nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

A better way to search Jira

Bret Jacobsen

Frustrated with Jira's standard search bar?

Jira's standard search bar uses the JQL textfields ~ "search terms*" and according to the JQL documentation, text searches all text fields while textfields searches most text fields except comments and worklog.

I have wanted the Jira search bar to search all text fields since we started looking at migrating to Jira Cloud. Based on the following suggestions that started gathering interest in July 2024, I'm not alone:

Solution: A Custom SuperSearch Bookmarklet

SuperSearch dialog with search box and options

After dreaming and brainstorming, I decided to use AI, along with my experience of making bookmarklets by hand, to bring my idea to reality. If you aren't familiar with them, a bookmarklet is simply a bookmark that runs javascript in your browser instead of taking you to a website.

When clicked, a little dialog appears with a text box, mode options, and sort options. You can click Go or press Enter to search, or close it via the Cancel button, pressing Esc, or clicking outside the dialog.

Depending on your browser settings, the bookmark may not work on a blank, new tab.

Setup

1. Edit the code for your company/organization.

a. Replace @abc.xyz with your own email domain so you don't have to specify it when searching work items for a reporter

b. Replace x.atlassian.net with your own Jira site address

JavaScript ⚠️(requires small edits explained above) ⚠️

javascript:(function(){var old=document.getElementById('bm-d');if(old)old.remove();var dlg=document.createElement('dialog');dlg.id='bm-d';dlg.style.cssText='position:fixed;top:25px;margin:0 auto;background:#2d2d30;color:#fff;border:1px solid #555;border-radius:6px;padding:16px;width:300px;font:14px sans-serif;box-shadow:0 10px 25px rgba(0,0,0,0.5);';var f='width:100%;padding:6px;border:1px solid #555;border-radius:4px;box-sizing:border-box;margin-bottom:10px;background:#222;color:#fff;',s='px:6px 10px;border:0;border-radius:4px;cursor:pointer;';dlg.innerHTML='<style>#bm-d::backdrop{background:rgba(0,0,0,0.5);}</style><div style="font-weight:bold;margin-bottom:10px;">SuperSearch</div><input id="bm-i" type="text" style="'+f+'"><select id="bm-m" size="4" style="'+f+'"><option value="p" selected>Phrase</option><option value="w">Words</option><option value="j">JQL</option><option value="r">Reporter</option></select><select id="bm-o" size="2" style="'+f+'"><option value="created" selected>Sorted by newest</option><option value="updated">Sorted by updated</option></select><div style="text-align:right;"><button id="bm-c" style="padding:6px 10px;border:0;border-radius:4px;cursor:pointer;background:#444;color:#fff;margin-right:6px;">Cancel</button><button id="bm-g" style="padding:6px 10px;border:0;border-radius:4px;cursor:pointer;background:#0052cc;color:#fff;">Go</button></div>';document.body.appendChild(dlg);dlg.showModal();var i=dlg.querySelector('#bm-i'),r=dlg.querySelector('#bm-m');i.focus();i.oninput=function(){if(i.value[1]===':'&&'pwjr'.includes(i.value[0].toLowerCase()))r.value=i.value[0].toLowerCase();};function cl(){dlg.close();dlg.remove();}dlg.querySelector('#bm-c').onclick=cl;dlg.onclick=function(e){var r=dlg.getBoundingClientRect();if(e.clientX<r.left||e.clientX>r.right||e.clientY<r.top||e.clientY>r.bottom)cl();};function go(){var v=i.value.trim();if(!v)return;var m=r.value;if(v[1]===':'&&'pwjr'.includes(v[0].toLowerCase())){m=v[0].toLowerCase();v=v.slice(2).trim();}var esc=function(s){return s.replace(/"/g,'\\"')},j=m==='p'?'text ~ "'+esc(v)+'"':m==='w'?v.split(/\s+/).map(function(w){return'text ~ "'+esc(w)+'"'}).join(' AND '):m==='r'?'reporter = "'+esc(v)+(v.includes('@')?'':'@abc.xyz')+'"':v;if(m!=='j'||!/order\s+by/i.test(v))j+=' order by '+dlg.querySelector('#bm-o').value+' desc';window.onbeforeunload=null;window.location.href='https://x.atlassian.net/issues/?jql='+encodeURIComponent(j);}dlg.querySelector('#bm-g').onclick=go;dlg.onkeydown=function(e){if(e.key==='Enter')go();else if(e.key==='Escape')cl();};})();

2. Create the bookmark: Add a page to your bookmark bar and paste the code into the URL field. If it doesn't work, try copying it to a text editor like Notepad, editing it there, and pasting it in the bookmark with Ctrl + Shift + V.

Keyboard Shortcuts

For those who prefer typing over clicking, the following prefixes can be typed in the search box to automatically change modes:

Prefix	Mode
p:	Phrase
w:	Words
j:	JQL
r:	Reporter

Further Customization

After experimenting with different shades of gray in light and dark modes, I decided the dark look worked best in my opinion. Since all of the code is contained in the bookmark, you can modify the appearance and functionality to meet your needs and also name it whatever you want.

I hope this alleviates some frustration and helps boost your productivity!

