Status Descriptions

Explain what a workflow status means, right on the issue view

Status descriptions help your users understand what does a given issue status mean. You can provide them with an explanation right on the issue view. Apart from that, you can give them a link to a knowledge base or any other source of information where they can learn more about your workflow.

You can also define the context (project, project category, issue type) in which your descriptions will appear.

Adding a status description

Steps

To start configuring a status description:

1. Go to Jira Administration > Manage apps.

2. Select Status Explanations from the Conditions Validator app navigation.

3. Click Add.

   

4. In the new window (screenshot below), select the workflow Status to be configured.

5. Type in the Description that will appear in the issue view. You can use HTML for text formatting.

6. (Optional) Paste a link to other resources you’d like to share with your users, for example, a knowledge base article or a direct link to contact support.

7. Select Project Categories.

8. Select Projects.

9. Select Issue types.

10. Check the box next to Customer Portal Integration to enable displaying the description on the Customer portal. The descriptions will be visible on hover for both Jira users and customers.

    Note

    HTML formatting doesn’t work on the Customer portal - plain text of your description will be displayed as a tooltip instead. See an example at the bottom of this chapter.

11. Click Create.

    

Result

A status description is added to the list on the main configuration page. You still need to enable it and configure additional settings below.

Configuration of all status descriptions

Below the list you can configure settings that apply to all status descriptions you’ve configured.

Steps

To configure global settings of status descriptions:

1. Check the box next to ON/OFF to enable displaying the descriptions in Jira.
2. Decide if you’d like to Open Help URL in new window.
3. Provide a panel name. It will be displayed above the description. If you leave it blank, the default Status Description will be displayed.
4. Customize the Help URL text name. If you leave it blank, the default More help.. will be displayed.
5. Choose the location of the panel:
   • right - the panel will appear in the upper right part of the issue view, right below the Share and Export buttons.
   • left - the panel will be displayed in the upper left part of the issue view, between transition buttons and Details.
     Tip

     You can display the description also as in a custom field. See below for more details.

6. Once all is set up, click Save.

   

Result

The panel is visible in issues that are currently in the configured status.

Example

Status description on the issue view:

Status description on the Customer portal:

Displaying a status description in a custom field

You can display the status description in a dedicated custom field. This allows you to place it in other locations on the issue view.

Steps

To create the Deviniti [Conditions Validator] - Status Description custom field:

1. Open Jira global settings > Issues.

2. Select Custom fields in the Fields section.

3. Click Add custom field.

4. Select Deviniti [Conditions Validator] - Status Description in the Advanced section.

5. Click Next.

   

6. In the dialog box, configure the following:

   • Name: Type in a name for this field.
   • Description: Provide a field description (optional).

7. Click Create.

   

8. Associate the Deviniti [Conditions Validator] - Status Description custom field with proper screens.

Result

The Deviniti [Conditions Validator] - Status Description custom field is added to Jira. Your status descriptions will be displayed in the custom field when the issue will reach the status you’ve configured.

Updating status descriptions

You can update your configuration at any time. Here’s what you can do.

Steps

To change the configuration of status descriptions:

1. Click Add to configure another status.
2. Make changes to the existing configuration. You can choose from available actions:
   • Edit - the same configuration window as described in the first section will appear, allowing you to change all the settings.
   • Disable - the description won’t be displayed for statuses with a disabled configuration. The settings won’t be lost, so you can reactivate it later.
   • Delete - the entire configuration will be permanently deleted.

Result

Changes apply to all current and future issues with the given status.