with files written in C#, C, C++, Java, and Visual Basic.NET.

• See also full details of the search syntax.

The search page shows a list of the matching code files. The selected file has all instances of the search string highlighted (only the first 100 hits are highlighted).

If you see a list of work items, ensure that Code is selected in the top left.

Sort the results as you need using the drop-down list of properties, or by relevance.

Open the search results in a new browser tab from either search box by pressing Ctrl + Enter. In Google Chrome and Firefox press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to switch the focus to the new browser tab.

Try assembling more complex search strings using the operators and functions listed in the handy drop-down list. Select the filter function or code type you want to include in your search string from the list. Then, enter the criteria value.

• You can find all instances of "ToDo" comments in your code simply by selecting comment: and typing todo.

• You can search in specific locations, such as within a particular path, by using a search string such as Driver path:MyShuttle/Server.

• You can search for files by name, such as Driver file:GreenCabs.cs, or just by file extension. For example, the search string error ext:resx could be useful when you want to review all error strings in your code. But, even if your plain text search string (without specific file-type functions) matches part of a filename, the file appears in the list of found files.

• You can combine two or more words by using Boolean operators; for example, validate OR release.

• You can find an exact match to a set of words by enclosing your search terms in double-quotes. For example, "Client not found".

• You can use the code type search functions with files written in C#, C, C++, Java, and Visual Basic.NET.

• See also full details of the search syntax.