Changing Jira JQL on existing filter

[Edmondo Porcu]

Dear all,

when I try to change an existing Jira filter Query, the query is not saved. If I try to save as the filter with the same name it has to overwrite it, I get an error because a filter with the same name already exist.

Any suggestions?

Best Regards

[Nadia Agueeva · Accepted solution]

After you finish editing the JQL of an existing filter, manually hit "Enter". Then you will see at the top (next to the filter's name), the button will be changed to "Save". Click the "Save" button to save your changes.

[Dave]

omg -- i have to come here every time we start a new sprint to relearn this!

[Földes László]

The user interface is misleading. JIRA will try to detect if the JQL is valid, after each keystroke, therefore the user is trained to expect changes after each keystroke. This way the Save button should appear immediately a change is detected (a _valid_ change)

[Deleted user]

Made an account just to post that Jira's UI design is so terrible! Would it be so hard to just have a Save button next to the Save As button? 

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

<sigh> Because you don't need it.  See the accepted answer

[Andrew Kipfer]

<sigh> "Because you don't need it" is not an acceptable excuse for terrible UI design. When people have to google to find out how to use a UI, especially for something as simple as saving changes, there is definitely a problem.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

So, you're saying you should clutter up an existing display with a button that does nothing?  Really?  That does not sound like an acceptable design at all, it just wastes space and makes your users look dumb.

[Devin]

OK, how about changing the button to Save if the user changes the query? Why force users to google the ridiculous requirement that you press enter to Save? Or how about allowing Save As to overwrite an existing query if the user wants too...the existing design is not good, and better options are out there. 

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

That would let you save broken filters, and doesn't give you the chance to check you're getting what you want.  That would be broken then.

[Michael Sheehan]

@Nic Brough [Adaptavist] Looks like you didn't check the UX on this issue. If you enter an invalid query (ex: Error in the JQL Query: Expecting ',' but got 'xyz'. (line 1, character 66)) the Save as button changes to Save and is clickable. However, if you click Save it will not save the filter. The filter will still be the same as before breaking it and clicking Save. Therefore the points a user needs to hit Enter to make sure the query works and in order not to treat the user as dumb are invalid because now there's a button the user can click that does nothing. If the query is broken then the Save button should not be clickable.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

<sigh> that's what I said.

[Michael Sheehan]

You basically said it is not acceptable to "clutter up an existing display with a button that does nothing", yet the Save button you get after pressing Enter does nothing. Therefore JIRA has, according to you and me an unacceptable design. I think, along with several other people here, that pressing Enter should not be required and serves no purpose if we get a Save button that does nothing.

[Chris Monkiewicz]

By the way, the interface is horrible. Something as obvious as how to save a filter shouldn't take 5 mins of googling to figure out.

To clarify, I'm referring to having to hit "enter" to have "save as" change to "save"

[Terry Harple]

May 2018 and 4th company with Jira, and I still had to google to figure out how to change the JQL of an existing filter. NIce UI.  Makes me wish for an open source alternative.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

So you go to a filter, edit it, run it to ensure it is valid, and click "save".  I am not sure there's a way to make that easier.

I would however agree that greying out the "save" button without explicitly telling you that the filter is invalid is not right for most users.

[Mike Curwen NL]

Despite the <sigh>'s , thought I'd "me too" on this.   I've actually used JIRA since v1 and I'm not a dummy (or so I thought).  Why would I have to google (not expecting to find anything) to find out how to Save?!?

Also "hit enter" doesn't work in all cases.  I've got a filter that I made a copy of, and I highlight and start to change the project name. JIRA gives me a drop down of one possible match. I down arrow and hit Enter.  Ok, I've hit Enter. Where's my Save button?  Oh, that Enter was for the autocomplete. Now I have to hit Enter again.  

Yeah, this is a super UX.   Can JIRA please just get smarter?

[Stijn Verrept]

This is very user unfriendly!  Incredible that I need to use Google in order to find the solution to something as simple as wanting to save a filter.

[Alex Tabrizi]

I have the same issue, when I try to save as an existing Jira filter Query, the query is not saved. It tells me "Filter with same name already exists." but I can't find it anywhere even when I searh for it and YES this is my own filter. I was creating these filters when Jira crashed. so I think it is somewhere maybe in DB but corrupted! how can U delete or recover?

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Um, how do you know it's your filter if you can't see it? (I mean the filter that's blocking you from creating the new one)

If you have access to the database, have a look in the table searchrequest. Do NOT try to do anything clever in there, keep any changes as simple as possible - just make sure the filter(s) you find have a name and the right owner. Anything more complex than that could do a lot more harm than good (ALWAYS back up before you touch a Jira database, and in most cases, you should not have Jira running if you're doing updates)

[Alex Tabrizi]

Thanks for your reply Nic,

I created these filters myself (I have sys-admin rights). Very Simple filter (fixVersion = "3.8.0" ORDER BY priority). Here are steps how this happened:

1. I created a new JQL query (fixVersion = "3.8.0" ORDER BY priority) and tried to save it as "Alex1"
2. When I clicked Save, it crashed and gave me Java dump screen
3. I went back to the search screen and redid my work in step 1
4. When I try to save as "Alex1", it said "Filter with same name already exists."
5. So I tried "Alex2" and it crashed and gave me Java dump screen again
6. logout of jira and cleared my cash and cookie and closed my browser (chrome)
7. Login to Jira again and redid my work in step1
8. When I try to save as "Alex1" or "Alex2", it said "Filter with same name already exists."
9. So I tried "Alex3" and it crashed and gave me Java dump screen again (frustrating)

None of the new fiters (Alex1, Alex2, or Alex3) shows up under my filters or filter search screen

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Ok, that wasn't clear before. Yes, it sounds like corruption, but you're looking in the wrong place. You need to fix the crash before you can worry about rescuing the data. It's quite likely that when you try to save each of the new ones, it's hitting the same problem and that's why it can't deal with the previously existing filter.

What does the first few lines of the crash say? (Generally Java dumps are very long, but most humans only need the first 2-3 lines and the rest is for developers only)

[Frank Choquet]

I have the same issue - i'm stuck - i can't edit the JQL because it won't let me 'save as' the same name

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

That's correct - it's not your filter, so you can't edit it, or save it with a duplicated name.

[Alex Tabrizi]

I have the same issue, when I try to save as an existing Jira filter Query, the query is not saved. It tells me "Filter with same name already exists." but I can't find it anywhere even when I searh for it and YES this is my own filter. I was creating these filters when Jira crashed. so I think it is somewhere maybe in DB but corrupted! how can U delete or recover?

[Renjith Pillai]

Screenshots please (while trying to save) (full browser)

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Do you own the filter, or is it someone else's?

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Hmm. Ok, is the JQL valid? If so, then I'm afraid I'm out of ideas, as you should be able to edit and save this fine. I'd be tempted to read the log to find out what's going on, but you're OnDemand, so it's quite likely that you'll need to raise this with Atlassian support instead.

[Edmondo Porcu]

I do own it

[Alex Tabrizi]

I have the same issue, when I try to save as an existing Jira filter Query, the query is not saved. It tells me "Filter with same name already exists." but I can't find it anywhere even when I searh for it and YES this is my own filter. I was creating these filters when Jira crashed. so I think it is somewhere maybe in DB but corrupted! how can U delete or recover?