JQL to order board by priority is not working

[Salma Ratanjee]

Hi. I created a JQL for ordering by descending priority and I't not working + is unclear why. Could someone please help?

[Trudy Claspill]

Hello @Salma Ratanjee 

Welcome to the Atlassian community.

How are you trying to apply that JQL to your board? Are you trying to use it through a Quick/Custom Filter? Of have you tried changing the underlying filter of the board that selects issues?

Can you provide a screen image to show where you have added that JQL to your board?

Note that if you are using it in a Quick/Custom Filter, that will not work. Quick/Custom Filters only work to reduce the issues displayed to a subset of all the issues selected by the underlying board filter. They cannot be used to change the ordering of the issues. The ordering of the issues is controlled by the underlying board filter.

[Salma Ratanjee]

Hi @Trudy Claspill - I think that this is happening because this is not a team managed board. Have you seen that occur?

[Trudy Claspill]

Hello @Salma Ratanjee 

I need answers to the questions I asked on July 14 in order to provide you with advice.

[Salma Ratanjee]

Hi @Trudy Claspill 

1. I'm using the filter at the board-level.

2. Screenshot below.

[Trudy Claspill]

Based on the image you provided I can tell that you are working with the board for a Team Managed project. 

You will not be able to change the sort order on that board.

The Custom Filters do not allow you to change the sort order. They only allow you to reduce the issues displayed to a subset.

Note that if you are using it in a Quick/Custom Filter, that will not work. Quick/Custom Filters only work to reduce the issues displayed to a subset of all the issues selected by the underlying board filter. They cannot be used to change the ordering of the issues. The ordering of the issues is controlled by the underlying board filter.

The sort order is locked as BY Rank for the built-in board for a Team Managed Software project.

[Salma Ratanjee]

 @Trudy Claspill - thanks. Does this mean it needs to be a board from a company-managed project?

[Trudy Claspill]

If you use a board that has ORDER BY priority DESC in the board filter, you will not be able to drag and drop the items to change their "priority" (rank) in that board.

Additionally, the built in Priority field is a selection list, so you end up with many items having the same Priority value and clumped together. You would not be able to rearrange the order of items within a priority "group" unless you used another field for that.

Given those limitations, is a board where issues are order by Priority really going to be useful?

If so, you can:

1. Create a filter in the Filters > Search Work Items page to select the items in that project and order them by Priority.

2. Save the filter. Share it with others that will need to be able to see the board.

3. Create a new board and when the wizard asks you what you want to create it from, select Saved Filter.

4. Complete the board creation process by specifying the filter you created and saved.