Adding a custom field
Jira applications let you add custom fields in addition to the built-in fields. When creating a custom field, you can choose between Standard and Advanced types. For standard types, a preview image is shown for each type, so you can see what you are creating in advance. This ensures that you get the custom field you want, much faster. To configure search templates or add contexts to custom fields, use the Configure option on each custom field.
Custom fields are optional fields by default. This means that you can create a new custom field without requiring existing issues to be changed. The existing issues will contain no value for the new custom field, even if a default value is defined.
For all of the following procedures, you must be logged in as a user with the Jira Administrators global permission.
Adding a field directly to an issue
Jira Admins can add an existing field or create a custom field while in View Issue with the Admin > Add field option. You can even configure the options for that custom field without having to leave the screens you are presented with.
Adding a field using the Add Custom Field button
- Choose
> Issues. - Select Fields > Custom Fields.
- Select Add Custom Field. Select All to make sure you can see all available field types.
- Select a field and click Next.
Configure the selection criteria for your field, as shown in the example for the Checkboxes field below:
The Field Name will appear as the custom field's title in both entering and retrieving information on issues, whereas the Field Description is displayed beneath the data entry field when entering new issues and editing existing issues, but not when browsing issues.
- Select Create.
- Choose which options to display and select Submit to finish adding your new custom field.
Next steps
If you wish to change the context or other variables in your custom field, see Configuring a custom field. You can also find more custom fields from add-ons listed on the Atlassian Marketplace (e.g. the Jira Toolkit). To build your own custom field types, see the tutorial at the Jira Developer Documentation.
There are a ton of apps on the Atlassian Marketplace to add custom fields to Jira. Some of our most popular include:
- Profields - Jira Project Custom Fields: Add, manage, and customize Jira project fields according to each project needs
- Power Custom Fields: Use formulas, scripts, calculated fields, and custom messages inside a custom field
- nFeed - external data in custom fields: Create custom fields which can be populated with any datasource