In certain situations while using Jira for project management, it may become necessary to transfer several issues simultaneously. This could be due to a project migration or task reassignment. Fortunately, Jira provides a convenient option for bulk moving issues.
What You Need to Know
To use this feature, you need to have the ‘Move Issue’ permission in your project. If you don’t have it, you’ll need to request it from your Jira administrator. Also, keep in mind that moving issues can have implications for your project’s data, so be sure to understand the changes before you proceed.
Step-by-Step Guide to Bulk Move Issues in Jira
Step 1: Search for Issues
First, you need to search for the issues you want to move. Go to the ‘Issues’ page, and use the ‘Search for issues’ field to find them. You can use JQL (Jira Query Language) to filter your search. For example, to find all issues assigned to a certain user, you could use the query assignee = JohnDoe.
Step 2: Select the Issues
Once you’ve found the issues you want to move, you need to select them. To do this, click on the ‘Tools’ dropdown menu in the top-right corner of the page and select ‘Bulk Change’. You’ll now see a list of all the issues returned by your search. Select the issues you want to move and click ‘Next’.
Step 3: Choose ‘Move Issues’
In the next screen, you’ll see a list of actions. Select ‘Move Issues’ and click ‘Next’.
Step 4: Configure the Move
Now you need to configure the move. You’ll need to choose the destination project and, if necessary, the issue type. If fields have different configurations in your source and destination projects, you may need to map them. For example, if your source project has a custom field that doesn’t exist in your destination project, you’ll need to decide what to do with the data in that field.
Step 5: Confirm the Move
Finally, Jira will show you a confirmation page summarizing your changes. If everything looks correct, click ‘Confirm’ to execute the move. Jira will then start moving your issues and show you a progress page.
The Jira API
If you need to bulk move issues programmatically, you can use the Jira API. Here’s a simple example of how to do this using Python and the jira library:
from jira import JIRA
jira = JIRA(basic_auth=('username', 'password'), options={'server': 'https://your-jira-instance'})
issues_to_move = jira.search_issues('assignee = JohnDoe')
for issue in issues_to_move:
issue.update(fields={'project': {'key': 'newProjectKey'}})
This script fetches all issues assigned to JohnDoe and moves them to a new project.
Conclusion
Bulk moving issues in Jira is a powerful feature that can save you a lot of time. Whether you’re doing it manually or programmatically, Jira provides you with the tools you need to ensure a smooth transition. Happy moving!
