Get started with workflow functions

The way tasks and processes are managed in Jira is through workflows. A workflow maps out the statuses an issue can go through and the available transitions between the statuses that together define your entire process.

You can edit the overall workflow used in a project, or modify the way particular issue types are handled in the workflow. But: At some point, you might end up stuck in the middle of nowhere because of feature limitations.

At this point, Jira Workflow Toolbox for Jira comes in handy!

JWT for Jira enhances the way you configure workflows. It extends the native functionality by offering custom conditions, validators, and post functions.

Conditions are used to control the transitions available to a user. If a condition fails, the user will not see the transition button on the Jira issue view, and so will not be able to execute the transition.

JWT offers the following conditions:

To get more familiar with conditions, we recommend to take a look at our use case library:

Condition use cases and examples

Use case	Parser functions	Label
Hide transition to a previous status
Set a condition in a global transition which only applies in a certain status
Only user specified in project property is allowed to execute transition	projectProperty()
All sub-tasks in the Closed status must have a specific resolution
There must be at least one related Service Management request
Only users in a project role can execute a transition
Only watchers can execute a transition
A developer must not execute the transition
Resolution must be empty
Make the description required
Make the assignee required
Hide transition from issue creator
An issue must have at least 3 resolved Test Cases
All sub-tasks with a resolution of Done must be in a specific status
All sub-tasks must be resolved		STAFF PICK
All sub-tasks must be Done or Closed
Specific sub-tasks must be resolved
All blocking issues must be resolved
Prevent users from selecting specific fix versions
Assignee may only have a restricted number of assigned issues
Current user must be reporter

Validators are used to guarantee accuracy of existing issue data or data entered on a transition screen before a transition is performed.

JWT offers the following validators:

To get more familiar with validators, we recommend to take a look at our use case library:

Validator use cases and examples

Use case	Parser functions	Label
Prevent a transition depending of the number of components	numberOfSelectedItems()
Prevent a closed issue from being reopened after resting 1 week closed	isInRole()
Prevent issue creation if description contains less than 100 characters	replaceAll() length()
Evaluate Assets objects	findPattern() findReplaceAll() replaceAll() toStringList()
Block a transition until all sub-tasks have certain fields populated	count() filterByPredicate() subtasks()	STAFF PICK
Validate a Select List (cascading) custom field
Prevent external users from creating issues	matches() toString() textOnStringList() toStringList() userDisplayName()
Validate only issue links created in transition screen	count() transitionLinkedIssues() filterByProject() filterByIssueType()
Prevent setting due dates outside business hours	withinCalendar()	STAFF PICK
Prevent the creation of sub-tasks unless the parent issue is in a certain status
Halt a transition if an element is not contained in a list	toStringList()
Prevent transitioning when there is a blocking issue
Prevent creation of issues with a duplicate summary
Validation based on the value of a date type project property	stringToDate() projectProperty()
Restrict issue creation per issue type and project role	isInRole()
Reject duplicated file names in attachments	count() toStringList() distinct()
Prevent issue creation with the same field value (Boolean)	count() issuesFromJQL()
Ensure that all issues linked with a certain issue link type have "Due Date" field set	count() linkedIssues() fieldValue()
Block an Epic's transition until all the issues under that Epic are resolved	count() issuesUnderEpic() filterByResolution()
Block an Epic's transition depending on linked issues status and due date	count() filterByPredicate() linkedIssues()
Make "Time spent" field required
Close parent issue only when all sub-tasks are closed
Prevent issue creation with the same field value		STAFF PICK
Ensure that an issue has at least one attachment		STAFF PICK
Proceed with a task only when all sub-tasks are completed
Prevent issue from being "Closed" if blocking issues are not closed yet.
Restrict the issue creation with specific issue types to certain project roles

Post functions are used to perform additional processing and help to automate tasks after a transition is performed.

JWT offers the following post functions:

To get more familiar with post functions, we recommend to take a look at our use case library:

Post function use cases and examples

Use case	Parser functions	Label
Add a hyperlink to an issue in an email
Add comment with the request participants' display name	toString() textOnStringList() toStringList() userDisplayName()
Alert the assignee of important issues
Get attributes of Assets objects
Set fix version based on its start and release date	toString() textOnStringList() unreleasedVersions() startDates() releaseDates() first()
Translate the description	replaceAll() wikiToHTML() htmlToTxt()
Get Hubspot contact information
Obtain a value from an Elements Connect custom field	findPattern() toString()
Create a sub-task for each component	toStringList()
Create a personal space for a new employee
Create Confluence page with links to issues
Clone issue in external instance
Read the information from a Trello card
Get Checklist
Set a Date Picker field to the nth day of the month	dayOfTheMonth() lastDayOfTheMonth() addDays()
Create child issue within Advanced Roadmaps hierarchy
Send email with the URL of the attachments included in the description	replaceAll() toString() attachmentUrls() findPattern()
Set Checklist
Link issue to issue keys in its description	findPattern() toString()
Create issue under epic	toString() epic()
Set assignee based on a former assignee	previousValue()
Create a sub-task for every sub-task closed	findReplaceFirst() first() findPattern() toString() sum() toNumber()
Add watchers ignoring inactive users	usersInGroup() isActive() toString() filterByPredicate()
Copy formatted description of issue into email	wikiToHTML()
Set reporter as assignee if a User Picker field is empty
Keep the status of an issue and its linked issues in sync
Add user to field depending on selected options
Set a date on the same week day on alternate weeks	addDays() nextDayOfTheWeek() modulus() weekOfTheYear() datePart()
Set the next fix version	floor() toNumber() substring() length()
Create a component to group issues related to UI design
Automatically create a version when starting the release
Create sub-tasks depending on selected values in custom field	toStringList()	STAFF PICK
Add or remove request participants
Retrieve the assets of an issue in Jira cloud
Clone epic, tasks and sub-tasks	toString() toStringList() issueKeysToIssueList() replaceFirst() first() fieldValue() textOnStringList() findModify() subtasks() issuesUnderEpic()
Set the assignee of an external issue same as the transitioned issue
Notify the reporter of an issue about its status by a Telegram message
Set assignee depending on issue type	issueType()
Create an issue with a custom summary	previousValue()
Inline images in a generated email	replaceAll()
Create a sub-task for every user in a field and assign them	getMatchingValue() toStringList()
Automatically log work on a Jira issue	dateTimeToString()
Create an overview page for a software release
Create a new employee account during an onboarding process
Automatically link an issue to an external one
Transition an external Jira ticket based on the linked internal one
Link a Jira issue with the corresponding release ticket
Create an external project for a new employee during an onboarding process
Create a comment on an external Jira ticket
Assign issue to current user

If you still have questions, feel free to refer to our support team.

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Condition use cases and examples

Validator use cases and examples

Post function use cases and examples