📚Get started with Issue Templates for Jira Cloud: Top 9 questions answered! ☁️

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Welcome Atlassian Community! 🎉

💡Welcome to our FAQ article, where we aim to answer your most pressing questions about Issue Templates for Jira Cloud! 🌟  

We understand that using the app may raise some questions or concerns, and whether you're a new user or an experienced pro, we're here to provide you with answers and guidance to help you make the most of this app.

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🤔If you're interested in exploring the capabilities of Issue Templates for Jira in more detail, you can check it out on the Atlassian Marketplace. Visit this link to get started: Issue Templates for Jira. 🔗

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In this article, we'll address common queries and provide practical solutions tailored specifically to the Issue Templates Cloud.

If you're using the Data Center version, don't worry! Here is a separate FAQ article just for you. 

And if you want to compare both versions, there's a dedicated article for that. 📖

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Let's dive in and explore the frequently asked questions about Issue Template Cloud.

1. Why am I seeing the error message "Issue type with id=xxxx can't be used in the project" when creating an issue from an Epic template in Issue Templates Cloud? 

Problem: The error message occurs when a specific issue type is missing in the project while creating an issue from an Epic template. This problem is especially noticeable when the Epic template includes tasks in the "Issues under epic" section.
❌ Can't create issue from the template! Unable to match Bug issue type with any of the issue types available in the 10001 target project.

Example: For instance, if an Epic template includes three Tasks


When selecting the Epic template on the "Create from template" screen, only the original Epic is created. The three Tasks will display errors indicating that the issue type is unavailable in the target project (indicated by ID).

Solution: To resolve this issue, you can follow these steps:

1. Go to the templates repository project and access the epic template.
2. Check the issue types that are used for the issues under the epic in the template.
3. Navigate to the settings of your target project and add the missing issue type to the project.

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2. Why are the fields from a template not being copied to new issues in Issue Templates Cloud? 

When using the Issue Templates for Jira app, templates act as regular Jira issues and can be stored in a repository for creating repetitive tasks. However, there might be instances where the fields from a template are not being copied to newly created issues.
To determine which fields should be copied, you can access the Scopes settings. You can find this option either under the Templates Repository project settings or by using the link displayed under the Scopes section in the Template configuration panel.

Once you have added all the necessary fields to the Scope settings, it's important to ensure that the template has the correct Scope assigned in the Template configuration panel.

💡In Scopes, the All fields or All fields except function is available, thanks to which the template will automatically copy all fields. Check in the documentation.

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3. Can I use Issue Templates Cloud on my Customer Portal?

Please be aware that while Issue Templates for Jira Cloud does support Service Management projects, its functionalities may not be fully compatible with the Customer Portal.

⚠️The template on the Customer Portal will work only if the administrator enables the "Allow Customers to use templates via customer portal" option in the global configuration. Check in the documentation.

In the settings of your request types, you have the option to add the Template custom field to your request form, making it visible for customers when they raise requests through the portal. Additionally, you can set a default template for each request type, providing a predefined starting point for your customers.

However, it's important to note that when a customer selects a template on the portal, the template's fields will not auto-populate. This is because Atlassian currently does not provide an API that allows us to automatically fill in the fields on the create screen. Instead, the values of the fields will be filled in once the request is submitted. This means that customers will not have the opportunity to edit the field values or add additional information during the request creation process.

In light of this limitation, we recommend using templates for fields that do not require input from customers. This ensures a smooth and consistent experience for both customers and your support team.

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4. How can I create issues from templates using Automation? 

One of the key use cases addressed by the app is using Automation actions to create new issues with template fields automatically populated. Let's take a look at an example configuration:

When: Issue transitions from BACKLOG to SELECTED FOR DEVELOPMENT
Then: Create a new Task in Development project with Basic template fields pre-filled

To define a template in the Automation action, you can use dedicated properties that include the template issue key (e.g., NR-9) and variables. These placeholders are previously defined in the template's description. Here's an example of the configuration:

Automation action:

Template configuration:

Final result:

The result of this configuration is the creation of a new Task (e.g., DEV-501) in the Development project with the values from the Basic template as soon as an issue transitions through the workflow.

 

To help you set up the automation rule, here's a code sample with the exact properties to use. Please note that you'll need to modify the sample with the actual template key and variable names:

{
    "properties": [{
        "key": "issue.templates.automation", 
        "value": { 
            "applyTemplate": "NR-9",
            "variables" : {
                 "externalSystemName": "New issue created from automation",
                 "externalSystemDescription": "Some exemplary text in description"
             }
         }
    }]
}

It's important to remember that for the automation to work properly, you may need to change the rule's actor to another account with the necessary permissions. This ensures that the automation executes successfully.

For a step-by-step guide on configuring the Automation rule to apply a template, you can watch this YouTube video, which presents a more advanced setup involving a rule that creates a new issue from a template after an incoming webhook or go to the documentation.

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5. Why do variables are not replaced in fields auto-filled from the template?

The Issue Templates for Jira app allows users to create templates for repetitive tasks, including dynamic placeholders called Dynamic variables. These variables are meant to be replaced with custom information provided each time the template is applied. However, in some cases, the variables may not get replaced with the actual values, causing the template to be misconfigured.

Example:
Let's consider the "New employee onboarding" template, which includes two variables: [NAME] and [SURNAME]. These variables are present in the template's summary, sub-task templates, and the "Employee details" custom field.

