When to use forms?

Eric Bjerke

As I continue to build out portal categories, I have been wondering when should I be using Forms? I know when you need to make some fields dynamic, you need to use forms. However if I don't need them dynamic, is there a reason to use forms or not? Or is it simpler to just add the fields within the request type? This is another best practices question is all, just looking for some feedback from other people!

Robert DaSilva_a432as

Hi @Eric Bjerke , great question.

 

I've found Forms are really useful for capturing more complex information out of your customers. That includes the use case you've already identified, dynamic inputs.

There are a number of benefits to using forms:

• You can collect a wider array of data types and inputs
• You don't need to create custom fields for each input for it to be captured
• You can design the form with Confluence style designs, to make inputting information a more friendly experience

However, there are a few drawbacks:

• If you do not connect a Form entry field to a Jira custom field, the data cannot easily be searched
• Forms generally start collapsed when viewing a JSM work item, so it's another click to open the data
• Last I checked, Form data (both the form itself and any inputs saved to Jira work items) do not migrate with Atlassian's migration tooling, so if you move instances in the future, this could be lost

 

That all said, I think it really depends on how you're using your JSM instance, and what type of information you're trying to capture.

I quite like Forms for the dynamic structure and flexibility, but that may not be necessary for more structured or basic requests. 

 

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I think the best advice I can provide is this:

 

Try and keep your Requests and inputs as simple as possible. The more input fields you include, the more complex and time consuming requests become. Truly think about if that piece of information is required, or if it can be inferred from another piece of data.

 

Hope that helps!

Robert