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Connected custom fields settings

Connected custom fields are the primary way to display external data in Jira issues and JSM tickets with Elements Connect. This guide walks you through how to create and configure them, including choosing the right field type, connecting to a data source (REST API, database, or another Jira project), configuring storage, and setting up filtering and display.

How to create connected custom fields

Once at least one data source has been configured in Elements Connect, you can use the Create a Connected field button to create your connected custom fields.

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In this case, select “Custom field” and click on the Next button.

Custom field types

Elements Connect supports 7 types of connected custom fields, each suited to a specific use case:

Connected custom field types

Custom field type

Description

Text - Select list (single choice)

  • Users can pick only one value

  • Unlimited data sets are available (external data sources retrieving more than 1000 options)

  • Dependencies to other connected custom fields available

Text - Select list (multiple choices)

  • Users can pick one or multiple values

  • Unlimited data sets are available (external data sources retrieving more than 1000 options)

  • Dependencies to other connected custom fields available

  • Maximum 50 options can be selected

Text - Read only

  • Value is automatically calculated and displayed

  • Value is not editable

  • Can be single-value or multiple-values

  • If multiple-values:

    • Maximum 55 values displayed

    • Cannot be a parent for dependencies between fields

User - Select list (single choice)

  • Users can pick only one user

  • Option list will display all users that are both in your connected data source 

  • Matching key should match either the Jira’s account ID or the email address

  • Can be used as a dependency, using: $issue.customfield_XXX.emailAddress & $issue.customfield_XXX.accountId

  • Only displays user full name

  • Live (if user name is updated, so is custom field value)

User - Select list (multiple choices)

  • Users can pick one or multiple users

  • Option list will display all users that are both in your connected data source 

  • Matching key should match either the Jira’s account ID or the email address

  • Can be used as a dependency, using: $issue.customfield_XXX.emailAddress & $issue.customfield_XXX.accountId

  • Only displays user full name

  • Live (if user name is updated, so is custom field value)

User - Read only

  • Value is automatically calculated and displayed

  • Value is not editable

  • Matching key should match either the Jira’s account ID or the email address

  • Can be used as a dependency, using: $issue.customfield_XXX.emailAddress & $issue.customfield_XXX.accountId

  • Only displays user full name

  • Live (if user name is updated, so is custom field value)

Date - Read only

  • Value is automatically calculated and displayed

  • Value is not editable

  • Value from datasource should be ISO formatted

  • Value will be converted into a Jira date field, formatted "DD Month AAAA"

  • Can be used in Jira search and JQL search

  • Can be used as a dependency

We are not stopping here! We want to bring features that matter to you, so if something is missing to achieve your use case, please contact us.

Connection to data source

The next step in the creation of a connected custom field is giving it a name and connecting it to the data source:

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The data source can be either a REST API or a database. If needed, See Data sources configuration for details on setting up your data source.

Storage type choice

The last step in configuring a connected custom field consists in setting up how the field stores and displays data.

This choice is available only for Text fields.

Dialog for Text - Select list fields creation:

Storage type configuration dialog for a Text - Select list connected custom field in Elements Connect (snapshot or dynamic storage)

Dialog for Text - Read Only fields creation:

Storage type configuration dialog for a Text - Read Only connected custom field in Elements Connect

See Connected custom field storage type choice for more details.

How to configure connected custom fields

Once created, each connected custom field is configured through a dedicated edition panel:

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In the following pages, you will find the full explanation of the options available when configuring connected custom fields in Elements Connect.

Your field configuration workflow can be divided in these steps:

1 - Fetch data from data source

Configure the query or endpoint that Elements Connect uses to fetch data from your external data source, including FreeMarker for dynamic queries and dependencies on other custom fields, the current user, user input, or the issue context.

2 - Filter data from your API response

Only for REST API data sources

Filter and shape the results returned by your REST API using JSONPath expressions, useful for extracting nested data or limiting the fields returned.

3 - Configure the display

Configure how your data appears in Elements Connect connected fields, from simple text templates to rich HTML rendering using FreeMarker.

Configuration Tester

The Configuration Tester is accessible throughout your field configuration to help you preview queries, filters, and rendering in real time, reducing setup time and avoiding trial-and-error cycles.