Replacing variables in an angular app using Replace Token extension.

In this post, I am going to talk about the Replace Tokens extension, which I have found to be useful for dynamically replace values at build time. For instance, I have used it to display the build number which comes from azure build pipelines in an angular application.

Making the build number readily available to both programmers and non programmers such as business system analysts (BSA) and end users has a couple of benefits. For instance, by displaying the build number in the app, the analysts can quickly tell whether they are testing the expected build after a deployment. As a developer, I often find myself wondering why certain features work on one environment and not the other. Seeing the build number in the app allows me to quickly check whether an issue has to do with the codes or the environment.

Azure Devops provides an easy way to assemble the build number. You can see the options to edit the build number in your build pipelines, under the Options tab.

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