Create Issue: Change the Issue Type in the Create Issue Mask is not possible

[Elke Perner]

Hello everybody,

we have a big problem, if we want to create an Issue, we click on Create Issue and the mask appears. But if we want to change the default issue type to another issue type in the list, it's not possible.

The mask does always reset to the default issue type?

Is this maybe a known Bug of Jira Version 5 or is this a configuration fault by ourself?

Best Regards

Elke

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist- · Accepted solution]

It's not a bug, it's the way it's designed. You shouldn't be able to change issue type on Create - the whole point of the prompts you see before the main screen are for your users to select the right project and issue type.

The reason is simple - ALL the configuration is hung off the issue type. Jira has to know what issue type you want before it can even display the screen to ask you to enter details. Let alone the field configurations and mandatory fields, workflow, custom fields, relevant contexts for custom fields determining their possible contents, and so-on.

[Martin Buchleitner]

That could not be valid. Why should there be a combobox to switch between projects and issue types at the dialog. It is possible to select another projects, but it is not possible to select any other issue type!

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

It's a nice theory, but you do understand that the coding would be a nightmare? Every time a user changes and issue type on the create screen, you'd have to go back and re-build the entire screen, working out every field setup again. That's a lot of work for both developers and the browser, it's far more efficent to prompt the user for project and issue-type.

In a real life analogy, you decide you're going shopping for food. You go into the supermarket (the project) and head to the cheese counter (issue type). Then you change your mind and say "tea". You're now asking the supermarket to replace the entire cheese section in front of you with shelves containing tea - different brands, different prices, different products. Possible, but a lot of work, and it's far more easy for you to simply go to the tea aisle.

What I'm getting at is that the issue-type is structural and hence difficult to change on demand because of everything hanging off it.

[Martin Buchleitner]

Sure I understand - but at the point of view of usability this is a nightmare!!!

The user has a combobox which is enabled and he can select values but the change is not done.

Is it possible to lock/disable the combobox so that it is not possible to change the issue type?

The normal user will create 99% the default issue type. But we are in going into a preview with key users and they are going to try this change...

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

It shouldn't be showing you any issue type box on create at all, that doesn't sound right (also, it's not a "combo box", it's a select list, so if you've got a combo-box, I'm misunderstanding something)

It should be easy to fix though - go to the "screen" you're using for "create issue" and remove "issue type"

[Martin Buchleitner]

yeah - select list ...

we do not use the issue type on our screens - it is *always* displayed ... and seperated from the screen with a horizontal ruler

The create dialog is shown as follows:

Project: [ select list of project ]

Issue Type: [ Issue types of project x ]

--------------------------------------

our designed screen follows...

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Sorry, I've misled you. I was looking at version 4.x, not 5.

5 DOES implement a lot of the "move supermarket around" stuff, but not all of it. It can cope with you choosing a different issue type, as long as the issue type is SIMILAR to the one you initially selected. If it's too different, then it won't let you select it. That's based on the workflows and field configurations you're using.

Going back to the supermarket analogy, and stretching it badly: Cheese is cut up and eaten, tea involves hot water and drinking. Jira won't let you jump from Tea to Cheese because they're too different. But it will let you go from Tea to Coffee.

I think that's what you're running into - you've got different workflows for your different issue types, and Jira won't handle the structural change on the create (or edit) screens. So it's improved on v4, but it's still not allowing completely open changes

[Martin Buchleitner]

Yes and no ;) Just go on detail and not just theory:

We have a "group of issue types" which are maintenance related items: release, hotfix, patch.
The release screen is just defined by text field summary, hotfix screen is summary and a select list of releases, patches screen extends the hotfix screen with a select list of hotfix of selected release x..

These 3 issue types have the same workflow, the same field configuration - they are just seperated by different screens.

And we can not switch between those ...

Is there any logging flag/property which can be enable to get on problem if it is a feature or a bug or just a misconfiguration by ourself?

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

No, I think you'll need to raise this with Atlassian support.

Before you do it though, I'd double check that the workflow scheme for the project and the field configurations. The workflow has to be the same for the issue types, and the field configurations have to be "compatible" (or, ideally, the same config for each issue type, then it can't argue with you. In fact, you could test that quickly if you're using different configs, because it's trivial to quickly swap field configs and then put them back). I'm not really sure what "compatible" means though - probably the same shown/hidden fields at least.

[Martin Buchleitner]

Thanks for clearing this ...

we already tried this - step by step we changed the customizations of a projects back to default values. We ended up with a default project configuration ...

[Martin Buchleitner]

We were able to find some details:

if you press the create button, the validators avoid the creation of an issue.

Afterwards you can switch the issue type once.