# Working in sheets
# View preferences
# Column resizing
To widen or narrow a table column, click the right-hand-side border of its column header cell, drag it horizontally to the desired new position, and drop it there.
# Column freezing v2.2.0
By default, the Issue type and Issue key columns are frozen on the left-hand side of the table. You can also freeze other columns. Hover with the cursor over the header of the desired column, a
To reset column freezing, click the
# Column sorting
To sort a Sheet by a column's values, hover with the cursor over the header of the desired column, a
You can also reset column sorting by clicking the
# Column filtering
You can filter the contents of a Sheet by defining field values in one or multiple columns. Hover with the cursor over the header of the desired column, a
To clear filtering, click the
The text search in column filtering menus accepts logical operators. See Using logical operators for more details.
Pro tip
If you are unsure if a Sheet is currently filtered, have a look at the status bar at the bottom right corner of the page. Icons are indicating whether you have applied any view preferences. If so, then you can remove them all at once by clicking for example on the
# Level-specific column filtering
To exclude Levels of a Hierarchy or Structure from your Column filtering, click the
In the Column filtering preferences section of the dialog that opens, in the Levels menu, you can choose Only filter top level or Only filter parent levels. This is helpful, for example, when you need to exclude sub-task issues from column filtering. v1.2.7
You can also choose Only filter child levels or Only filter bottom level. This is helpful, for example, when you need to exclude higher-level issues from column filtering. v1.5.6
Parent levels are all Levels above the lowest Level. Child levels are all Levels below the top-most Level. Top level means only the top-most Level. Bottom level means only the lowest Level. E.g. in a Structure with five Levels, counting from the lowest up, Parent levels would be 2, 3, 4, 5, Child levels would be 1, 2, 3, 4, Top level is only 5, and Bottom level is only 1.
To reset this preference to its default state, click the
# Level visibility
To generally hide issues without children or parents in a Hierarchy or Structure, click the
In the Level visibility section of the dialog that opens, in the Issues without children menu, you can choose Hide top level issues or Hide parent level issues. v1.2.7
In the Issues without parents menu, you can choose Hide child level issues or Hide bottom level issues. v2.5.1
Parent levels are all Levels above the lowest Level. Child levels are all Levels below the top-most Level. Top level means only the top-most Level. Bottom level means only the lowest Level. E.g. in a Structure with five Levels, counting from the lowest up, Parent levels would be 2, 3, 4, 5, Child levels would be 1, 2, 3, 4, Top level is only 5, and Bottom level is only 1.
To only show issues that satisfy criteria of the enabled Hierarchy or Structure, activate the Hide issues outside levels checkbox. This hides Issues that would otherwise get listed in "Other level X issues" groupings at the bottom of the table, as they are not part of any tree. v2.5.1
To reset this preference to its default state, click the
# Table search
You can filter the contents of a Sheet using the search field above the table at the right-hand side of the page.
The table search accepts logical operators. See Using logical operators for more details.
To clear the table search, empty the search field or click the
# Using logical operators v1.2.3
You can use the following syntax and keywords in text column filtering and the table search field.
Disjunction OR
Matches will include at least one of the expressions.
term1 OR term2
This is also the default connective used if you don't type any operator. I.e. it is equivalent to:
term1 term2
Conjunction AND
Matches will include all of the expressions.
term1 AND term2
The precedence of the AND operator is higher than that of the OR operator.
Negation NOT
Matches will not include the expression.
term1 term2 term3 NOT term4
Empty values EMPTY v1.5.3
Matches empty cells.
EMPTY
Also usable in a disjunction.
term1 OR EMPTY
If you'd like all Issues returned that have any value set, use EMPTY in a negation.
NOT EMPTY
Grouping ( )
Using round parentheses you can group expressions to control operators' precedence in the order of evaluation.
(term1 OR term2) AND term3
Phrasing and escaping " "
By surrounding expressions with quotation marks you can search for exact phrases.
term1 "term2 term3 term4"
If the phrase you're searching for includes double quotation marks, surround it with single quotation marks.
'term1 term2 "term3 term4"'
If it includes single quotation marks, surround it with double quotation marks.
"term1 term2 'term3 term4'"
If it includes reserved words such as EMPTY or NULL, also surround it with quotation marks.
"phrase with terms empty or null"
# Working with issues
# Editing cells
You can view the Field values of your Issues in your Sheets' table cells. To change them, simply double-click on any cell and edit away, like you are used to from products like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. Depending on the cell’s data, you can either edit the content directly in the table cell, or in a dropdown menu or dialog that appears.
