Correct Resolution Mention Syntax for Setting Azure Boards Bug 123 to Resolved in a Commit Message

AZ-400 By islever Editorial Last updated

Design and implement traceability and flow of work

Short answer

D Resolves #123 puts a supported keyword before the plain work item ID, the documented mention syntax; #123 fixed reverses the order and is ignored.

Question

You manage a project by using Azure Boards, and you manage the project code by using Azure Repos. You have a bug work item that has an ID of 123. You need to set the work item state to Resolved. What should you add to the commit message?
  1. #123 fixed
  2. #123 Resolved-
  3. Verifies #123-
  4. Resolves #123- Correct Answer

Key Takeaways

The supported resolution mentions put the keyword first and the plain work item ID second, as in Resolves #123, so the mention parses and Azure Boards moves the bug to Resolved. Writing the keyword after the ID reverses the required order and the mention is not recognized.

A project uses Azure Boards with code in Azure Repos, and bug work item 123 must be set to the Resolved state through the commit message. Azure Repos resolves state from a supported keyword placed before the work item reference, so both the keyword and its position determine whether the mention resolves at all.

Common mistake: Writing the keyword after the work item ID, as in #123 fixed, and assuming that because the ID and a resolution word are both present the mention will resolve. The parser expects the keyword first, so the reversed form is ignored and the work item state is never changed.

Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

Azure Repos resolution mentions have a required structure: a supported keyword followed by the plain work item ID. Resolves #123 matches that structure exactly, so the parser recognizes the mention and Azure Boards sets bug 123 to Resolved. This is consistent with how the same mechanism is expressed in the companion question, where the keyword Fixes precedes the ID. The community vote was 80 for A and 20 for D, and Dankho, who initially favored A, corrected to D in the same thread after listing the supported keyword set from the documentation, noting that Resolves does exist as a resolution keyword.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

The message #123 fixed (A), which took 80 of the 100 votes, places the keyword after the work item ID. Mattt, who selected A, acknowledged the defect in the same breath by saying it is correct but that the fixed 123 form is displayed in the wrong format, which is an admission that the syntax is not the documented one. Because the mention parser expects keyword first and ID second, the reversed form does not create the association and the bug state is not changed. Verifies #123- (C) uses a keyword that is not among the supported resolution keywords, so it never triggers a state change regardless of position. The message #123 Resolved- (B) has the same reversed structure as option A and additionally appends a stray hyphen, so it fails for the same reason.

Community Comment Notes

This question produced a genuine community error worth flagging. tratratra selected A and cited the resolution-mentions documentation, but the syntax in A contradicts that documentation, since the documented forms put the keyword first. Dankho initially made the same choice and then reversed to D within the thread, listing the supported keywords for resolving or closing a work item, which is the correct reasoning. Mattt's comment is the most honest: it names A as correct while simultaneously flagging the wrong format, which shows the community read the intent rather than the syntax. The documentation-supported answer is D.

Official Reference

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/resolution-mentions?view=azure-devops

This link opens the official vendor documentation in a new tab.

Community Votes

A
80%
D
20%

80% of anonymous learners picked answer A. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.

Discussion 6 contributions

Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.

From public community threads 6

  1. tratratra 👍 2 Answered A
    A. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/resolution-mentions?view=azure-devops
  2. Dankho 👍 1 Answered D
    Nevermind, going with D since that keyword does exist. Supported Keywords for Commit Messages These keywords can be used to link a commit to a work item and/or update its state: To Resolve or Close a Work Item (Sets the State to Resolved or Closed): Resolves Resolve Resolved Fixes Fix Fixed Closes Close Closed
  3. Mattt 👍 1 Answered A
    A is correct But it is fixes 123 which is displayed in wrong format
  4. Christian_garcia_martin 👍 5
    D. Resolves #123-
  5. Dankho 👍 1 Answered A
    A but wrong order.
Show 1 more comment
  1. MrAZ105 👍 1
    D is correct

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