GreenHopper 'contexts' help streamline the view of your project by filtering and highlighting issues based on preset criteria. You can hide and/or highlight certain issues via a saved JIRA filter or custom criteria.
Select the Planning Board or other board to which this context applies.
If you have chosen the Planning Board, select the mode to which this context applies.
Select your desired context from the Context dropdown (next to the Project dropdown). The Board will refresh and the cards displayed will be filtered according to the selected context.
You can select a context for each of the following:
Planning Board — 'Project Overview' mode
Planning Board — 'Version' mode
Planning Board — 'Component' mode
Planning Board — 'Assignee' mode
Chart Board
Released Board
Task Board
Your choices for each of these will be remembered.
GreenHopper comes with 2 built-in contexts:
'On the fly' context — A non-deletable context that will allow all logged-in users to build new contexts (See the 'Creating a New Context' section below). Any changes that a user makes to this context will only persist for the current session and will not be saved.
'Default' context — A non-deletable context that only the project administrators can edit and that is shared to all users and anonymous users (if your project is public). It is very important to note that editing this context will affect all users that use that context.
Modifying a Context
You can change the sorting and the filters and highlighting of the selected context via the context dropdown. If you are a project administrator you can share your context with other users, as well as remove contexts.
To modify a context,
Log into JIRA.
Click the 'Agile' menu in the top navigation bar.
Select the Planning Board or other board to which this context applies.
If you have chosen the Planning Board, select the mode to which this context applies.
Select 'Manage' from the 'Context' dropdown (next to the project dropdown). The 'Edit Context' window will display.
'General' tab:
'Context name' — Edit the name of your context.
'Share' — Check this checkbox to share the context with other users. User will then be able to select this context from their context dropdowns. Please note, you must be a project administrator to share a context.
'Sorting' tab — Select a different field by which to sort your context.
'Filter' tab — Edit the filter criteria as described below.
'Highlight' tab — Edit the highlight criteria as described below.
'Delete' — Click this button to delete the context. You must be the creator of the context to delete it. Please note that once you have deleted a context there is no way to restore it. You will need to recreate it manually.
Creating a New Context
To create a new context,
Log into JIRA.
Click the 'Agile' menu in the top navigation bar.
Select the Planning Board or other board to which this context applies.
If you have chosen the Planning Board, select the mode to which this context applies.
Select 'New' from the 'Context' dropdown (next to the project dropdown). The 'New Context' window will display, with four tabs as shown below.
'General' tab:
'Context name' — Enter a name for your new context.
'Share' — Check this checkbox to share the context with other users. User will then be able to select this context from their context dropdowns. Please note, you must be a project administrator to share a context.
'Sorting' tab — Select a field by which to sort the issues in your new context, and whether to sort the field in ascending or descending order.
'Filter' tab — Select one or more existing JIRA filters to use to filter your issues. Select 'None' if you only want to use the custom filter settings specified on this page. Note: If you select a JIRA filter, and intend to share this context with other users, make sure that those users have access to the JIRA filter — otherwise this context will show them an empty board.
In the 'Specific Criteria' filter section, select the fields to filter on. If an existing JIRA filter has been selected, these fields will be filtered on in addition to the selected JIRA filter:
Statuses — multi selection
Issue Type(s) — multi selection
Issue Priorities — multi selection
Assignee(s) — single selection
Component(s) — multi selection
'Highlight' tab ---The 'Highlight' section emphasises issues in the context that match the specified search query. The highlight search query works identically to the filter(s) described in the previous step.
This explains the mechanics, but doesn't explain why you would want to use contexts or what they are for. The concept is far too abstract. Can you give some practical examples of how a context might be used and what they could be called?
In the Planning Board you have a couple of basic filter otpions, but you can't use a saved search. So I create a context to which you can assign a search and use the search this way.
One specific use case is to have a list of stories that aren't estimated yet. With my Context 'To be Estimated' based on a saved search I have this list available and can print it as cards as preperation for a meeting.
I guess more of this stuff is possible since you can define 'highlighting' for a context ... still needs some exploring
So I'm trying as well to get my head around this abstract concept, and thought that the suggestion of a "To be Estimated" context for the Planning Board was reasonable. However, the available filters do not include testing whether there is a value in the Story Points field.
You have to create a Jira filter under the issues tab. You can create an advanced filter using '"Story Points" is EMPTY' to test that the Story Point field is empty. Then save that as a new filter which can then be used to create and manage your contexts.
