Labels field is not always visible and editable

[Anna Wessels]

Hi, we would like to make the Labels field editable on Program and Initiative level - right now with some Issues it is not even visible in the Context fields.

I've looked at the Field configuration schemes and the Labels field is selected at the Edit screens.

I can't seem to understand why the Labels field is hidden when empty with some Issues and sometimes is shown but not editable, and then I come across an Issue where you suddenly can see and edit the Labels field. 

How can we make it visable & editable by default? Thanks in advance!

[Trudy Claspill]

Hello @Anna Wessels 

Welcome to the Atlassian community.

First, the management of field visibility and editability is partially dependent on the type of project - Company Managed or Team Managed. You can find that Type information on the View All Projects page under the Projects menu.

For Company Managed projects it is possible to "hide" a field through the Field Configuration. Field Configurations are mapped to issue type(s) in Field Configuration Schemes. A single Field Configuration Scheme is associated with 1..n projects. So one diagnostic step is to check the Field Configuration Scheme for the project, find the Field Configuration associated to the issue type(s) having the visibility problem, and check to see if the Labels field has been marked as Hidden in that configuration.

The next step is to ensure that the field is available on the Screen that is associated to the Edit operation. Screens are associated to Operations in Screen Schemes. Screen Schemes are mapped to issue type(s) in Issue Type Screen Schemes. A single Issue Type Screen Scheme is associated to 1..n projects.

The next step is to check the Issue Layout. That can be accessed from Project Settings > Issues > Layout. Each issue type can have its own Layout in each Project. Looking at the Layout for the affected issue type, confirm that the Labels field is included in the displayed fields in the center of the screen. Check if it is in the Context Fields section and if it is in the "Hide when Empty" section of the screen.

If it is, then it will show when it contains values. Otherwise it will be in the More Fields panel.

All of these are items that can be configured and reconfigured after the project has been created, so you can't set a global option that will keep the field visible and editable all the time for all projects after they are created.

Each instance of the field not being visible or not being editable will have to be looked at individually, as each project can have its own Layouts and schemes. Schemes can be shared between Company Managed projects. If your projects are sharing schemes, then making a change in the scheme will affect all projects that use it.

If you are working with Team Managed projects each of those project's configurations are completely independent, and each of those would have to be adjusted one by one.