Jira Administration - Custom Fields & Screens

Jira has a complex administration concepts. Performing Jira admin tasks without understanding the complete flow leads to mistakes. In this post, I'm explaining how the Custom Fields are created and how to link it to project screens.

Creating custom fields
Let's assume you get a request to create a custom field "Severity". Check whether this custom field is already existing by

• Login to Jira -> Administration -> Issue Fields -> Custom Fields

If it is not available, create it straight away

• Login to Jira -> Administration -> Issue Fields -> Custom Fields -> Add custom Field -> Choose the field type -> Provide field name, search template, etc , applicable issue types, Applicable context.

   Custom Field Context

        The custom field which we created can be associated to all issues by selecting "Global context" or to specific projects. Depending on the usability of the custom field make it either global or project specific.

If the custom field is already exist, then try to reuse it.

Screens

Screens group multiple issue fields. Using Screens, you can control which fields are displayed. You can also split fields on a Screen into multiple tabs.

Configuring/Adding screens

• Login to Jira -> Administration -> Issue Fields -> Screens

You can define/edit screens with the above steps. 

How the screens relates to a project ?  [Screen -> Screen Schemes -> Issue Type screen schemes]

  A Screen Scheme allows you to choose which Screen will be shown to a JIRA user when they perform a particular issue operation (like Create Issue, Edit Issue, View Issue). You can specify the same screen for each of these issue operations, or choose different screens for each operation.

Creating/Configuring Screen schemes

• Login to Jira -> Administration -> Issue Fields -> Screen Schemes -> 

Here associate an Issue operation to a screen.

Linking screen scheme to projects

To activate a Screen Scheme, you need to associate it with one or more projects and issue types, using Issue Type Screen Schemes

An Issue Type Screen Scheme associates a Screen Scheme with issue types, allowing you to specify different Screens for the same operation (e.g. 'Create Issue') in the same project for issues of different types.

Create/Edit Issue Type Screen Schemes

• Login to Jira -> Administration -> Issue Fields ->  Issue Type Screen Schemes

The configuration of an Issue Type Screen Scheme involves associating an issue type(s) with a particular Screen Scheme. For example, associating the 'Bug' issue type with the 'Default Screen Scheme' and then associating the 'Improvement' issue type with the 'Improvement Screen Scheme'.

Associating an Issue Type Screen Scheme with a Project: Login to Jira -> Administration -> Select the project of interest -> Issue Type Screen Scheme -> Associate


How to add a Custom field to a screen ?
Find out the "Issue type screen scheme" your project is using Jira -> Administration -> Select the project of interest -> Issue Type Screen Scheme  -> Edit ( Here you will get to know about your screen scheme) -> Click your screen scheme [It will list the screens ]-> Select the screen -> Add Field  -> Add

Is your new custom field still not showing up on the desired screen ?

• Check  whether the field is hidden in Field configuration

           Login to Jira -> Administration -> Issue Fields -> Field configurations  -> Click configure of the desired field configuration scheme -> It will list all the fields for your project -> If the needed field is hidden, then click 'show' 

• Check whether your custom field context is restricted to specific projects 

     Login to Jira -> Administration -> Issue Fields -> Custom Fields -> Choose the custom field of interest -> Configure -> Edit Configuration -> Choose applicable context. 

      If it is restricted to specific project, then you can 

1. Add your project also
2. Or change it to 'Global context'

        Be careful and don’t configure a existing custom field to a project. This will then limit the custom field only to that project, removing it's visibility on other available screens.

How to know which projects/screens use a given custom field ?

  Login to Jira -> Administration -> Issue Fields -> Custom Fields -> Choose the custom field of interest  

 If the custom field 'Available context' shows any project, then it is restricted to that project. If no projects is listed in 'Available context', then look at the screens it is associated. A screen will be associated to a project through Screens -> Screen Schemes -> issue type screen schemes