Atlassian Jira integration

In this article

• Introduction
• Requirements
• Why is Jira Server not supported?
• Step 1
• Step 2
• Using Atlassian Jira integration
• Troubleshooting

Introduction

If you use Atlassian Jira as well as Feature Upvote then integrating the two could make your life easier. Our integration means you can:

• Link a Jira issue from a suggestion
• Create a new Jira issue from a suggestion
• View a linked Jira issue (basic information)

If you have feedback on how our Jira integration can be improved please add it to our feedback board. We’re actively interested in your ideas about how we can improve our integrations.

Requirements

To make this integration work there are a few requirements:

• You must have a ‘Jira Software Cloud’ instance. This is a Jira instance hosted by Atlassian.
• You need to use a Jira account that has permission to create issues to set up the integration.
• Your Jira instance must be accessible via the Internet. If your Jira installation can only be reached within your organisation's private network, this integration won’t work.

Why is Jira Server not supported?

Jira Server is the on-premises version of Jira, hosted on your own servers.

It isn’t technically feasible for us to connect Feature Upvote to your Jira Server instance because:

• Each instance could be a different major and minor version of Jira. This presents compatibility difficulties.
• Many Jira Server instances give limited access to external apps such as Feature Upvote – and often, no access at all

Step 1: Create an Atlassian API token for Feature Upvote

Give Feature Upvote permission to access your Jira instance by creating an ‘API token’.

The Jira account you use must have permission to create issues in the relevant Jira project.

You do this in your Atlassian account settings. Assuming you are signed into https://id.atlassian.com/, you can create an API token here: https://id.atlassian.com/manage/api-tokens.

Alternatively, navigate to the  API tokens page by starting at https://id.atlassian.com/ and selecting Security > Create and manage API tokens.

1. Click on “Create API token”
2. When prompted for a label, call it something memorable such as “Feature Upvote token”
3. Click “Create”

The new token will be visible  only once. Make sure to copy it to your computer’s clipboard and/or note it down so you can use this token in the next step.

Step 2: Configure Feature Upvote’s Atlassian Jira integration

Now, you’ll need to add your Atlassian Jira connection info to Feature Upvote:

1. Go to your Feature Upvote dashboard
2. Find the feedback board which you wish to connect with Jira and click on ‘Settings’
3. Click on the ‘Integrations’ link
4. Find ‘Atlassian Jira’ in the list of available integrations. Click on Enable
5. Add the URL of your Atlassian Jira server. Note that it must be publicly visible. If your Jira installation can only be reached within your organisation, this integration won’t work.
6. Add your Jira username and API token for an account that has admin permissions for the project you wish to link.
7. Click on Save and Continue

Important note on usernames: your username must be an email address (yourname@yourcompany.com). Older style Jira usernames (your_name) won’t work properly.

If the Jira Instance URL, username, and API token were correct, you’ll now be able to complete part 2:

1. A new section in the form will appear labelled Atlassian Jira Options
2. Choose a project and issue type. Any Jira issue you create from a suggestion will be assigned to the selected Jira project, and given the selected issue type
3. Click Save

Using Atlassian Jira integration

When using Feature Upvote as a moderator, you’ll now see a new option when viewing a suggestion: “Link a Jira issue”

Clicking the link gives you the option to create a new Jira issue, or to link to an existing issue:

Once you’ve linked a suggestion to a Jira issue, you’ll now see an option to ‘View linked Jira issue’.

Clicking the link shows some basic information from the Jira issue.

Note that unlinking an issue does not change it on Jira. Feature Upvote creates Jira issues but doesn’t change them or delete them.

After creating a Jira issue from Feature Upvote, use Jira if you wish to change the description or assign the issue to a specific team member.

Troubleshooting

Not seeing a list of projects and issue types on our Jira integration page?

• Use “myname@mycompany.com” instead of “myusername” when setting up our integration.
• Try with a Jira account that has admin access to your Jira instance.

Other problems

Make sure you entered an email address as your Jira username. Jira has been transitioning to only use email addresses as usernames. While older-style “yourname” usernames seem at first to work, the reality is Jira silently fails to return expected information to us via their API.

If these instructions are not working for you, let us know at support@featureupvote.com. Please include a screenshot of any error messages you’re getting.