Setup Conditions and Validators

How to setup Jira workflow conditions and validators

Jira Workflow Condition vs Validator

What’s the Difference?

  • Workflow condition: Prevents users from seeing or executing a transition unless the required conditions are met. If the condition is not satisfied, the transition button won’t even appear.

  • Workflow validator: Allows the transition button to be clicked, but blocks the transition after submission if the criteria aren’t met.

In short: Conditions hide transitions, while Validators block them after submission.

How Jira workflow validators work

Validators are executed when someone tries to transition an issue. A validator makes sure details are correct when transitioning an issue, and stops the transition if they aren’t. When there are incorrect details, the person transitioning the issue will be prompted to fix them.

How to add a validator?

  1. Edit the workflow that contains the transition.

  2. In diagram mode, select the transition arrow and click Validators in the properties panel. or In text mode, select the transition's name from the Transitions (id) column.

  3. Select the Validators tab and click on Add validator button

  4. Choose from the available validators and set any necessary parameters for the validator.

  5. Remember to Publish Draft

In the list of available workflow validator, additional validators provided by the Workflow Building Blocks for Jira app will appear, including: Dates Compare Validator, Jira Expression Validator, Linked Issues Validator, Fields Required Validator and Ultimate Validator.
Validators available after installing Workflow Building Blocks for Jira app (WBB)

Learn more about adding validators in Atlassian's documentation

How Jira workflow conditions work

Conditions control whether the user can execute a transition. If a condition fails, the user won't be able to execute the transition. For example, the user won't see the transition button on the View issue page.

How to add a condition?

  1. Edit the workflow that contains the transition.

  2. In diagram mode, select the transition arrow and click Conditions in the properties panel. or In text mode, select the transition's name from the Transitions (id) column.

  3. Select the Conditions tab and click on Add condition button

  4. Choose from the available conditions, and set any necessary parameters for the condition

  5. Remember to Publish Draft

In the list of available workflow conditions, additional conditions provided by the Workflow Building Blocks for Jira app will appear, including: Dates Compare Condition, Jira Expression Condition, Linked Issues Condition, Fields Required Condition and Ultimate Condition.
Conditions available after installing Workflow Building Blocks for Jira app (WBB)

Learn more about adding conditions in Atlassian's documentation

New workflow editor vs old editor

Recently, in Jira, you may have noticed the new workflow editor, which introduces new terminology. To add conditions and validators, first add a "Rule," then select the appropriate rule type, which can be mapped as follows:

  • Conditions → Restrict transition

  • Validators → Validate details

  • Post-functions → Perform actions

If the new editor does not yet support third-party apps in your Jira instance, you can switch back to the old editor.

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