New Story Rules

[Mark McFadden]

I created a new rule (New Story Rule). If the new item is a Story & the Description is blank then edit it to a default template I add.....

I have it enabled. Reset my window but when I hit create the default (not mine) Description template appears

[Trudy Claspill]

Hello @Mark McFadden 

Welcome to the Atlassian community.

You cannot use an Automation Rule to set default values for fields in the Create Issue dialog.

Automation Rules are triggered by the completion of an event. If you use the trigger Issue Created, then the rule does not execute until after the issue has been created (when the user clicks the Create button at the bottom of the Create Issue dialog).

What type of project are you working with? In a Team Managed project it is possible to set a default value for the Description field and that value will appear in the Create Issue dialog. It is not possible to do that for a Company Managed project unless you have a third party app or use an alternative workaround.

[Trudy Claspill]

Hello @Mark McFadden 

Thank you for confirming that you are trying to set default text for the Description field to appear in the Create Issue dialog.

What type of project does this concern? Get that information by going to the View All Projects page under the projects menu. Find your project in the list. Tell us what it says in the Type column.

If it is a Team-managed project, you can set default text for the Description field by going to that project, then going to Project Settings, Work Types, and selecting the work type you want to affect.

The click the ... button next to Description and select Edit Field.

You can then fill in the default text for that field.

The above works only for Team Managed projects.

If you have a Company Managed project the process involves:

1. Creating a custom Paragraph field and setting the default value for it.
2. Putting that custom field on the screen associated with the Create operation in the Screen Scheme associated to the specified issue type in the Issue Type Screen Scheme used by the project, and removing the native Description field from the same screen.
3. Using an Automation Rule triggered by Issue Created to copy the final text submitted in your custom field to the native Description field.

The details are discussed in the following:

https://community.atlassian.com/t5/Jira-questions/Default-text-for-Description-field-on-Jira-Cloud/qaq-p/785597

https://community.atlassian.com/t5/Jira-Core-Server-questions/How-to-create-a-template-for-issue-description/qaq-p/1041636

https://community.atlassian.com/t5/Jira-questions/How-do-I-create-a-custom-template-for-a-description-text-input/qaq-p/2764424

[Mark McFadden]

I am using a Company managed project, for this one. I came into this project and inherited a team managed project and have been dying to get to a Company managed one to do the things I am used to. HOWEVER, did I just find something the team managed project is better at? 

I will try the suggested method you supplied. Thanks....

[John Funk]

Hi Mark, 

When you create an issue, it will use the default. Then the rule will fire based on it being a new work item created. However, your rule will not update it since you are looking for a blank description. But it won't be blank if there is a Description already there. 

[Mark McFadden]

Ok thanks.... is there a way to change the default layout of the Description widget on a New Story? I have seen this on other projects.... I am trying to get access to their rules.

[Trudy Claspill]

Hello @Mark McFadden 

Please see my response that got posted at about the same time as yours.

Can you clarify if you want the default text to display in the Create Issue dialog, or are you trying to set default text for a Description field that gets left blank and is saved that way?

[Mark McFadden]

So I did remove the 'Desc is Empty' condition. But my custom description does not show up till I save the Create popup and go to edit it from the backlog. That is too late. They may have entered a bunch of descriptions in there and now have to re format it all. 

THere has to be a way to have it populate on Create

[John Funk]

I am very confused on your process and what you are trying to do. 

What exactly are you hoping to happen? 

[Mark McFadden]

I want a default template of data in the description field when I create a new story. This way they enter all the necessary data we are looking to capture in a new story upon creation.