All issues in a project are of a specific type. It may be sufficient to have one issue type, but often, there are use cases for having different types, e.g., Task, Request, etc. and the different types may even follow different workflows. Issue types are defined in the set-up of a project. This article describes how to create issue types.
Prerequisites
- You must have "Change" access rights to the CMS project OR the Administrator role in the server.
Issue Type Setup
Issue types are created under the Setup menu. In the project, click Setup and then select Issue Types.
The page displays all elements of an issue type, including its Issue Type Name, which Workflow it follows, its Icon and whether or not there are Included Attribute Types and Included Relationships to other issue types or to item types. The configure of these elements is described below.
Creating an Issue Type
When you create a new project, it will include an issue type call "Issue", by default, as shown above. You can use this one to get started with and rename it, if needed, in the Issue Type Name field.
To create a new issue type, right-click in the Issue Types pane and select New Issue Type.
In the Enter Name dialog, enter the new issue type's name and click OK. The new issue type will display in the Issue Types list.
You can change the name at any time, however, you should never change the name in a way that it will cause confusion for user interaction with any existing issues of the type.
Enter an optional description in the Issue Type Description field. The description cannot be seen by end users, but can be used as a guideline for future changes of the issue type. The description supports formatted text, and you can double-click in the box to open the Description editor.
Selecting a Workflow
Typically, you will want issues to progress through a workflow of statuses, e.g., New, In progress, Done, etc. Use the browse button to the right of the Workflow field to select a workflow from a list of existing workflows in the project.
If there are no existing workflows to chose from, you will need to create one.
Selecting an Icon
Whether a project has one or more issue types, users appreciate the visual benefit of an icon.
To assign an icon to an issue type, click the browse button to the right of the Icon field. Make a selection and click OK. An icon is optional.
Setting Attribute Types
Within a project, you can define attributes that can be used with one ore more issue types. If you want to associate attributes with an issue type, the attribute types must first be defined in the project. Once defined, you can assign attributes to an issue type by right-clicking on the attribute in the Included Attribute Types section and selecting Include.
If included, they are displayed for users just below the issue's Properties in the Attributes section of the issue editor.
You can stop using an attribute with an issue type at any time by excluding it or removing it entirely from the project.
Changing the Order of Attributes
To change the order in which attributes appear in the issue editor, move the attribute types to their proper position in the Attribute Types list by right-clicking on the attribute you want to move and selecting Move Up or Move Down.
Setting Relationships
Within a project, you can define one or more relationships that can be made between an issue type and a particular item and/or issue type. If you want to allow a relationship for an issue type, the relationship must first be defined in the project. Once defined, you can assign the relationship(s) to an issue type by right-clicking on the relationship in the Included Relationships section and selecting Include.
If included, they are displayed for users just below the issue's Attributes in the Relationships section of the issue editor.
To stop allowing a relationship, right-click on it and select Exclude. Any existing issues with the now-excluded relationship type will maintain the relationship, although linked issues or items can be deleted from an issue in the issue editor at any time.
What's Next?
Learn about how to create a description template for issues.