is there a way to modify the type of an attribute without having to create a new one ?

[ribas]

we are using jira in datacenter.

we have an attribute that is currently a string limited to 255 char.

we would like to be able to have more than 255 char.

it seems that we need to modify the type of the attribute. and for this, it seems we have to create a new attribute and remove the old one.

if we do like this we will loose all value for this attribute in the corresponding project and it is painfull to backup them.

what is the clever way to follow ? is it possible to modify the type of the attribute without creating a new one ?

[Hannes Obweger - JXL for Jira · Accepted solution]

Hi @ribas

to the best of my knowledge, you can't change the type of a custom field (which I assume is what you are referring to) after it is created. You'll need to create a new field, copy over the values from the existing field, and then delete the existing field.

See this thread for further discussions and possible ways forward. (The thread is about Cloud but the options/solutions should be the same for Data Center.)

Hope this helps,

Best,

Hannes

[ribas]

thanks for your answer. Do you know if it is possible to keep the same custom field type but to autorize it to have a lenth greater that 255 char ?

[Hannes Obweger - JXL for Jira]

Hi @ribas

I assume that you added a custom field of type Text Field (single line), which has a 255 characters limit. As this limit is somewhat "hard-coded" into this custom field type, to the best of my knowledge, you can't change it; you'll probably need to migrate to a custom field of type Text Field (multi-line).

[ribas]

thanks a lot !

[Hannes Obweger - JXL for Jira]

No worries @ribas - if the answer is useful, kindly accept it, so that it's easier discoverable for other - cheers!