However, when creating a new issue from the template, the values provided by the user are not replacing the variables as expected:

Solution:
The most likely reason for the variables not being filled in the field is that the custom field is not included in the primary template's scope. To resolve this issue, follow these steps:

1. View the configuration of the primary template and check the scope it uses.
2. Navigate to Templates project settings → Issue Templates → Scopes and locate the appropriate scope in the list.
3. Adjust the list of fields assigned to the scope and add the missing custom field (in this case, "Employee details").
   Instead of selecting fields individually, you can use the "All fields" or "All fields except" option. This ensures that any field with a value in the template will be pre-populated in newly created issues, preventing any missing values.

Result
After including the "Employee details" field in the scope, the variables will be replaced with the actual values in the custom field as expected.

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6. The "Create from template" link is not available on the Jira home bar. How can this issue be resolved? 

The most likely cause is that the visibility of the button has been restricted to specific groups of users, and the currently logged-in user is not a member of any of those groups.

Solution: To verify and adjust the configuration, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Jira settings → Apps.
2. On the sidebar, locate the Issue Templates configuration.
3. Open the UI visibility tab and review the groups selection under "Show 'Create from template' button only for selected groups".
4. Add or remove the necessary groups according to your requirements.
   If no group is selected, the UI element will be visible for all groups.
5. Refresh the page to apply the changes if needed.

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7. Does Issue Templates for Jira Cloud store any data?

The Issue Templates for Jira app ensures the privacy and security of user data. It does not retain any user-specific information from the client's Jira instance, except for the instance description and identification data required for authentication during installation. This practice aligns with standard procedures followed by Atlassian apps. Data transmission from the Jira instance to the app's server is encrypted using SSL protocol. The transmitted data includes templates, issues, project configuration, and user-executing templating process information.

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8. What are the necessary permission scopes for Issue Templates for Jira Cloud to perform its actions in Jira? 

The Issue Templates for Jira Cloud app requires specific permission scopes to perform various actions within Jira. These scopes grant the app access to different functionalities and resources. The indicated permission scopes are necessary for the app to create, manage, and update templates, as well as to interact with issues, projects, and user-related data. These permissions are essential to ensure seamless template creation and issue automation processes while maintaining the security and privacy of user data.

Rest assured that the app follows best practices and adheres to Atlassian's guidelines for handling permissions and user data.

Scope	Rest API	Purpose
Read		Searching for issues to reflect the issue link (including sub-tasks or stories under epic). Purpose: Displaying templates on the "Create from template" screen and the "Manage templates" list.
Write	PUT /rest/api/3/issue/{issueIdOrKey}	Editing issues, such as updating the Epic link in issues created from complex structures of Epic templates.
Delete	DELETE /rest/api/3/issueLink/{linkId}	Deleting issue links, which is necessary for reflecting issue links between templates.
Project admin	POST /rest/api/3/project Connect app scope required: PROJECT_ADMIN	Creating the Templates Repository Project during the initial setup.
Admin	PUT /rest/api/3/issue/ {issueIdOrKey}?overrideScreenSecurity=true Connect app users with admin permissions (from user permissions and app scopes) can override the screen security configuration using overrideScreenSecurity  and overrideEditableFlag.	Updating issues from templates ignoring screens settings.
Act as user		Allowing the app to update issues from templates as a user.

To learn more about the scopes available to Connect apps, you can refer to this article in the Atlassian Developer documentation

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9. How can I generate a series of issues using Issue Templates and Automation in Jira? 

The first step is to create a template that will serve as the basis for generating a series of tasks using the provided set of values. To do this, simply create a new issue in the Templates repository project and fill in the required fields.

For the purpose of this question, we will use an example template called "Employee Onboarding" that will be replicated for a group of new employees.

🔼 The above template will be replicated for multiple employees simultaneously.
🔼 The [Employee name] variable will be automatically replaced with the values provided in the automation.

 The next step is to configure a rule in the automation.

1. To trigger the automation manually, use the "Manual trigger" option.
   
2. Add the "Create variable" action, where the list of employees will be stored.
   For example: Create a variable called ListOfNames with values separated by commas.
   
3. Next, create a new branch and define a new smart value: {{name}}
   
   To split the values, use the following smart value: {{ListOfNames.split(",")}}
   
4. Then, for each {{name}}, add new actions: Add value to the audit log and Create issue.
5. In the "Add value to the audit log" action, provide the smart value.
   
6. In the "Create issue" action, select the template prepared earlier and define the variables.
   
   

   🔼 To set the "Employee name" variable based on the {{name}} smart value, use the following JSON:

   {
       "properties": [{
           "key": "issue.templates.automation",
           "value": {
               "applyTemplate": "TEMP-70",
               "variables" : {
               "Employee name": "{{name}}"
               }
           }
       }]
   }

   ⚠️Make sure to replace "TEMP-70" with your own template key.

7. Navigate to the Rule details and adjust the actor field to yourself or the user who triggered the event.
   
   
8. Publish the rule.

🏆 Result
Once the rule is manually triggered on the issue view, Jira will automatically create a set of onboarding tasks for every employee defined in the automation.

Summary

By referring to this FAQ section, you can find answers to frequently asked questions about Issue Templates for Jira Cloud. We've covered various topics, from configuration tips to troubleshooting common issues, to help you make the most out of the app. Thank you for choosing Issue Templates for Jira Cloud, and we're excited to help you optimize your task creation and project management workflows.

We encourage you to put your questions, thoughts, or experiences in the comment section below. Let's create a collaborative space to share insights. 💪💬