Screen configuration
While you can add any column to any Sheet in JXL, many table cells will only be available and editable for individual Issue types if you have configured Jira accordingly.
You need to have the appropriate Field added to the Issue type’s Screen in your
Generally, in order to be permitted to edit Fields of an Issue while it’s on a particular Status, its Workflow properties need to allow for it (Use workflow properties (opens new window)).
If a cell (i.e. the Field or data it represents) is not available, the cell appears with diagonal stripes and is uneditable. This can have various reasons, e.g.:
- The data is not applicable for the Issue type (e.g. Sub-tasks cell of a Sub-task, Parent cell of an Epic).
- The Field is generally not available in the Project type (i.e. Components cell of an Issue from a Team-managed project in Jira Cloud).
- You don’t have sufficient Permissions to view the Field.
- The relevant feature is not enabled in your Jira site.
If a cell (i.e. the Field or data it represents) is not editable, its content appears light grey when selected, and is uneditable. This can have various reasons, e.g.:
- The Field is generally not editable (e.g. the Created date or Resolution of an Issue).
- The appropriate Field is not on the Issue type’s Screen.
- The appropriate Field is not added to the Issue type (Team-managed projects in Jira Cloud).
- You don’t have sufficient Permissions (e.g. for editing, assigning, closing, transitioning Issues, or managing Sprints).
- Editing the Field type is not yet supported by JXL. In this case, feel free to request this feature with us and we’ll look into it. (Supported fields)
You can undo and redo changes with the usual Keyboard commands.
# Copying and pasting values
Start by selecting the cell or multiple cells of which you want to copy the values. You can then copy and paste the selected cells' values with the usual Keyboard commands.
Keep in mind
The values of different Jira Field types are often incompatible. Examples: You cannot copy the value of an Assignee cell and paste it into an Issue type cell. You can, however, in most circumstances copy the value of a Reporter cell and paste it into an Assignee cell, as both have the same or similar enough Field type.
JXL will let you know with a friendly message in case any of your pastes were unsuccessful due to the destination Field/s not accepting the value/s. This can have various reasons, e.g.:
- The pasted content is incompatible with the destination Field type.
- The pasted content is compatible but mismatches all the destination Field’s available options.
- The pasted content is an unallowed value (e.g. non-existent Transitions between specific Statuses of the Workflow)
- You don’t have sufficient Permissions to update the destination Field/s.
You can undo and redo changes with the usual Keyboard commands.
# Bulk editing issues
As described above, with the right sheet scope, and by selecting, copying and pasting hundreds or thousands of cells you can get almost any bulk change done.
If you need to take any action or alter any data that aren't represented by Fields you can always just initiate the Jira native bulk editing tool. Select the rows (or just cells of rows) of the Issues you'd like to change, right-click in the selection to open the cell context menu, and choose Bulk edit. The Jira bulk editing tool opens pre-populated with the Issues from your Sheet.
# Creating issues
To create an Issue in your Sheet, hover with the cursor over the row handles on the left of the table, between the two rows where you want to create the new issue row (i.e. over a row border), and click the
Keep in mind
A new Issue will appear at the position in the table where you created it. However, that position might be temporary. When you re-apply any view preferences (i.e. column sorting, filtering and table searching) that you might have set, the Issue might get listed at a different position in the table. When you refresh the Sheet, the Issue might disappear entirely, if it doesn't satisfy the criteria of the sheet scope.
Screen configuration
When creating an Issue within a Grouping or Hierarchy Level, it will be created with the relevant field values set. E.g. when creating an Issue within an Assignee Grouping, it will get assigned to the User of the Grouping it is being created in. An attempt to create an Issue will fail if you have not configured Jira accordingly.
You need to have the appropriate Fields (in the before-mentioned example, the Assignee Field) added to the Issue type’s Screen in your
# Cloning issues
Keep in mind
This feature is available in JXL for Jira Cloud only.
For the purpose of cloning issues (opens new window), JXL is integrated with the Deep Clone for Jira (opens new window) app. If you have the app installed, you can select the rows (or just cells of rows) of the Issues you'd like to clone, right-click in the selection to open the cell context menu, and choose Clone or Bulk clone. A Deep Clone for Jira dialog opens pre-populated with the Issues from your Sheet.
# Duplicating issues
Stay tuned
This feature is not released yet.
# Deleting issues
Stay tuned
This feature is not released yet.
