Behaviours

What are Behaviours?

Behaviours give you added control over fields in Jira. A field configuration customizes how fields behave across an instance. However, a behaviour in ScriptRunner for Jira Cloud allows you to take that field customization further, defining how fields behave for issues in a given project or issue context.

Behaviours provide you with options that enable you to customize how fields in Jira behave. Therefore, you can give your users clear direction when filling in fields on the Create Behaviour screen. For example, you may want to create a behaviour that hides a field for a specific user group until it's relevant for them to interact with that particular field. 

You can create a behaviour that will:

• Prefill/preformat a template when an issue is created so users can easily follow it.

• Change the name or description that is displayed for a field.

• Hide or show a supported field only to people in a specific role.
  

  Note that hidden fields can still be submitted if a user edits the HTML form or modifies browser requests. 
• Set a field value based on another supported field.

How to use Behaviours

Behaviours in ScriptRunner for Jira Cloud can be used to reinforce your business processes. It's beneficial to think of a behaviour as one of your business rules or use cases and understand that it will only affect fields on projects and issue types specified by you.

Within the behaviours feature, you can choose to change or alter one or more fields. These are known as affected fields and are essential to initiate a behaviour. As such, they must be defined from the outset and are mandatory. Additionally, it is essential to determine the timing of when the script on the affected field should run: when the create screen first loads or when a change has been made to another supported field.

Install the app

Why?

There are currently two platforms on which Jira apps can be built: Atlassian Connect and the newer Atlassian Forge. ScriptRunner for Jira Cloud is built on the Connect platform, but this does not facilitate the Behaviours feature. Atlassian created an API called UI Modifications on the Forge platform, which made it possible for ScriptRunner to build behaviours. Therefore, this means that in order to use the Behaviours feature, a separate Forge app needs to be installed alongside ScriptRunner for Jira Cloud. 

As more capabilities become available in the UI Modifications API, more functionality can be built in ScriptRunner's Behaviours feature. 

How?

To install the ScriptRunner Behaviours app, you need to follow the steps below, depending on whether or not you already have an active, valid ScriptRunner for Jira Cloud instance installed: 

Option A: If ScriptRunner for Jira Cloud is installed and ACTIVE

1. Log into your Jira instance as an admin. 
2. Locate the Behaviours tab.
3. Click Install Free App. 
   
   You are redirected to the Atlassian marketplace to install the Behaviours - ScriptRunner for Jira Cloud app.
4. Click Get it now and follow the install prompts. 
   
   You are automatically taken back to the Behaviours Forge app page in Jira where you are required to allow the app to access Atlassian products. You are required to do this one time only.
5. Click Allow Access. 
   
   
6. Click Get Started. You are now ready to start using the Behaviours feature and will be redirected to the Behaviours tab.
   
   From here, you can click Create Behaviour and follow the steps to create a behaviour in ScriptRunner for Jira Cloud.
   

Option B: If ScriptRunner for Jira Cloud is NOT installed

1. Go to the Atlassian Marketplace to install the Behaviours - ScriptRunner for Jira Cloud app. 
2. Click Get it now and follow the install prompts. 
   
   You are automatically redirected to the Behaviours Forge app page in Jira where you are required to allow the app to access Atlassian products. You are required to do this one time only.
3. Click Allow Access. 
   
4. Click the Get ScriptRunner for Jira button. 
   
   You are redirected to the Atlassian Marketplace where you can purchase/install ScripRunner for Jira Cloud. 
   Once ScripRunner for Jira Cloud is installed, the Manage apps in Jira admin page displays.
   
5. Open ScriptRunner for Jira Cloud and locate the Behaviours tab. You are now ready to start using the Behaviours feature.
   From here, you can click Create Behaviour and follow the steps to create a behaviour in ScriptRunner for Jira Cloud.

Before you start

Behaviours Supported Fields

Behaviours can be applied to supported fields on the Global Issue Create view only. Additionally, modifications may only be made on the following supported fields:

Behaviours Supported Functions

Developing Behaviours on Cloud and adding more functionality to this feature remains a high priority for the ScriptRunner team. The table below highlights the functions that are currently supported in Behaviours for Cloud. Comparatively, all of the functions are available in the ScriptRunner for Jira Server/Data Centre Behaviours feature.

Category		Supported capability	Supported on Cloud
Behaviours actions		Hide/show field
		Make field editable/read-only
		Change field name/title
		Change field description
		Make field required
		Check field type
		Manage field options	Supported Fields: Priority Select List Fields Multi-Select List Fields Checkbox Fields
Configuration mapping		Configuration support for ALL projects or ALL issue types
Affected fields	Custom fields	Single select fields
		Multiple select fields
		Text fields
		Paragraph fields
		User picker fields
		Multiple user picker fields
		Single select or multi select check box fields
		Radio option fields
		URL fields
		Attachment fields
	System fields	Description
		Priority
		Summary
		Assignee
		Labels
		Reporter
		Fix Versions
		Components
		Other system fields
Behaviours location		On Create view
		On Transition view
		On View view
		Sub-tasks
Supported platform	Jira Software	Company-managed projects
		Team-managed projects
	Jira Work Management (Core)
	Jira Service Management

Create a Behaviour

1. Navigate to ScriptRunner → Behaviours.
   If you have previously created behaviours, you will see a list displayed. You can edit or delete any of these via the Actions ellipsis next to the behaviour you want to modify or delete.
   

