<p>Jira is a popular project management tool that has gained significant traction in the software development industry. It allows to track and manage issues, bugs, and other tasks throughout the development process. In this blog post, we will explore the usage of Jira in mobile application development and how to use it effectively.</p>
<h2 id="how-to-use-jira-effectively-in-mobile-app-development-">How to use Jira effectively in mobile app development?</h2>
<ul>
<li>Create separate projects for each app: When developing multiple mobile apps, it is essential to create separate projects for each app in Jira. This will allow you to track issues and progress for each app separately and avoid confusion.</li>
<li>Use labels effectively: Labels are an essential feature in Jira, and they allow you to categorize issues and tasks effectively. When labeling issues, make sure to use consistent labels across the project and assign them based on priority, severity, and other relevant factors.</li>
<li>Define a clear workflow: Defining a clear workflow for issues and tasks is crucial for effective project management. This includes defining different issue types, assigning states, and transitioning issues to different states as they progress through the development process.</li>
<li>Use agile boards: Agile boards are a powerful feature in Jira, and they allow you to visualize your project&#8217;s progress and identify bottlenecks. Use agile boards to track tasks, assign them to team members, and monitor progress in real-time.</li>
<li>Automate repetitive tasks: Jira allows you to automate repetitive tasks, such as assigning tasks to team members or transitioning issues to different states. This can save you time and improve the efficiency of your development process.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="how-to-integrate-jira-with-appcircle">How to integrate Jira with Appcircle</h2>
<p>Appcircle can integrate with other tools to send instant notifications for your builds. Jira is one of the many integration solutions that is supported by Appcircle.<br />
It is fairly easy to integrate Jira into your workflow. You can add its component after any step. According to the status of the step, it can write a comment or transition the issue to another state.</p>
<p><img src="https://cdn.appcircle.io/docs/assets/jira-component1.png" alt="" /></p>
<h2 id="credentials">Credentials</h2>
<p>To use Jira Component, you need to configure the component and add the necessary credentials. It is strongly advised to add the credentials of your Jira instance with locked environment variables.</p>
<ul>
<li><code>AC_JIRA_HOST</code>: Jira Host. Your Jira subdomain. Example: <code>mysubdomain.atlassian.net</code></li>
<li><code>AC_JIRA_EMAIL</code>: Jira Email. Email of Jira user.</li>
<li><code>AC_JIRA_TOKEN</code>: API Token. User&#8217;s API Token. Log in to <a href="https://id.atlassian.com/manage-profile/security/api-tokens">https://id.atlassian.com/manage-profile/security/api-tokens</a> and click <strong>Create API token</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><img src="https://cdn.appcircle.io/docs/assets/jira-component2.png" alt="" /></p>
<h2 id="configuring-component">Configuring Component</h2>
<p>The component requires an issue id to add a comment or transition the issue. The issue id must be a dynamic input and must be collected from the repository so that it can work on multiple branches. When the build starts, Appcircle sets a couple of environment variables related to the source code and build environment. These environment variables are listed <a href="https://docs.appcircle.io/environment-variables/appcircle-specific-environment-variables">here</a></p>
<p>Appcircle components use environment variables to pass the state. We can add a step just before the Jira Component to prepare the necessary environment variables.</p>
<p>Let&#8217;s say, you&#8217;re working on a feature branch called <code>feature/jiraissue-1</code>. You may use the below Ruby script to get <code>jiraissue-1</code> from the branch name and use this information with the Jira component.</p>
<pre><code class="lang-ruby">
    branch = ENV[&#039;AC_GIT_BRANCH&#039;]
    feature_name = branch.split(&#039;/&#039;)[1].upcase
    puts feature_name

    # Write Environment Variable
    File.open(env_var_path, &#039;a&#039;) { |f|
        f.puts &quot;AC_JIRA_ISSUE=#{feature_name}&quot;
    }
  </code></pre>
<p>If you add a transition id or transition name for successful and failed steps, the Jira component will automatically change the status of your issue. Use the <code>AC_JIRA_SUCCESS_TRANSITION</code> environment variable for a successful state and <code>AC_JIRA_FAIL_TRANSITION</code> for a failed state.</p>
<p>Let&#8217;s give another example to use a state name and issue id from the commit message.</p>
<p>When the build starts, the <code>AC_COMMIT_MESSAGE</code> environment variable has the commit message. By using basic string scanning, we can easily extract the issue and state from the commit messages as well. Let&#8217;s say our commit message is <code>Added onboarding [test] [jiraissue-1]</code> Let&#8217;s assume <code>test</code> is our success state and <code>jiraissue-1</code> is our issue id. We can extract both the state name and issue id from the commit message with a simple Ruby script.</p>
<pre><code class="lang-ruby">
    message = ENV[&#039;AC_COMMIT_MESSAGE&#039;]

    # Check for commit_message [success_state] [issue_id] pattern
    if /(.*) \[(.*)\] \[(.*)\]/ =~ message
      issue_id = Regexp.last_match(3).to_s
      success_state = Regexp.last_match(2).to_s
      puts &quot;Issue Id #{issue_id}&quot;
      puts &quot;State #{success_state}&quot;

      File.open(env_var_path, &#039;a&#039;) do |f|
        f.puts &quot;AC_JIRA_ISSUE=#{issue_id}&quot;
        f.puts &quot;AC_JIRA_SUCCESS_TRANSITION=#{success_state}&quot;
      end
    end
  </code></pre>
<p>You may also use the <code>AC_JIRA_FAIL_TRANSITION</code> environment variable for a failed workflow step. If the previous workflow failed, the component will use this state name to change the status of the issue.</p>
<h2 id="changing-template">Changing Template</h2>
<p>Appcircle provides a default template that adds commit id, branch name, time in UTC, and a couple of environment variables. However, this template can be edited and modified according to Atlassian Document Format (ADF). You can use <a href="https://developer.atlassian.com/cloud/jira/platform/apis/document/playground/">ADF builder</a> to create your custom comments.</p>
<p>Please check <a href="https://github.com/appcircleio/appcircle-jira-component/">Jira Component</a> documentation for more information.</p>


Using Jira for Mobile App Development: Effective Strategies for Issue Tracking and Management

Related Posts

Speed Up your Release Process with Appcircle’s Azure Bot for SwiftLint and Detekt

Using Azure Boards for Mobile App Development

Streamline Project Integration and Test Automation with Repeato and Appcircle

Multi-Layered Team Management in Mobile DevOps

Using Jira for Mobile App Development: Effective Strategies for Issue Tracking and Management

Related Posts

Speed Up your Release Process with Appcircle’s Azure Bot for SwiftLint and Detekt

Using Azure Boards for Mobile App Development

Streamline Project Integration and Test Automation with Repeato and Appcircle

Multi-Layered Team Management in Mobile DevOps

Subscribe to Appcircle Circle