Why am I not allowed to add the Epic Link to a JSD request form?

[Dave Menconi]

One of my users wants Jira Service Desk portal form to allow customers to specify an epic link. 

I am aware that Epics are usually associated with Jira Software and so is my user. I believe the use case is that a knowledgeable customer, who (presumably) has access to jira software, would create an issue in the portal and then associate it with an epic (presumably in a software project).

Whether this is a good idea or not, I found that I could NOT add the epic link field to the visible part of the form. I got a message "This field type cannot be shown - you must provide a preset value". I could add it ONLY if I gave it a preset epic link. This is true even though I added the epic type to the project. 

Can you tell me WHY I can't add an epic link to the visible part of the form and/or how I might accomplish this? 

[Kian Stack Mumo Systems · Accepted solution]

Dave,

As that message indicates, you cannot add the Epic Link field to the portal forms. It's just not possible.

There are certain activities which customers will not be able to do, and this is one of them.

[Dave Menconi]

The answer "you can't do it because it can't be done" is not very satisfying but I think it's the correct answer. 

[Bastian Stehmann]

Hi @Dave Menconi ,

I think it is not possible because it doesn't make any sense.

Even if you would be able to add the field, the customer would not be able to select an epic, because they don't have access to them  they can only access their own request or the ones shared with them.

[Dave Menconi]

Thanks for your answer. I agree that it makes little sense to ask customers to who don't have access to epics to identify them. And the people who DO have access to the epics can simply open the issue afterward and add the epic, if they so choose (and have the privs). 

But I think the point was that SOME of the people who would be creating issues in the portal DO have access to the epics and that allowing them to add the epic in the portal, all in one operation instead of two, would be useful.

Still, it's hardly a significant hole in the system.