Context font is way too big. Makes it seem like it as or more important than the Project name it is sitting next to – very user unfriendly to have big "Default" on a page prominently placed. Most will use the default context in any case or at least in the beginning of the project. I also agree with the posting above this concept has not been explained with clear examples.
Under "Selecting a Context" I read: "Your choices for each of these will be remembered."
what does that mean exactly? I feel extremely confused when if I select e.g. "Planning Board" and GreenHopper decides to change my context that I just selected ...
This means that once you select a context for a specific board that context will be used each time you revisit that board until you change your selection. This allows you to close and reopen a window without having to reselect the context. It can be a little frustrating if you are trying to work on multiple boards with the same context and you are switching between contexts often.
Some of my contexts now have asterisks * next to them - and I can't load them. When I choose one of those contexts, it displays the default context instead. I have no way of managing those contexts any more - they were created by me and I'm the administrator - how do I get at them, and what is the asterisk all about?
I am a new user. my question is: what is the relation between the filter selected within a context, and the version/assignee selection on the taskborad or planning board page ?
If my filter includes some fltering on the versions ( i.e all issues for versions 4 and 5 ) - will I see all these issues, or only the ones according to the version selected in the main dropdown ?
I have been digging but unable to find if there is some way to have a context copy to/from another Project. I am building some wallboards for my team and want to use Contexts to filter with "Name's Due Issues" but we have many Projects and don't want to have to rebuild the contexts in each one for each of our developers.
Note: If you select a JIRA filter, and intend to share this context with other users, make sure that those users have access to the JIRA filter — otherwise this context will show them an empty board.
11 Comments
Hide/Show CommentsSep 13, 2011
Anonymous
This explains the mechanics, but doesn't explain why you would want to use contexts or what they are for. The concept is far too abstract. Can you give some practical examples of how a context might be used and what they could be called?
Nov 25, 2011
Jens Schauder
I use it for filtering.
In the Planning Board you have a couple of basic filter otpions, but you can't use a saved search. So I create a context to which you can assign a search and use the search this way.
One specific use case is to have a list of stories that aren't estimated yet. With my Context 'To be Estimated' based on a saved search I have this list available and can print it as cards as preperation for a meeting.
I guess more of this stuff is possible since you can define 'highlighting' for a context ... still needs some exploring
Dec 20, 2011
Anonymous
So I'm trying as well to get my head around this abstract concept, and thought that the suggestion of a "To be Estimated" context for the Planning Board was reasonable. However, the available filters do not include testing whether there is a value in the Story Points field.
Jan 04, 2012
Scott Barrett
You have to create a Jira filter under the issues tab. You can create an advanced filter using '"Story Points" is EMPTY' to test that the Story Point field is empty. Then save that as a new filter which can then be used to create and manage your contexts.
Sep 25, 2011
Anonymous
Why does the Rank field not allow anything other than ascending as an option for sorting?
Sep 25, 2011
Anonymous
Context font is way too big. Makes it seem like it as or more important than the Project name it is sitting next to – very user unfriendly to have big "Default" on a page prominently placed. Most will use the default context in any case or at least in the beginning of the project. I also agree with the posting above this concept has not been explained with clear examples.
Oct 17, 2011
Anonymous
Under "Selecting a Context" I read: "Your choices for each of these will be remembered."
what does that mean exactly? I feel extremely confused when if I select e.g. "Planning Board" and GreenHopper decides to change my context that I just selected ...
Jan 04, 2012
Scott Barrett
This means that once you select a context for a specific board that context will be used each time you revisit that board until you change your selection. This allows you to close and reopen a window without having to reselect the context. It can be a little frustrating if you are trying to work on multiple boards with the same context and you are switching between contexts often.
Jan 18, 2012
Anonymous
Some of my contexts now have asterisks * next to them - and I can't load them. When I choose one of those contexts, it displays the default context instead. I have no way of managing those contexts any more - they were created by me and I'm the administrator - how do I get at them, and what is the asterisk all about?
Feb 01, 2012
Anonymous
hello
I am a new user. my question is: what is the relation between the filter selected within a context, and the version/assignee selection on the taskborad or planning board page ?
If my filter includes some fltering on the versions ( i.e all issues for versions 4 and 5 ) - will I see all these issues, or only the ones according to the version selected in the main dropdown ?
which one will override?
Feb 03, 2012
Joshua Bennett
I have been digging but unable to find if there is some way to have a context copy to/from another Project. I am building some wallboards for my team and want to use Contexts to filter with "Name's Due Issues" but we have many Projects and don't want to have to rebuild the contexts in each one for each of our developers.
Thoughts?
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