Introducing Action items in Jira

[Apryl Harris]

@Jennifer Choban - HeroCoders 
Herocoders Checklist template app is nice!

But, at my org, expenses are being carefully scrutinized and every bit of savings helps. So, no funding for the paid version (Pro) of the option you recommended, which is what we need to get more templates.

Thanks for recommending though.

[Rachel Hechter]

Thank you JIRA for this nice QoL improvement!

[Daniel Lux]

We totally need an integration for the Wiki Markup Renderer (for Default Texts; Text Formatting Notation Help - Create and track feature requests for Atlassian products.)

For use cases like DoD this feature is useless without the possibility to use them in a default text or automations.

[Danny]

A great feature, Atlassian dev teams, I'm hoping if anyone at Atlassian could confirm if this would be markdown supported to be able to easily add it into text fields during the execution of an automation rule.  

[Daniel Zins]

Thanks for adding that checkbox feature. I was waiting for this since a few years. 

Next requirement would be to use it for Automation too, for example auto create a DOD checklist once a story is created. 

[Dennis Kohl]

"Clone Issue" via automation is creating a bullet list instead of cloning the full issue with action items (checkboxes) inside.

• Action Item 1
• Action Item 2
• ...

That shouldn't happen...

If we want to clone a sheep, we want to get another sheep, not a billy goat :)

BUG Ticket is created if anyone needs this too:

[AUTO-1612] Clone action clones an issue with Action items converted into Bullet list - Create and track feature requests for Atlassian products.

[Trudy Claspill]

Are there any plans for a Jira Macro in Confluence that could pull specifically the Action Items from Jira issues for display in Confluence; perhaps picking up the issue key, Assignee and Due Date from the source issue?

[Ahmud Auleear]

Hey Everyone,

Thanks for the feedback and all the great questions! I'll try to address them all below:

---

Will the functionality of this feature be extended?

We currently don't have plans to extend the functionality of this feature. However, all the requests made via this post will be reviewed and prioritized against other initiatives in our backlog. Your input is valuable, so please continue to share your thoughts.

---

When will Action Items be available to all instances?

Action Items has been rolled out to 100% of instances in JSW, JWM, and JSM. If you don’t see it, it might be due to enterprise release tracks. For DC users, this feature is actively being considered. Please vote and comment on the ticket to help prioritize this feature.

---

Does Action Items support markdown?

Yes! Action Items respect markdown:

• [] will create an unchecked checkbox.
• [x] will create a checked checkbox.

---

Can Action Items be used via Automation?

The ability to use Action Items via Automation is an interesting concept. I’ll review this request with the Automation teams to explore the possibilities.

---

Can Action Items be used in the Portal Editor?

Action Items were not designed to be active in the Portal Editor, so this functionality is not available at this time.

---

Bug Reports

Thank you for the bugs. We will triage them and prioritise them. 

Thanks 

Ahmud 

[Dennis Kohl]

Hello Ahmud,

Thank you for the information. I have a question about the prioritization of the bug fix.

The BUG I reported is still marked as “low” priority, which is the only priority I can see.

The original request for Jira checkboxes, along with similar linked issues, had nearly 900 votes. This issue has 1,000 votes: Checkbox on Description Field

I’m surprised it’s still gathering votes even though it’s as old as the original request… 9 years. Even more surprising is that it took 9 years to be addressed while Confluence already had this Action Item feature.

My question is: Will the bug fix in its current state take years as well?

I’m concerned.

Best regards,
Dennis

[Denys Kontorskyy_Railsware_]

Will Action Items eventually support automations, or will add-ons remain the go-to for that functionality?

[Ben Robbins]

Any plans for this to come to Jira Data Center?

[Nicole Shepherd]

Probably should update the doc to indicate that instead of “ [ ]” it should be []. That space in between doesn't work.

[Khai Ha]

Here's another voice advocating action items be added to automations.

[Rudy Holtkamp]

Can Action Items be used via Automation?

The ability to use Action Items via Automation is an interesting concept. I’ll review this request with the Automation teams to explore the possibilities.

 @Ahmud Auleear do you have any feedback about your query with the Automation teams?

[Nikita Vikhliaev]

@Ahmud Auleear as reported by others, it doesn't seem the markdown fully works yet.

Anything like '[]' , '[ ]' , '[x]' etc just get rendered as regular text in fields that use wiki-renderer.

The markdown *only* works inside the rich text editor (e.g. when you're typing a comment). But if I just SET the value of a field (such as via Automation) and specify the markdown, it doesn't get recognized.


That said, I can understand how the full implementation of markdown can be complicated. For example, if a Field is not part of a Edit Screen (i.e. is not editable), then how should Action Items interact? Should users be able to "check" them still? But then that is considered "editing" . So Action Items may need to be only supported on editable fields

[Floris]

Is there any way to add checkboxes to issues imported using the bulk import from CSV?

I tried it using [] in the description, but it just gives me that as plain text and not as a checkbox.

[Jennifer Choban - HeroCoders]

@Floris I don't know if you can do this with Action Items, but it is possible with Checklist for Jira - https://docs.herocoders.com/checklist/importing-checklists-from-csv-file-to-existing-iss

[Michelle Kappauf]

Will the Action Items ever work in Canned Responses?