Changing the behaviour of fields

A Field Configuration provides the ability to change field behaviour. A Field Configuration specifies:

• the description that appears under each field when an issue is edited
• whether each field is hidden or visible
• whether each field is required (i.e. the field will be validated to ensure it has been given a value) or optional
• (for text fields only) which renderer to use

Please note that in the Enterprise edition of JIRA it is possible to create multiple Field Configurations (see below). You can then associate different Field Configurations with different issue types by creating a Field Configuration Scheme. Once created, a Field Configuration Scheme can be associated with one or more projects, allowing you to control field behaviour on a per project, per issue type basis.

In the Standard and Professional editions of JIRA, only one Field Configuration exists. This Field Configuration applies to all projects and all issue types in the system.

To change the behaviour of fields, you first need to navigate to the Field Configuration. The way this is done depends on the edition of JIRA:

1. Log in as a user with the 'JIRA Administrators' global permission.

2. Bring up the administration page by clicking either the 'Administration' link on the top bar or the title of the Administration box on the dashboard:

   

3. For Standard and Professional editions:
   Click the "Issue Fields" sub-menu on the left-hand column, and choose "Issue Fields" from the list.

   

   For Enterprise edition:
   Click the "Issue Fields" sub-menu on the left-hand column, and choose "Field Configurations" from the list. Select the Field Configuration of interest.

   
4. This will bring you to the "View Field Configuration" page.

The "View Field Configuration" page lists all system and custom fields in a table as shown below. The "Operations" column lists all the operations that are available for each field. These operations could be:

• Edit — change the field's description
• Hide/Show — hide the field from view or show it
• Require/Optional — set a field to be required (so that whenever a field is edited it must be given a value) or optional.
• Renderers — change a field's renderer (see Configuring Renderers for more information).

Editing a Field's Description

Fields can be given descriptions to better identify the meaning of the field. These descriptions are usually displayed under the field on the creation of an issue and whenever it is edited. An example of this, is shown below.

To edit the description of a field:

1. On the "View Field Configuration" page, click on the "Edit" link next to the field you want to change. This will bring you to the "Edit Field Description" page.
2. On this page you can edit the field's description
3. Press the "Update" button.

Hiding/Showing a field

If your organisation or project has no use for a particular field, you have the option to hide it. Hiding a field will ensure that the the field does not appear on any Screens (i.e. issue operation Screens, workflow transition Screens) where the Field Configuration applies.

Hiding a field in the Field Configuration is distinct from not adding a field to a Screen. Fields hidden through the Field Configuration will be hidden in all applicable Screens, regardless of whether or not they have been added to the Screen.

To hide a field:

1. On the "View Field Configuration" page, click the "Hide" link next to a field you no longer want. The field will then fade to grey to signify that it has been hidden.
2. As per the image above, the "Environment" field has been hidden. You can make this field visible again anytime by pressing on the "Show" link.

Required/Optional fields

Certain fields within your organisation may be compulsory for issues. In this case you can set a field to be required, so that JIRA validates that the field has been given a value whenever an issue is edited. If a required field has not been given a value, JIRA will return an error informing the user that the field should be filled, e.g.:

To make a field required:

1. On the "View Field Configuration" page, click the "Required" link next to the appropriate field. The text "Required" will appear next to the field.
2. As per the image above, the "Fix Versions" field has been made required. You can make this field optional again anytime by pressing on the "Optional" link.

Renderers

The "View Field Configuration" page indicates which renderers are currently enabled for all renderable fields.

In the above screenshot you will notice the grey text '[Wiki Style Renderer]' under the Description field's name. This indicates that the field is currently configured to use the Atlassian Wiki Renderer. The grey text '[Default Text Renderer]' under the Comment field's name indicates that the field is currently configured to use the Default Text Renderer.

To change the renderer type for a specific field, click on the 'Renderers' link in the 'Operations' column of the screen for the field you want to change. This will take you to a page where you will have the option to select a renderer from all configured and available renderers.

As shown above, this page will warn you if there are issues that will be affected by the change. If no issues will be affected then the warning does not show. From this page, choose the renderer you wish to use and click 'Update'. You are then presented with a confirmation page, shown below.

Click the "Update" button to finish setting the new renderer on the field.

In Enterprise edition it is possible to create multiple field configurations for use on separate projects and issue types. Multiple field configurations are organised into Field Configuration Schemes based on issue type. A scheme can be associated with one or more projects, allowing administrators to control fields on per project per issue type basis.

Therefore, in the Enterprise edition it is possible to create, edit, delete and copy field configurations. All these operations are available from the "View Field Configuration" page. To navigate to this page:

1. Log in as a user with the 'JIRA Administrators' global permission.

2. Bring up the administration page by clicking either the 'Administration' link on the top bar or the title of the Administration box on the dashboard:

   

3. Click the "Issue Fields" sub-menu on the left-hand column, and choose "Field Configurations" from the list.
4. You will now see a list of all your current field configurations.
   

Default Field Configuration

When JIRA Enterprise is installed only the Default Field Configuration is created. All new projects are associated with this configuration. This configuration is also used for projects that are not associated with a Field Configuration Scheme.

Adding a Field Configuration

1. The "Add" new field configuration form is located at the bottom of the "View Field Configuration" page
2. Enter the name of the new configuration on this form.
3. You can optionally add a description to this configuration for better identification.
4. Click on the "Add" button to submit the form. The page will be automatically updated with your new field configuration added.

Editing a Field Configuration

1. On the "View Field Configuration" page, click the "Edit" link next to the desired field configuration.
2. You will now see the "Edit Field Configuration" page. Here it is possible to edit the configuration name and description.
3. Click on the "Update" button.
4. On completion you will be returned to the page where you can view your changes.

Deleting a Field Configuration

1. On the "View Field Configuration" page, click the "Delete" link next to the desired field configuration.
2. Click the "Delete" button to confirm this operation.
3. The "View Field Configuration" page will now show the updated list of the field configurations.
   Note

   The Default Field Configuration cannot be deleted.
   Note

   In JIRA Enterprise edition, you can only delete a field configuration that is not associated with a Field Configuration Scheme.

Copying a Field Configuration

1. On the "View Field Configuration" page, click the "Copy" link next to the field configuration you wish to copy
2. This will bring you to the "Copy Field Configuration" page.
3. Enter the name and description of the new field configuration.
4. Click on the "Copy" button.
5. You will now be directed back the "View Field Configuration" page, with your new field configuration added to the list. The field settings on the original and the new field configurations will be identical.
   

To activate a Field Configuration in the Enterprise edition of JIRA: configure a Field Configuration Scheme to associate the Field Configuration with appropriate issue types; then associate the Field Configuration Scheme with a project. For details of both procedures, see 'Associating field behaviour with Issue Types'.

In the Standard and Professional editions of JIRA, only one Field Configuration exists. This Field Configuration applies to all projects and all issue types in the system, and is always active — no activation steps are required.