Jira Integration: The Configuration Dialog at a Glance

The Jira integration's configuration dialog defines which Jira issues are synchronized to timr as tasks and how those tasks appear in timr. Configuration is always done per project: for each Jira project you want to connect to timr, you create a separate configuration. Within a configuration, you choose between a simple and an advanced mode — depending on whether a single rule for the entire project is sufficient or whether you want to treat individual components and issue types differently. This article explains the individual areas of the dialog and helps you decide which mode fits your project.

Note: Setting up the integration itself (installation, connecting timr and Jira) is not covered in this article. To learn how to activate the integration for the first time, see the article "Jira Integration".
 

Contents

1. Adding a configuration

2. Choosing a mode: Simple or Advanced

3. Simple configuration

4. Advanced configuration

4.1 Projects with components
4.2 Issue type rules
4.3 Projects without components

5. Frequently asked questions
 

1. Adding a configuration

You manage configurations in Jira, in the timr Configuration.

Step 1: Click Add configuration.

Step 2: Select the desired Jira project. Use the search field to quickly find the project, for example by its project name.

Step 3: Click Configure next to the desired project. The configuration dialog opens.

2. Choosing a mode: Simple or Advanced

At the start of the configuration, you decide on one of the two modes. The following comparison helps you choose:

• Simple: A default configuration for the entire project. All issues are synchronized according to the same rules — without any distinction by component or issue type.
• Advanced: Different synchronization rules per component (if the project has components) and/or per issue type. Suitable when individual areas or issue types should be handled differently.

Tip: Start with the simple mode if all issues in a project should be treated the same way. You can switch to the advanced mode at any time later.

3. Simple configuration

In simple mode, you configure three areas that apply to all synchronized issues in the project:

• Select timr task: The parent task in timr under which all synchronized issues are created as tasks. It serves as the collection point for all of the project's tickets.
• Status selection: Defines at which Jira status an issue is synchronized and with which status it is visible as a task in timr. If an issue loses the selected status in Jira (for example, when it changes to "Done"), the corresponding task in timr is hidden again.
• timr task properties: Defines which properties the created tasks receive — for example, whether they are bookable and/or billable or whether a note is required for a booking. These settings apply to all tasks created via the integration.

Note: The configuration can only be saved after a timr task has been selected.

4. Advanced configuration

The advanced mode allows for different synchronization rules per component and per issue type. The structure of the dialog depends on whether the selected Jira project has components.
 

4.1 Projects with components

If the project has components, the advanced configuration consists of a default configuration and optional configurations per component.

Default configuration

The default configuration covers the same areas as the simple mode (timr task, status selection, task properties) and additionally the issue type rules (see section 4.2). Here you define whether all issue types should generally be synchronized and how. You can then override these rules for individual issue types.

Two key options for issues by component assignment

Two toggles control which issues are synchronized via the default configuration:

• Synchronize issues without a component?
• Synchronize issues without a (specifically) configured component?

The following table shows the four possible combinations:

Configuration per component

For individual components, you can override the default configuration — for example, for the component "Bugfixing" with its own rules. If only certain components should be synchronized, set up a configuration exclusively for those components. The dialog for an individual component follows the same structure as the default configuration in advanced mode: you again select a timr task, make the status selection, and define your own issue type rules (see section 4.2).

4.2 Issue type rules

Within every configuration in advanced mode — both in the default configuration and per component — you use the issue type rules to define which issue types are synchronized. There are three options:

• Synchronize all issue types: Every issue type is imported according to the same rules.
• Synchronize only specific issue types: Only the issue types you specifically configure are synchronized.
• Synchronize all, but set special rules for specific types: All issue types are imported in general; for individual types, you define different properties.

Practical example: You want to synchronize all issues and make them bookable, but Epics should not be bookable. To do this, select "Synchronize all" and set a special rule for the "Epic" issue type that makes the task non-bookable.
 

4.3 Projects without components

If the project has no components, there is only a default configuration even in advanced mode. The added value over the simple mode lies solely in the issue type rules (see section 4.2): you can still treat individual issue types differently, but you cannot distinguish by component.
 

5. Frequently asked questions

When should I choose the advanced mode instead of the simple mode?
The simple mode is sufficient when all issues in a project should be treated the same way. The advanced mode is useful as soon as individual issue types should receive different properties (for example, Epics not bookable) or — for projects with components — individual components need their own rules.

Can I change a configuration later?
Yes. You can edit an existing configuration at any time in the timr Configuration in Jira, for example to adjust the status filter, change the task properties, or switch between simple and advanced mode.

What happens if an issue no longer meets the configured conditions?
If an issue loses the selected status or is no longer captured by the rules, the corresponding task in timr is hidden. Time entries that have already been booked are retained.

Do I need to create a separate configuration for each project?
Yes. Configuration is done per project. You can create as many configurations as you like to synchronize different Jira projects with different rules.