Managing Versions in Jira
- Karen Jennings
https://fergusonprod.atlassian.net/browse/AA-4825
Manage versions
Versions are points-in-time for a project. They help you schedule and organize your releases. Once a version is created and issues are assigned to it, you can use the version to filter information in various reports. If you've integrated Jira with Bamboo, you can start a build automatically.
For all of the following procedures, you must be logged in to Jira as a project administrator.
Manage a project's versions
You can manage versions in your project's settings:
Go to your project and click Project settings .
Choose Versions from the project settings sidebar.
The Versions or Releases page is displayed, showing a list of versions and each version's status. From here you can manage the project's versions as described on this page.
Version status
Each version can have any of the following the statuses:
Released — a bundled package
Unreleased — an open package
Archived — a historical snapshot of a package
Versions that include end dates can indicate when a release is overdue. The release date appears in red for unreleased versions that have passed their planned release date.
The status affects where the version appears in drop-down lists for version-related issue fields, for example Fix version.
Add a new version
You can create as many versions as you want to represent a package you intend to release.
To create a version:
On the Releases or Versions screen, select Create version.
Give the version a name.
You might organize versions by number, for example "3" or "3.2.2". Or you might use code names, for example "Corvette" or "DeLorean".Optionally, add a start and release date, and a description.
Select Save.
You can rearrange versions by dragging and dropping them in the table.
Add an issue to a release version
If your project has a backlog:
Go to the backlog and select the Versions panel on the left
Drag issues to the appropriate version
If your project doesn’t have a backlog:
Open an issue you want to add to a version
Locate the Fix versions field and enter the version to add the issue to
The issue is added to the version you entered. If you can’t see the Fix versions field on your issue, make sure to click the Show more option below the last field on the issue. If you still don’t see it, take a look at Defining a screen to add the field to your screen.
Fix versions vs Affects versions fields
Jira has both Fix versions and Affects versions fields. So what’s the difference?
Fix versions shows the version that the work on the issue is released in. If you fix a bug in and the fix is released in version 3.6.2, the Fix version should be 3.6.2. Entering a version in the Fix versions field adds the issue to the release version.
Affects versions details the versions of your product that an issue—a bug, for example—affects. You may find the bug in several previous versions, and you can add those versions to the Affects versions field. Entering a version in the Affects versions field on an issue does not add the issue to the version, but using the field enables you to search for issues that affect particular versions.
Add a version start date
If specified, the Start date is used by the Version Report. This gives you a more accurate report in cases where you might plan a version many weeks (or even months) in advance, but not actually commence work until closer to the release date.
Release a version
Marking a version as released will affect some changes in some reports and some issue fields' drop-downs. If you have integrated Jira with Bamboo, you can trigger a Bamboo build to run automatically when releasing a version in Jira. The version will only be released if the build is successful. For more information, see Running a Bamboo build when releasing a version.
On the Releases or Versions screen, find the version you want to release.
Select the actions menu () > Release.
To revert the release of a version, simply select Unrelease from the actions menu ().
Archive a version
To archive a version (and hide it from reports or other parts of your project):
On the Releases or Versions screen, find the version you want to archive.
Select the actions menu () > Archive.
To revert the release of a version, simply select Unarchive from the actions menu ().
Merge versions
You can merge one version into another and move its issues to the desired version.
To merge versions:
On the Releases or Versions screen, find the version you want to merge into another.
Select the actions menu () > Merge.
In the dropdown, select the version you want to merge to.
Click the Merge button.
Edit a version's details
On the Releases or Versions screen, find the version you want to edit.
Select the actions menu () > Edit.
Edit the version's name, start and release date, and description.
Click the Save button to save your changes.
Delete a version
On the Releases or Versions screen, find the version you want to edit.
Select the actions menu () > Delete.
From here, you can specify the actions to be taken for issues associated with the version. You can either move these issues to another version, or simply remove references to the version you want to delete.
Reschedule a version
Rescheduling a version changes its place in the order of versions. On the Releases or Versions screen, drag and drop versions into the release order you prefer.