Add "Parent Link" to classic project issues

[Shane]

This may not even be possible, but I'm trying my hardest to make it work.

We love the "Roadmap" feature of the next-gen project, however, the lack of customized workflows is a no-go for migrating fully. We have too much automation setup in our workflows.

So, I was trying to try to have the best of both worlds. We set up a next-gen project with only epics. In our original classic project, I tried to add "Parent Link" to the issue view from the field configuration. And it looks like in the configuration that I can add it. However, when I go back to the issue, I don't see the linking ability at all.

Is there maybe another setting or something to make this show? Or maybe this isn't even possible and I can continue to dream.

[Fernando Bordallo]

Hello @Shane

Parent linking can be done directly from the issue view (be it full page, sidebar or modal) using the issue breadcrumbs found at the top left of the issue space :)

Give it a go and let me know if you have issues

[Shane]

Not seeing it in either view.

[Fernando Bordallo]

Hello again @Shane

Sorry for misguiding you here. Let me correct myself.

For classic, the epic links are created from the 'Epic Link' field OR by dragging an issue card in the backlog on to an Epic in the 'Epics panel' (left sidebar):

For Next-Gen projects, you are able to add Epic links (parents) from the dropdowns you are looking at AND from the breadcrumbs:

[Shane]

Hi Fernando,

I don't mean to be rude, but it doesn't seem like you read my original post. I am trying to add "Parent Link" to an issue in the classic project. I know about Epic Link, but I can't use this for Epics that are in next-gen projects.

It doesn't seem like it's possible, however. So we will not be using a next-gen project, because of the huge lack of functionality of next-gen projects, per my original post.

[Fernando Bordallo]

🤦‍♂️Oh dear. You are very right. I'm sorry for that.

As you say, "Parent Link" as it works within next-gen projects is not a feature available to Classic projects. Let me dig a little into the why:

- Classic projects have a very structured (and limited) issue hierarchy: epics, issues, subtasks. Epics are a 'special' type of issue, which is where the Epic Link and other features come from

- Next-gen projects are built on a foundation of configurable hierarchy, where any issue type you define can be parent to any issue type you define. Long term, this hierarchy will be fully configurable. This is the reason for the links between issues and 'epics' in the current next-gen projects are done throught the 'Parent Link' relationship.

You are right to point out that you cannon link a nex-gen Epic to a classic issue in the classical sense of Epic linking (where you see the relatioship directly reflected in issue breadcrumbs and epic level summaries.

However, I believe you could work around the issue by creating a new issue link type: 'is parent of' for example. That way, you could 'Link issues' with the standard linking:

https://confluence.atlassian.com/adminjiracloud/configuring-issue-linking-818578890.html

[Shane]

Thanks, unfortunately, this won't make the issues show up in the Roadmap view in the next-gen project.

It seems like this functionality won't work quite yet. Looking forward to having this feature in the future!

[Daragh O'Loughlin]

@Shane I'm encountering the same problem, and wondering if you've had any success.

I've convinced a team to move from Next-Gen to Classic projects, given the many benefits. But there's are some trade-offs. Creating parent-child links to existing issues seems unnecessarily difficult.

Like you, I've added the Parent Link in the Issues > Configure Screen, yet they don't appear inside issues. There is no Quick-add button for 'parent link' (like in Next-Gen), to allow for easy linking of existing issues, and Tasks don't appear to have the Hierarchy symbol indicating Child tasks exist within.

Strangely, you can create a new Subtask that appears as a Child issue to the Task. But I haven't found a way of linking an existing Subtask (having bulk imported them from a Next-Gen project and lost the linkages) other than using 'Relates to' or is 'Blocked by' etc. which isn't what I'm looking for.

[Daragh O'Loughlin]

@Fernando Bordallo Why is it that in Classic projects, I can create a Subtask of an Issue (Task), and see the Child contained within. But I cannot take an already existing Subtask and associate it to an already existing Task, as it's child. Am I missing something?