How to restrict a user to editing a custom field only once

[kalaimani]

Hi ,

In my project, the status available are Backlog, In Progress, Selected for Development, and Done. When I move an issue to the In Progress status, I edit a specific field called 'Resolve Date.

Once the field is edited and the status is changed, no one should be able to edit the field again, even if someone moves it back to In Progress. How can I achieve this?

[Walter Buggenhout · Accepted solution]

Hi @kalaimani,

If your project is company managed, you can use the flexibility of your project screens to deal with this. Your project screen configuration allows you to set up 3 different screens per issue type to create, edit and view issues. If you only put your resolve date custom field on the screen for viewing your issue, it will no longer be editable.

The only thing you need to do, is add a transition screen to the transition that goes from backlog to in progress, having your field on it - I would also recommend putting a validator on that transition as well so it becomes required to fill out the field. That way users will be required to set the field at that point, as it will no longer be possible to do so anywhere else.

The only way the field might be edited again, is if you allow people to move the issue back into the backlog status. That is, however, something you can control by designing your workflow as needed; I am quite convinced that it is not a bad thing that you still keep a path open to update the field in case of emergency (whatever that may be) - people do tend to make mistakes and are happy if they can be corrected ...

Hope this helps! 

[kalaimani]

I used a screen to make it work. I removed it from the default edit screen and created a separate screen for the transition. I also set up automation, and it's functioning as I expected.

[Stephen_Lugton]

@kalaimani depending on how you define and set 'Resolve Date' you could create an automation which triggers when you change status to In Progress that fills in 'Resolve Date' if it is empty.

If you also follow @Walter Buggenhout's suggestion about removing the field from the edit screen, you will then not need to edit the field yourself and no-one else can edit it without re-adding the field to the edit screen.

[kalaimani]

Hi @Stephen_Lugton @Walter Buggenhout 

Yes, I tried that earlier, but my challenge is that when users create an issue, they set the Resolve Date. Then, when the issue moves to In Progress, they can edit it. Once it moves to another status, it becomes non-editable mode.

Yes It is  company managed

[Stephen_Lugton]

I don't think that you can do that set up out of the box in Jira; a field is either editable or not.

However there may be an app on the marketplace that will help with this, you can have a look there and see if you can find anything suitable.

[kalaimani]

Thanks @Stephen_Lugton