Queries on parent link help

[Bea Tea]

I would like to load all Epics of Project A with a "parent link" that is not in Project A. Is there a way to query on a parent link project name?

[Chris Buzon]

I don't believe there is a way to do that directly in JQL without an addon, or without using a hard-coded set of tickets in the query (in that case, the function  portfolioChildIssueOf might be what you need) - however you can kind of cheat a bit if you really need this info without an addon and without the hardcoded query (I don't many suggestion for this, except Structure, which is a great add-on that can probably do it, and scriptrunner, which can almost certainly do it with some work)

Using the Issue Statistics gadget (on a dashboard) you can look at all the tickets where parent link is not empty, then use Project as the sorting statistic type.  That will show you all the projects, and you can see which are not Project A.  You won't be able to use that info in a query, but does show you what isn't in Project A.

If you need to do this in other ways, you could write an automation rule (or set of rules) that labels (or otherwise adds a value to a field) that indicates the Project it's in, then query against that field and exclude Project A.
This is an ugly hack.  I don't suggest doing this, there are all sorts of difficult problems with it - including detecting the project in parent link, populating the list of projects parent link refers to, and then maintaining the rule.  You're pretty much trading one problem for several other problems.  So, seriously - don't do this unless you have no other choice and understand the frustration and terrible precedent this would set.

Some of the other users here might have an idea of a better way to approach the problem.

[Bea Tea]

Thanks for the help @Chris Buzon it does not seem like there's an obvious solution out of the box :(

Do you happen to know if there are certain query parameters I can experiment involving "Parent Link"?

[Chris Buzon]

Yup, it's essentially the same as Epic Link
(found here: https://support.atlassian.com/jira-software-cloud/docs/advanced-search-reference-jql-fields/  )

You can't use both (meaning if epic link is used, parent link is disabled).  Also worth noting that this exact topic is changing sometime very soon, parent link and epic link are both being changed to 'parent' for a more consistent approach all through the hierarchy of issue types.

[aswathi.jc]

I see a field called parentProject now, that may help (if I understand the original question in this post, i.e.).

When I use
project = ProjectA and parentProject != ProjectA in JQL,
it returns all issues in ProjectA whose parent is either empty or not in ProjectA.

When I tweak it further to
project = ProjectA and issuetype = Epic and parent is not empty and parentProject != ProjectA
The data I get have all Epics in ProjectA that have a parent outside of ProjectA.

I'm not sure this is what the original post was asking about. But thought I'd share because I was looking at a way get to all issues in a project that have a parent in another project, and the above JQLs helped me get the data.

[Ste Wright]

Hi @Bea Tea 

Just to confirm you are looking to create a JQL query that will show you...

• All Epics in Project A...
• ...that have a direct Parent which is not in Project A?

...is this correct?

If yes, this isn't possible with native JQL - but there are a few options...

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Option 1 - Apps

There are Apps which extend the available JQL functions in Jira - including...

• JQL Search Extensions for Jira
• Enhanced Search
• ...or another App from the Marketplace

^ These Apps might provide a function which allows for the sub-query you're looking to add (i.e what Project the Parent Link is in).

For example, using "JQL Search Extensions", you could fulfil your query using this JQL:

project = "Project A" AND issue in childrenOfIssuesInQuery("project != 'Project A'")

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Option 2 - Automation

You could use Automation to put a label, or a custom field value, onto the Epic-level listing the Project it is in? That way, you can refer to this metadata in the JQL query - removing the need for a sub-query, and making it possible to do using native functionality.

Admittedly though, this isn't as simple as other Parent/Child relationships like Epic, Sub-task, etc - as the functions for Parent Link are not available, so you have to create them.

This question's answers should point you in the right direction for how to do this :)

---

Let us know what you think!

Ste

[Bea Tea]

@Ste Wright thanks for all your help. Yes that is what I was trying to do but don't have authority to enable plugins and such from the marketplace.

[Ste Wright]

Hi @Bea Tea 

I'd recommend looking into Automation as an option then.

This is native to Jira Cloud, so would not require an additional installation :)

Ste

[Ste Wright]

Hi @Bea Tea 

I did some more research and found an Automation Rule that should work for this!

Prerequisite

• You'll need a Custom Field for the information to be placed in
• I created a Single-line text field - for this example, the field is called "Parent Project"
• This field should not need to be on the Screen

---

Automation Rule

• Trigger: Field Value Changed
  • Field = Parent Link
  • Change Type = Any changes to the field value
• Condition: Issue Fields Condition
  • Field = Issue Type
  • Condition = equals
  • Value = Epic
• Condition: If/Else Block
  • IF...
    • Sub-Condition: Advanced Compare Condition
      • First Value = {{issue.Parent Link}}
      • Condition = does not equal
      • Second Value = "Empty" - just leave the box empty
    • Sub-Action: Edit Issue
      • Field = Parent Project
        • Value = {{issue.Parent Link.project.name}}
  • ELSE-IF...
    • Sub-Condition: Advanced Compare Condition
      • First Value = {{issue.Parent Link}}
      • Condition = equals
      • Second Value = "Empty" - just leave the box empty
    • Sub-Action: Edit Issue
      • Field = Parent Project
        • Value = "Empty" - just leave the box empty

---

Notes

• I've used the If/Else Block Condition, to cater for both a new parent being added, or the parent being removed
• Any field marked "Empty" should just be left blank - you don't need to put anything in the box
• Values like {{issue.Parent Link}} are smart values - they dynamically reference an Issue, in this case the parent of an Epic.

---

Scheduled Version

• This rule will run each time a Parent Link is modified - for current Epics with Parent Links, you could run a one-off Scheduled Trigger to update them. You'll only need to run the rule once, then deactivate/delete it.
  • For the Schedule rule...
    • Remove the Field Value Changed Trigger, and the first Issue Fields Condition
    • Add the Trigger = Scheduled
      • Time Periods = These can be anything, as you'll run this rule manually using the "Run Rule" button
      • Run a JQL search... = Check the box to CHECKED/TRUE
      • JQL = issuetype = Epic
    • Publish the rule, and run it manually using the "Run Rule" button
    • Deactivate/delete the rule once complete

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Results

Once you've activated this rule, and run the Scheduled version, you can then use the field at Epic-level in your JQL query:

project = "Project A" AND issuetype = Epic AND "Parent Link" is not EMPTY and "Parent Project" !~ "Project A"

And you should get the results you need!

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Let us know if this works for you :)

Ste