How to change the location of an issue from the backlog to the board using Jira API or automation?

[Alex F]

Here is the very important question. We use the next-gen project. I tried to switch to Kanplan and remembered why I did not like the backlog: you can have an issue that is done and at the same time it may still present in your backlog. I think this is an absolutely crazy situation. Atlassian engineers missed something.

I tried to find an action that can help to create an automation rule for fixing this, but there is no mention of backlog at all in Jira automation.

Then I decided to look for a field in the standart issues that is responsible for the issues location (backlog or board) to make a web request action that can call Jira API to change the value of the field, and did not find anything.

Is there any way to change the location of an issue from the backlog to the board and vice versa using Jira API or Jira automation?

[javmah]

Try this :

request POST 'https://{jiraUserName}.atlassian.net/rest/agile/1.0/board/{boardID}/issue' 

{

  "issues": [

    "{issue-key}"

  ]

}

[Alex F]

@javmah, this looks promising, thanks for that 👍

I have already switched from next-gen projects to classic projects because I'm tired of bugs, imperfections and missing functionality, now I have no problems.

If this question is still relevant for someone, see the detailed documentation for the specified method, it looks like it can move issues from the backlog to the board. It looks like it's a new method, I haven't found it before.

If anyone can confirm for sure that the method works, I'll close the question.

[Ste Wright]

Hi @Alex F

You're right that the backlog > board move is not status-based at this stage like it is in classic Jira projects.

There are a few things that Atlassian have added:

• Issues in Done cannot be in the Backlog - if you move an issue to "Done" and refresh the board it will disappear. It doesn't show up in the last column though, it moves straight to hidden like those resolved >14 days ago do.
• You can create an issue directly in a board column if required.

^ But I appreciate this doesn't solve the main issue. There are suggestions for this - I would vote / follow ideas such as JSWCLOUD-17471

As for automating this - I don't believe Automation for Jira works well with Next-Gen Boards at the moment. As for the REST API it's not something I've seen I'll be honest.

Ste

[Alex F]

Hi @Ste Wright,

Thank you for the answer.

You said that issues in Done cannot be in the backlog, but this is not so, just look at this screenshot:

It was not by chance that I wrote about this in my question.

Yes, I know I can create an issue directly in a board, but I exactly want to use the backlog to prioritize and plan before issues get on the board.

I want to separately say thanks for the link to JSWCLOUD-17471. The fact is that I did not use classic projects and I did not know that "Backlog" may be an issue status. Yesterday I was visited by the idea that the ideal solution would be to create a separate predefined system status for issues: Backlog. Then issues in the backlog should have the Backlog status, if you change it to To do status, the issue should move from the backlog to the To do column of a board. This solves all problems, including automation!

*This status does not exist, the image was created in a graphical editor:

Today I planned to create such a feature request, but it turned out that it exists. However, I am very surprised that there are so few votes in the issue. I beleive that everyone who has issues with the backlog simply does not know about it or they do not know that Backlog may be an issue status.

And I should say that Jira automation works really well with next-gen projects, I have not faced any problem so far.

[Aleš Jiránek]

Hello, are there any news about this?

I would also like to set up automation or use backlog as issue status, but currently there is no option for this

[Alex F]

Hello, there is no news, but you can vote for this feature request JSWCLOUD-17471 to help move it further.

[David_Bakkers]

Hello Alex. You're confusing an issue having the status 'Backlog' with an issue being in the thing called the 'Backlog'. The two are not the same.

An issue can be in the Backlog (IE, not yet in any Sprint) and have any status you want it to have. The opposite is true... an issue can be in a Sprint (not in the Backlog) and it have the status 'Backlog', or any other status you want it to have.

If you really, really don't like the overlap in logic, remove the Status 'Backlog' from the workflow for that issue type.

[Alex F]

Hello David, firstly I don't understand what "the status 'Backlog'" you are talking about, I haven't seen such a status before. I mean exactly that you called "thing called the 'Backlog'", secondly I don't use Sprints and don't have plans to use them, so this is not my case. I use the next-gen project and use Backlog feature and my question is about this feature and nothing else. Therefore, I do not confuse anything.

[David_Bakkers]

OK, sorry then if I misled you. I was just looking at the screen grabs you posted and it looks like you're changing the Status field or the Resolution field of the issue. That green button with the word 'Done' looks like either the Status or the Resolution field to me.

When you say "Then issues in the backlog should have the Backlog status, if you change it to To do status then..." then I have to disagree. I think the issues in the Backlog should have the Status of whatever you want them to be. Again, this is only if we are talking about the field specifically called 'Status' not the abstracted concept of a status, in general.