Theme-aware multiline plain text fields for Azure DevOps work items. No more one-line truncation.

Why

Azure DevOps renders multiline plainText custom fields as a single truncated line on the work item form. Tall Text renders the full text in a properly sized box that matches your theme, dark or light.

Status

Shipped. 1.0.0 is live on the Visual Studio Marketplace. See docs/plans-completed/tall-text-v1.md for the build history and roadmap.

Control inputs

Input	Type	Default	Purpose
Field	plainText work item field	required	The field this control displays and edits.
Rows	number	6	Visible rows when expanded (2 to 40).
HelpText	string	empty	Optional hint rendered under the box.
Watermark	string	empty	Placeholder shown when the field is empty.
ReadOnly	boolean	false	Render the field display-only regardless of work item state.

ReadOnly text stays selectable and copyable.

Local build

npm install
npm run build      # bundle to dist/control.js
npm run typecheck  # tsc, no emit
npm run package    # build + create .vsix via tfx

Provenance

Tall Text is an independent clean-room implementation. It shares no code with any prior marketplace extension.

Version History

Version	Date	Description
1.0.0	2026-06-15	Initial public release: theme-aware multiline plainText control with Rows, HelpText, Watermark, and ReadOnly inputs, empty-state collapse, drag-to-resize, and field-type guards.