Jira smart values - issue links
Issue links in Jira help establish relationships between different issues. This article explains how to manage linked issues effectively. More about linking issues
Some use cases of using smart values would be:
Setting Field Values: Use smart values to set field values based on linked issues dynamically.
Printing Issue Keys: Include smart values in comments to display issue keys for better tracking and communication.
Understanding and using the smart values for issue links can enhance your workflow and improve issue management in Jira.
Types of issue links
There are two types of issue links in Jira:
Inward issue: the issue from which the link originates.
Outward issue: the issue to which the link points.
For example, when you link Issue B from Issue A using the blocks link type:
Issue A blocks Issue B:
there's no inward issue because the link originates from Issue A.
Issue B is the outward issue because the link is created from Issue A.
Issue B is blocked by Issue A:
Issue A is an inward issue because the link is created from Issue A.
There's no outward issue because the link is from Issue A.
Retrieving linked issue keys
You can fetch the values of linked issue keys using smart values. These smart values allow you to access both inward and outward issue keys. You can use them to retrieve and set the value of the linked issue key or print the value of the issue key.
Inward issue smart value:
{{issue.issuelinks.inwardIssue}}Outward issue smart value:
{{issue.issuelinks.outwardIssue}}Retrieving linked issue key values
The smart values {{issue.issuelinks.inwardIssue}} and {{issue.issuelinks.outwardIssue}} represent lists of issues and you can use them to retrieve field values from these issues. For example:
- The expression below will return the summary of the outward issues, separated by commas.
{{issue.issuelinks.outwardIssue.fields.summary}}The expression below will return the value of the custom field with ID XXXXX for the inward issues, separated by commas.
{{issue.issuelinks.inwardIssue.fields.customfield_XXXXX}}You can also iterate over the inward or outward issues and manipulate fields together. For example, by using the expression below in the Comment on issue action, a comment that includes inward issue keys and summaries will be added to the issue.
{{#issue.issuelinks.inwardIssue}}
{{key}}-{{summary}}
{{/}}For more details on using smart values with issue lists, explore Using smart values with issue lists.