Issue with mandatory resolution in workflow

[John Bayne]

I have added a validator to the 'Resolve Issue' transition in my workflows to make some fields, including 'Resolution' mandatory.

When an issue in the 'Open' state is edited JIRA is making 'Resolution' mandatory.

Most odd, help!

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist- · Accepted solution]

I suspect you are mixing up "mandatory" with "there is no option for none when you put the resolution on a create or update screen".

You must only place the resolution field on transition screens that take an issue into a status you want to think of as "closed".  

You do NOT need to place any validation on "resolution" - if it's on screen, it gets set.  TO avoid setting it, make sure it is not on Edit or transition screens where you don't want to set it.

[Udo Brand]

Remove the resolution field from your edit screen. Since Resolution is by default mandatory.

[Olga_Molenaar]

I had the same issue, solved it by creating a separate 'Create' screen which does not show Resolution. While testing this screen I came across a bug: 

Cannot switch between projects that use different schemes. When Configure fields is used, toggling between All and Custom Fields results in an error.

I still consider this a workaround; resolution should only be mandatory for issues in status Resolved or Closed. The strikethrough, IMHO should depend on the status and not on whether or not a resolution in present. 

Olga

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

I'd take a similar approach and bin "resolution" as the "is resolved" flag completely. I'd favour a set of meta-status (similar to the to-do, in progress, done categorisation in Agile) that answer the question, and demote the resolution field to nothing more than a flag.

[John Bayne]

Thanks both.

I was unaware that resolution was mandatory by default.

I'll update my workflows to remove the typo

With regards having it on the view/edit screen (and adding a 'None' option) or not; I'll need to check with my users on their preference.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Ah, um, it's not "mandatory" at all. It does not have a "none" option. So your users fill it in by accident if you put it on a screen. JIRA's concept of "mandatory" applies from issue create onward. If you want to add a "none"option to it, that actually means coding - it's not a configuration or easy tweak - the field is coded with no "none" option!

[John Bayne]

Hi Nic, The set of Resolution is Configurable I think you’ll find on closer inspection. I have added a ‘None’ option as a new Resolution (making this the default) and removed the validator from my workflows and all is well. John

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

ARGH! NO! *Remove* it now. Immediately. Kill it with fire. JIRA considers *any* value in there to mean "resolved". If you select your new "none" option on an issue, then that issue is RESOLVED, Done, ended, deaded, killed, closed, whatever you want to call it.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

The values you have in that list are *just* labels for different numbers in the background. JIRA doesn't care what they are (the values are for humans), the functionality says "is there a resolution?" If there is, even if it's "none" or "unresolved", then there IS a resolution.

[John Bayne]

Cool. Walked right into that one :-) I've removed it from my edit screen now. Cheers!