How do i link existing Epic issues with a csv file

[Kenert Künnapuu]

I have existing Jira Epic issues. 211 to be exact. I have defined the relationships between them in a google sheets document that i can export as a csv. I have two columns. Column A contains the "parent" and column B contains the "child" values are issueID-is.

Can and how i can use this CSV file to link all of these issues to each other. There are over 700 links that need to be made and I tried doing this in batches of 240. Import csv also requires a summary, i placed a dummy value in there since I am not creating any new issues. Just trying to link existing Epic-s to each other. 

When I try to do this, it gives me warnings. That some issues were not found. But i checked and all the issueID-s actually exist. So is there antoher/better way to go about this or is this even possible?

If i look at the detailided validation........ it tries to create new issues. But i already have all these issues. Can they be linked togheter?

[Marc - Devoteam]

Hi @Kenert Künnapuu 

Do you want to achieve a parent - child relation or an issue link relation?

Issue Id is for parent child relation and blocks is for an issue link relation.

For parent child relation, you need 3 columns in your csv, issue id, issue type and parent.

Also see the KB article on CSV import; import-data-from-a-csv-file 

Issue linking is done different, see; how-to-import-issue-links-from-a-csv-file-in-jira (the article says server/dc only, but the same applies for Cloud).

[Kenert Künnapuu]

I want to achive issue link relation. Blocks

[Marc - Devoteam]

Hi @Kenert Künnapuu 

Use the kb article: how-to-import-issue-links-from-a-csv-file-in-jira 

[Jim Knepley - ReleaseTEAM]

I think this is the right answer, but if it doesn't work because of the summary field requirement you can always roll your own with the issue link API.

[Kenert Künnapuu]

If go with the "how to import isse links from a csv file in jira" it creates new issues. My problem is that the issues already exist. And existing issues need to be linked

[Jim Knepley - ReleaseTEAM]

OK. This is quick-and-dirty, but this Python will read from a CSV file and link the issues in the abovementioned columns. You'll need to make changes to your own domain name and authentication.

import csv
import json

import requests

jira_api = requests.Session()
jira_api.headers.update({"Accept": "application/json", "Content-Type": "application/json"})
jira_api.auth = ("email", "api_token")
atlassian_domain = "your-domain.atlassian.net"

def link_issue(inward, outward, link_type="Blocks"):
    response = jira_api.request(
        "POST",
        f"https://{atlassian_domain}/rest/api/2/issueLink",
        data=json.dumps(
            {
                "inwardIssue": {"key": inward},
                "outwardIssue": {"key": outward},
                "type": {"name": link_type},
            }
        )
    )
    response.raise_for_status()

with open("links.csv") as links_csv:
    reader = csv.DictReader(links_csv)
    for line in reader:
        link_issue(line["IssueId"], line["Blocks"])
        print(f"{line["IssueId"]} > {line["Blocks"]}")

[Kenert Künnapuu]

Thank you for the script