Can someone offer a comparison of the main JQL extenders?

[Kelly Arrey]

The most popular seem to be, in no particular order:

• JQL Search Extensions by AppFire
• JQL Tricks
• Enhanced Search by Adaptavist (this seems to be a subset of ScriptRunner)

Can anyone help to compare and contrast? Are there differences in ease of configuration and ease of use? Is the functionality approximately the same?

My most pressing use case at the moment is something like "Features in project XYZ which have a "belongs to" link to another XYZ Feature".

Thanks for any help you can offer.

Kel

[Romy Greenfield · Accepted solution]

Hi Kelly

Enhanced Search is the standalone version of the Enhanced Search feature that is available in ScriptRunner. We have issue link related functions you can see in our docs.

You can use the linkedIssuesOf function to find issues that are linked by the issue link type of 'belongs to' and specify a subquery within the function to narrow down the results to a project/specific issue type or any necessary JQL, similar to below:

issueFunction in linkedIssuesOf("issuetype = Features and project = "XYZ"", "belongs to")

Once you install Enhanced Search, you need to complete a one off synchronisation for all issues in your instance to add metadata our functions will rely on. Depending on how many issues are on your instance, this could take some time. However, we sync the most recent issues first, so you will be able to use our functions with the most recent data on your instance whilst the sync is in progress. 

We also have a helper modal that explains what each function does, and allows you to build out the functions parameter by parameter.

Hope this helps.

Regards, 

Romy

[Marco Brundel · Accepted solution]

Hi @Kelly Arrey 

With 'JQL Search Extensions by AppFire' and 'JQL Tricks' I personally have no experience.

With Scriptrunner it is and personally I find this app indispensable in a Jira environment. The large amount of tools/functions that Scriptrunner adds makes my job as an admin easier. The extra JQL functions are also nice.

In your use case the JQL issuefunction 'haslinktype' of scriptrunner is an option.

Example:
issuetype = Features AND project = XYZ AND issueFunction in hasLinkType(Belongs)

See also the documentation.

I hope my response is of some use to you. Regards, Marco

[mauricio.groth · Accepted solution]

Hi @Kelly Arrey 

Hope you are doing great!

JQL Search Extensions is a very mature product, built for large instances, and that covers almost any issue linking scenario. The app has an intuitive UI that connects the native JQL search bar to 50+ extensions and provides “auto complete” options to accelerate searches.

For example, you can use this query to find all the features in project XYZ which have a "belongs to" link to another XYZ Feature:

issue in linkedIssuesOfQuery("project=XYZ AND type = Feature", "belongs to") AND project = XYZ and type = Feature

Besides that, the app allows for instantly searching and filtering issues, generating reports and dashboards, and creating new automations. Also, our app is the only one in the market that has the Advanced Roadmaps Parent Link feature. 

Please note that we have created a support ticket https://jqlsearchextensions.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/portal/2/SEARCH-1089  in our portal, and we request you to sign in to the portal and let us know the username so that we can mark you as the reporter so that you will be able to access the ticket.

Find the below link to signup to the portal: 
https://jqlsearchextensions.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/portal/2

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Thanks,
Mauricio

[Kelly Arrey]

Thanks @mauricio.groth 

[Kelly Arrey · Accepted solution]

My experience is limited, but here's what I've learned so far. I've trialed all three. The one I like the best up to now is: 

• JQL Search Extensions by AppFire
  • One-time indexing completed with 24 hours with only a slight hiccup
  • a lot of functions and aliases to choose from
    • my favourite is `linkedIssuesOfQuery`, which supports queries like
      `issue in linkedIssuesOfQuery("project=ACME", "is blocked by")`
      
  • You can build filters using Extended Functions on the Apps -> JQL Search Extensions panel. You can then save those filters and use them in the Jira Advanced Search panel, e.g., `filter = myExtendedFilter`
    
    
• JQL Tricks
  • One-time indexing was ... inconclusive on our installation. It seemed to stall on multiple occasions. Support recommended that I re-index project by project. It was very time-consuming.
  • JQL Tricks supports fewer extensions than AppFire's add-on
  • operates from the Jira Advanced Search JQL panel, as opposed to a separate search panel - less complex, but less expressive
    
    
• Enhanced Search by Adaptavist
  • I tried this one a while ago and I found it to be a little more complicated to set up and use.
  • It does seem to be pretty flexible, much like AppFire
  • If you have ScriptRunner, this is included

HTH,

Kel

[Kelly Arrey]

Thanks @Romy Greenfield and @Marco Brundel. Does anyone have any experience with JQL Tricks or AppFire's JQL Search Extensions? Thanks again,