User Guide

Owned by David Sedlock
Nov 04, 2022
3 min read

Overview

As a project manager, you use CM4J to administer certain custom fields that have been enabled for CM4J by the Jira administrator. The administration includes setting default values for the fields and, in the case of fields that have a defined list of options, specifying the values of those options.

Before you begin using CM4J, you should become acquainted with the Jira concept of custom field contexts and the functionality offered by CM4J. See Understanding Jira Custom Field Contexts.

You normally use CM4J to create and administer custom field contexts that are specific to your project. In case a custom field context is enabled for shared usage with other projects, you are also able to administer such shared contexts using CM4J. Bear in mind that changing a context shared by several projects should be first aligned with those projects.

To administer the custom fields enabled for CM4J, go to your project and select Project settings > Context Manager for Jira. There you see the custom fields available to you.

Usage

Task

Action

Remarks

Task

Action

Remarks

Create new project-specific custom field context

  • Select Create project specific context.

This action creates a new custom field context that is specific to your project i.e., not shared with any other projects.

If you are already administering a shared custom field context, you may use this action to opt out of a shared context and go forward with a new project-specific context.

CM4J does not support creating custom field contexts that are shared by different projects. Such contexts must first be created by the Jira administrator, after which they can be administered by the project administrators of the specified projects.

Add custom field context option

  • Select Edit options.

  • Select button Add new option.

  • Provide the value of the option and, optionally, its desired position in the list of values.

 

Change custom field context option

  • Select Edit options.

  • Under Actions, select Edit next to the desired value.

  • Enter a new value.

 

Delete custom field context option

  • Select Edit options.

  • Under Actions, select Delete next to the desired value.

  • Review the list of issues that have the value and select Delete.

This action changes any issues with this value for the given custom field so that they no longer have a value for the field. Any such issues are first listed, and you are prompted to complete or cancel the action.

It makes no difference if the to-be-deleted option is required by the field configuration: the deletion is carried out anyway. The next time the issue is edited, the user will be forced to provide a value, but meanwhile the issue will have no value for the field.

Disable or enable custom field context option

  • Select Edit options.

  • Under Actions, select Disable or Enable next to the desired value.

Disabling a value has the effect that the value can no longer be used, but issues that already have the value are unaffected.

Reorder custom field context options

  • Use the arrows under Order to move a value up or down in the list.

  • Alternatively, provide the desired position under Move to position.

 

View changelog

  • Select Edit options.

  • Select Show changelog.

The changelog shows the changes made to the custom field context. It can be valuable if a project has several administrators, or a custom field context is shared by several projects and confusion arises.

Administering a custom field default configuration scheme

In exceptional circumstances, project administrators may be allowed to administer the default configuration scheme of a custom field using the various actions explained in the above table.