As we have seen so far, JIRA uses fields such as Summary and Description to capture data. This works for most cases, but when you have complex data such as application log files or screenshots, this becomes insufficient. This is where attachments come in. JIRA allows you to attach files from your local computer or a screenshot you have taken.
The easiest way to attach a file to a JIRA issue is via the drag and drop action:
- Browse to the issue you wish to attach a file to.
- Drag and drop the files you want to attach in to the browser. You will see an outline indicating where you can drop the file to attach it to the issue, as shown in the following screenshot:
Drag and drop is the easiest way to attach files. But if for some reason drag and drop does not work, you can also manually select the file and attach it:
- Browse to the issue you wish to attach a file to.
- Select the Attach files option from the More menu.
- Select and attach the files you want to attach from the file browser.
Depending on the file's type, certain files such as images and PDF can be viewed directly from the JIRA's UI without having to download it.
Apart from letting you attach any file to an issue, JIRA also allows you to directly attach a screenshot from your system clipboard to issues. This saves you from having to take a screenshot, save it as a physical file on the disk, and finally attach it to JIRA.
Perform the following steps to attach a screenshot:
- Take a screenshot with your operating system. For example, if you are on Windows, press the Print Screen key.
- Browse to the issue you wish to attach a screenshot:
- Press the Ctrl + V keys on your keyboard, and the screenshot will be pasted into the preceding panel.
- Enter a file name for the screenshot or accept the default name.
- Click on the Upload button.