Comments

Paul Clark [Redmoon Software]

Nice work, Bret. I hadn't realized the standard search bar skips comments, which explains a few "I know someone mentioned that somewhere" moments. Putting the whole thing in a bookmark is a clever way around it, with nothing to install and easy to tweak. The p:, w:, j: and r: prefixes are a great touch too. Thanks for sharing!

Bret Jacobsen

After finding so many uses for the bookmark and hearing feedback from coworkers, I have added a few more modes and features.

It is now easier to edit with the site and email domains near the beginning.
I also wanted to be able to view or search work items.

New modes

#️⃣ If you type just a number, it gets treated as a wildcard item key search. For example, 12345 would show results like ABC-12345 and DEF-12345. If you want to bypass this, explicitly specify any prefix, such as w:12345.

🗝️ Key mode [k:] - ABC-12345 takes you directly to the work item in the agent view.

🔭 View in portal mode [v:] - ABC-12345 lets you view the work item in the customer portal.

Updated JavaScript ⚠️(requires the same small edits explained in the original post) ⚠️

javascript:(function(){var b='https://x.atlassian.net',emailDomain='@abc.xyz',old=document.getElementById('bm-d');if(old)old.remove();var dlg=document.createElement('dialog');dlg.id='bm-d';dlg.style.cssText='position:fixed;top:25px;margin:0 auto;background:#2d2d30;color:#fff;border:1px solid #555;border-radius:6px;padding:16px;width:300px;font:14px sans-serif;box-shadow:0 10px 25px rgba(0,0,0,0.5);';var sm='pwjrkv';dlg.innerHTML='<style>#bm-d::backdrop{background:rgba(0,0,0,0.5);}#bm-d input,#bm-d select{width:100%;padding:6px;border:1px solid #555;border-radius:4px;box-sizing:border-box;margin-bottom:10px;background:#222;color:#fff;}#bm-d button{padding:6px 10px;border:0;border-radius:4px;cursor:pointer;color:#fff;}#bm-c{background:#444;margin-right:6px;}#bm-g{background:#0052cc;}</style><div style="font-weight:bold;margin-bottom:10px;">SuperSearch</div><input id="bm-i"><select id="bm-m" size="6"><option value="p" selected>Phrase</option><option value="w">Words</option><option value="j">JQL</option><option value="r">Reporter</option><option value="k">Key</option><option value="v">View in portal</option></select><select id="bm-o" size="2"><option value="created" selected>Sorted by newest</option><option value="updated">Sorted by updated</option></select><div style="text-align:right;"><button id="bm-c">Cancel</button><button id="bm-g">Go</button></div>';document.body.appendChild(dlg);dlg.showModal();var i=dlg.querySelector('#bm-i'),r=dlg.querySelector('#bm-m');i.focus();i.oninput=function(){if(i.value[1]===':'&&sm.includes(i.value[0].toLowerCase()))r.value=i.value[0].toLowerCase();};function cl(){dlg.close();dlg.remove();}dlg.querySelector('#bm-c').onclick=cl;dlg.onclick=function(e){var r=dlg.getBoundingClientRect();if(e.clientX<r.left||e.clientX>r.right||e.clientY<r.top||e.clientY>r.bottom)cl();};function nav(u){window.onbeforeunload=null;window.location.href=u;}async function go(){var v=i.value.trim();if(!v)return;var m=r.value,esc=function(s){return s.replace(/"/g,'\\"')},isKey=/^[A-Z0-9]{2,}-\d+$/.test(v),explicit=false;if(v[1]===':'&&sm.includes(v[0].toLowerCase())){m=v[0].toLowerCase();v=v.slice(2).trim();isKey=/^[A-Z0-9]{2,}-\d+$/.test(v);explicit=true;}if(m==='v'){if(!isKey)return;var p=v.split('-')[0];try{var res=await fetch(b+'/rest/servicedeskapi/servicedesk/'+p,{headers:{'Accept':'application/json'}});if(res.ok){var d=await res.json(),id=d.id||d.serviceDeskId;if(id){nav(b+'/servicedesk/customer/portal/'+id+'/'+v);return;}}}catch(e){}nav(b+'/browse/'+encodeURIComponent(v));return;}if(isKey){nav(b+'/browse/'+encodeURIComponent(v));return;}var j;if(m==='k'||(!explicit&&/^\d+$/.test(v)))j='key ~ "*'+esc(v)+'"';else if(m==='p')j='text ~ "'+esc(v)+'"';else if(m==='w')j=v.split(/\s+/).map(function(w){return'text ~ "'+esc(w)+'"'}).join(' AND ');else if(m==='r')j='reporter = "'+esc(v)+(v.includes('@')?'':emailDomain)+'"';else j=v;if(m!=='j'||!/order\s+by/i.test(v))j+=' order by '+dlg.querySelector('#bm-o').value+' desc';nav(b+'/issues/?jql='+encodeURIComponent(j));}dlg.querySelector('#bm-g').onclick=go;dlg.onkeydown=function(e){if(e.key==='Enter')go();else if(e.key==='Escape')cl();};})();

I will update the original post once I decide how best to integrate these new features into it.

Bret Jacobsen

Thank you, Paul. I'm glad you like it and learned something along the way!

Welcome!

It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.

Quick Links

Find more posts tagged with

jira

jira-service-desk-cloud

jira-service-management

search-bar