You have seen how you can execute searches in JIRA. With the exception of using the issue key smart query, which will take you directly to the target issue, all other search results will be shown in the issue navigator.
The issue navigator is capable of more than letting you run searches and presenting you with the results; it also has other features which allow you to:
- Display search results in different view options
- Export search results into different formats
- Select the columns you want to see for the issues in the results
- Share your search results with other people
- Create and manage filters
The issue navigator can display your search results in two different views. The default view is Detail View, where issues from results are listed on the left-hand side, and the currently selected issue's details are displayed on the right. This view allows you to view the issue's contents on the same page as the search result.
The second view is List View, where issues are listed in a tabular format. The issue's field values are displayed as table columns. As you will see later, you can configure the table columns as well as the way they are ordered. You can switch between the two views by selecting the options from the Views menu next to the Basic/Advanced option.
From the issue navigator, JIRA allows you to export your search results to a variety of formats, such as MS Word and Excel. JIRA is able to present your search results in different formats, such as XML or print-friendly pages. When you select formats such as Word or Excel, JIRA will generate the appropriate file and let you download it directly. Perform the following steps to export your results to a different format:
- Browse to the Issue Navigator page.
- Execute a search.
- Select the Export drop-down menu in the top-right corner.
- Select the format you wish to see your search results in.
Depending on the format you select, some formats will be on screen (for example, printable), while others will prompt you with a download dialog box (for example, Excel).
If you are using the List View option to display your search results, you configure the field columns to be displayed. In JIRA, you can customize your issue navigator for all your personal searches and also on a per-search level with filters (see later in this chapter). If you are an administrator, you can set the column layout for other users too (which can be overwritten by each user's own column layout settings).
Perform the following steps to customize your global issue navigator's column layout:
- Browse to the Issue Navigator page.
- Change your result view to List View.
- Select the Columns drop-down menu and a column layout option, as shown next:
The following options can be used to lay out the columns:
- My Defaults: This column layout will be applied to all your searches
- Filter: This column layout will be applied only to the current filter
- System: This column layout will be applied to all searches
To add or remove a field column, simply check or uncheck the field from the list. To reorder the column layout, you can drag the columns left or right to their appropriate locations.
After completing a search, you may want to share the results with your colleagues. Now you can tell your colleagues to run the same search or, as we will see later in the chapter, save your search as a filter and then share it with other people. Alternatively, a more convenient way is to use the built-in share feature, especially if this is a one-off sharing.
To share your current search results, all you have to do is click on the Share button in the top-right corner and type in the user's name or an e-mail address (using an e-mail address lets you share your search results with people who are not JIRA users), and you can add multiple users or e-mail addresses, so you can share this with more than one person. You can also add a quick note, letting people know why you are sharing the search results with them, and JIRA will send out e-mails to all the selected users and e-mail addresses.