Create and configure fields in Jira
10 min
By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:
- Create a Jira field
- Configure Jira field behavior
What are Jira fields?
While system fields are the core of Jira, Fields created by Jira admins enable your teams to capture data that is most relevant to them and use it in filters, automation, dashboards, and reporting.
Jira admins create fields for all company-managed spaces. Team-managed space admins create fields for their individual spaces, though they can also use the fields created by Jira admins.
While system-wide fields are very useful, Jira admins should be careful not to create too many. Fields with duplicative or overlapping purposes can quickly clutter a Jira site and impact performance.
The field type controls how users enter data in the field. Some examples include:
- Paragraph
- Short text
- Number field
- Date picker
- Radio buttons
- Checkboxes
- Labels
Some field types, like radio buttons, checkboxes, and select lists, allow you to set options and defaults.
When you first create a field, it will be optional. This means that it won’t impact existing work and configurations. If you add the new field to a screen that existing work uses, they’ll show the new field, but it won’t have a value, even if you chose a default value.
If you delete a field, that will delete all existing data for that field.
Create a field for company-managed spaces
Only Jira admins can create and configure fields for company-managed spaces. You’ll manage fields in Jira administration pages, then associate them with spaces using work type screen schemes.
Jira fields for company-managed spaces have a field context, which is the list of work types and spaces the field applies to. You can add multiple field contexts for a field, but you can’t have separate field contexts for different work types in the same space.
By default, new fields are globally available to all work types and spaces.
To create a field for company-managed spaces:
- In the upper-right corner of Jira, click Settings (represented by a gear icon).
- Under Jira admin settings, select Work items.
- In the sidebar, under Fields, select Fields.
- Select Create new field.
- Select a field type from the Field type dropdown.
- Enter a name and description. Users will see these throughout Jira, so be clear and descriptive.
- Select Create.
- Locate your field in the list and select More actions (represented by ···), then Edit field. In the side panel that appears, you can edit the name and description and configure some field behavior, depending on the field type. Select Save to save your changes.
- Locate your field in the list and select More actions (represented by ···), then Contexts and default value. On this page, you can add a field context, edit existing field contexts, and set a default field value.
Create a field for team-managed spaces
Space admins create their own fields that only apply to an individual space. You can also use the fields created by Jira admins for company-managed spaces in team-managed spaces.
Each work type can have its own fields. You can select different default values for different work types, but the list of options must be the same.
Team-managed spaces don’t use field contexts, because their fields are unique to that space.
To create a field for team-managed spaces:
- Open the space in Jira.
- In the sidebar, next to the space name, select More actions (represented by ···), then Space settings.
- In the sidebar, under Work types, select the work type you’d like to add a field to.
- If you want to add an existing field, in the Fields panel, use the search bar.
- If you want to create a new field, in the Fields panel, select Create a field to expand the section.
- Select a field type. Depending on the field type you select, you’ll enter different information.
- After you add the fields you need, at the bottom of the page, select Save changes.
👇The Fields panel enables you to add fields to a work type in a team-managed space.
Let’s explore an example!
Mary, a Jira admin, has a request from three space admins for company-managed spaces. They all want to add a Color field to their spaces. However, they have slightly different needs.
To meet their requirements:
- Create a field called Color, if there isn’t a field for this already. Use the Select List (single choice) field type.
- Add the field to the relevant screens for those spaces.
- Add three field contexts to this field:
- For the ALPHA space, add the field to the Story work type. Add Gray, Yellow, and Purple as options. Set Gray as the default.
- For the BETA space, add the field to the Bug work type. Add Blue, Yellow, and Orange as options. Set Yellow as the default.
- For the OMEGA space, add the field to the Task work type. Add Gray, Orange, White, Purple, and Blue as options. Set None as the default.