View Issue Screen VS Edit Issue Screen : What's the difference?

[Evan Nixon]

Howdy everyone, hoping you can provide me with some clarification here. 

Can anyone (preferably with screenshots - because the documentation has not helped me understand this whatsoever) explain exactly what the difference is between the "View Issue Screen" and the "Edit Issue Screen"? I thought at first that the difference may have been clicking on an issue from the project's board / list view (which opens the task as a modal overtop of the page you're viewing) vs opening a direct link to a task in a new tab, but that doesn't seem to be the case. 

Any help is much appreciated!

[John Funk · Accepted solution]

Hi Evan,

I don't think I will need any screenshots, but let me know if my answer isn't clear without them.

Having a field on the View screen simply means you can view the field and it's value. But if the same field is not on the Edit screen, then you will be able to see the field and it's value, but you will not be able to change it (i.e. Edit it). 

In Jira Cloud, when you open the issue in the detail view, you are automatically in Edit mode and therefore, using the Edit screen. 

Does that help? 

[Evan Nixon]

This makes total sense - I don't know how or why it isn't explained like this in the documentation! When I get a chance I'm going to make some test issue types / schemes / screens with fields just on the 'View' screen and an identical second version with them added to both the 'View' and 'Edit' screens. 

I'll report back with my results!

[John Funk]

Great! I look forward to your findings.  :-)

[Ben]

Hello  @John Funk , 

thanks for your explanation, but somehow it works a little differently for me.
I have an edit screen and a view screen. For example, if I do NOT put the "labels" field on the edit-screen, but it is present on the view-screen, then it does not appear at all when I click on the issue on the board. I.e. I never see the view screen so to speak. So far so good. Therefore, in my opinion, one could simply save the view screen.

But what makes things even more confusing is that I am referred to the VIEW screen in the issue layout. This is illogical in my opinion, as I have not yet found a way in Jira to see ONLY the view screen. As you also wrote, you always get to the edit screen immediately.

Therefore the case you describe "But if the same field is not on the Edit screen, then you will be able to see the field and it's value, but you will not be able to change it (i.e. Edit it). "i.e. seeing a field but not being able to edit it, is never applicable, is it?

Kind regards,

Ben

[John Funk]

Well, it's kind of like the field is taking on the attribute of the view screen while the user is in the edit screen. I know that sounds weird, but that seems to be the way it works. There used to be 3 separate screen accesses under the OLD issue view, but not really in this NEW issue view. 

I guess the point is that if you want the field to be seen, it must be on the view screen. If you want it to be editable, it must be on the edit screen. If you don't want to be able to edit it, leave it on the view screen and take it off of the edit screen. And if you don't want to see it or edit it, leave it off of both.  :-)

[Ben]

"If you don't want to be able to edit it, leave it on the view screen and take it off of the edit screen." That would be logically. But it isn't how it works (as I wrote above). I have a field on the view screen, but not on the edit screen and it does not appear at all as one is ALWAYS in the edit screen. This is just what I meant. Because of this it seems not logical for me to have the view screen at all, because it just confuses admins :)

Kind regards,

Ben

[John Funk]

Well, it should definitely show on the screen, even if it is not on the edit screen. You should click on the Configure button at the bottom right and see if the field shows up in another section, like hidden when empty or in the hidden fields section. 

[Ben]

Hi there,

thanks for your answer. Here is what I found out.

I included 3 screens:

Edit screen WITHOUT field "labels":

View screen WITH field "labels":

Now I arranged the issue layout. Here I put the field "labels" under "Context fields":

Result is that the field "labels" can't be found on the issue:

(Stay with me! Now it gets funny :) )

Now, I put the field "labels" under "description fields":

Result is that the field appears UNEDITABLE on the issue (as you said):

Well, I don't know whether or not this is a bug or a feature, but this behaviour seems a little bit strange to me.

Kind regards,

Ben

[Ben]

There seems to exist a similar problem:

https://jira.atlassian.com/browse/JRACLOUD-79015?filter=12844&jql=project%20%3D%20JRACLOUD%20AND%20text%20~%20%22%5C%22view%20screen%5C%22%22%20ORDER%20BY%20key%20DESC

And more exactly here (only for empty fields):

https://jira.atlassian.com/browse/JRACLOUD-78320?filter=12844&jql=project%20%3D%20JRACLOUD%20AND%20summary%20~%20%22%5C%22view%20screen%5C%22%22%20ORDER%20BY%20key%20DESC

As it is stated in the first comment of this suggestion, this is a misbehaviour as one could configure when an empty field should be visible and when not.