2. Click the Create Behaviour button. The following screen displays:
   
   

   We are gradually rolling out this new Behaviours user interface which will allow support for multiple affected fields on all instances.

   
   
   

3. Enter a name in the Behaviour Name field.
4. Enter a brief summary of the behaviour's purpose in the Behaviour Description box.
5. Check the Enable Behaviour option, as required. By default, the behaviour is set to Enabled, meaning that the behaviour is active as soon as it has been saved.
6. Select the project(s) that the behaviour will be applied to from the Projects drop down list. You must select at least one project.
   
7. Select the type of issue you want to apply this behaviour to from the Issue Types drop down list. You must select at least one issue type.
   

8. Click the Add Script button. You will see the Add Field Script pop-up window displayed where you can add the behaviour script.
   
   

9. Determine when the behaviour script will run, either On load or On change (or both).

   When	Runs
   On load	The script will run when the create screen initially loads. You'll want to choose this option when you want the affected field to populate immediately upon opening the create screen.  For example, a field name or field description is changed, or a value is pre-populated into the field.
   On change	The script will run when the specified supported field change happens. You may want to run the script initially when it loads AND if a change has occurred. You'll want to choose this option when you've added a condition to the logic and identified a trigger that will update the affected field. So if you would like to run the script after the user alters a field on the create screen, then choose the On change option. For example, initially, you could set the assignee field to Bob, so all new bugs are assigned to him, but if the user then changes the priority to High, the assignee would then auto-update to Jane.

10. Enter your code within the Script box, as required. Note that you can directly open the API documentation from here. 
    Alternatively, you can select an example script from the Insert Example Code drop down list and modify it as required, ensuring that you:
    • edit any variables, like custom field names, roles, or groups, in the example code so it's relevant to your instance.
    • choose the right time to run your script: on load and/or on change so that it runs when you need it to.
    Choosing to use the Insert Example Code script will replace anything that is already contained within the Script box. 
11. Click Save Script to save your behaviour script, or you can Cancel. Once saved, you will see the details displayed within the Behaviours Scripts table:
    
    You can use the Action ellipsis menu to Edit or Delete the script. If you would like to continue adding more behaviour scripts, then these must be defined separately, as outlined in the steps above. You can continue to add these to the table and add the logic needed until your business requirements are met for this behaviour.
12. Click Save to confirm the configurations for your behaviour, or you can Cancel.
    If you are creating behaviours for the first time since installing the ScriptRunner Behaviours app, then you are prompted to click the Allow Access button, as shown below:

    

    Atlassian’s initial beta release of the UI Modifications API requires each user to allow access to the Behaviours app. As such, the first time you create an issue where a behaviour is mapped, you will need to allow access to the Forge app (one time only).

    Granting access allows you to create issues on a screen that has been modified by the UI Modifications API. If access is not granted, then you will not be able to create an issue from screens that have been modified by a behaviour.

    Granting access is a temporary step; rest assured, Atlassian is working to improve the user experience and remove it. You can follow Atlassian’s ticket here.

    After access has been granted, the following screen displays: 
    
    Once you have clicked on the Accept button, you are returned to the Behaviours screen.

Edit a Behaviour

Follow the steps below to edit a behaviour in ScriptRunner for Jira Cloud:

1. Navigate to ScriptRunner → Behaviours. You will see a list of previously created behaviours.
2. Click Edit from the Actions ellipsis next to the behaviour you would like to modify. From here, you can also Delete a behaviour.
   
   You can open any links in the table to display a pop-up window that provides you with more information and an edit option.
3. Edit the fields, as required, from within the Edit Behaviour screen.
   
   You can also delete each of the individual Behaviour Scripts via the Actions ellipsis
4. Click Edit next to the Affected Field you want to edit, and you will see the Edit Field Script window displayed:
   
   
5. Make your required changes, such as modifying when the script runs and/or editing the script code.
6. Click Save to confirm the configurations for your behaviour, or you can Cancel.

Troubleshoot Behaviours

Behaviours are built on the UI Modifications API provided by Atlassian. Described below are some of the common errors that can occur as a result of using that API for the Behaviours feature.

Example Error

A common error that can occur within the ScriptRunner for Jira Cloud Behaviours feature happens when you set the wrong value type. That is, if you have a script that uses the setValue() method and the value of the field is set using the wrong data type, then you will see an error message displayed.

In this instance, you will see the error message appear on the Create issue screen when a behaviours script fails to run, as shown below:

Effect:

The result of this type of error means that all changes made in the UI do not take effect, and in turn, any behaviours that have been configured on other fields also do not run.

Resolution:

To resolve this error, you need to review the behaviours scripts mapped to the affected issue type and ensure that you are setting the correct value type for the field being set. The value types associated with each field are described on the Behaviours API page.