# GitLab JIRA integration

GitLab can be configured to interact with JIRA. Configuration happens via
user name and password. Connecting to a JIRA server via CAS is not possible.

Each project can be configured to connect to a different JIRA instance, see the
[configuration](#configuration) section. If you have one JIRA instance you can
pre-fill the settings page with a default template. To configure the template
see the [Services Templates][services-templates] document.

Once the project is connected to JIRA, you can reference and close the issues
in JIRA directly from GitLab.

## Configuration

In order to enable the JIRA service in GitLab, you need to first configure the
project in JIRA and then enter the correct values in GitLab.

### Configuring JIRA

We need to create a user in JIRA which will have access to all projects that
need to integrate with GitLab. Login to your JIRA instance as admin and under
Administration go to User Management and create a new user.

As an example, we'll create a user named `gitlab` and add it to `JIRA-developers`
group.

**It is important that the user `GitLab` has write-access to projects in JIRA**

We have split this stage in steps so it is easier to follow.

---

1. Login to your JIRA instance as an administrator and under **Administration**
   go to **User Management** to create a new user.

     ![JIRA user management link](img/jira_user_management_link.png)

     ---

1. The next step is to create a new user (e.g., `gitlab`) who has write access
   to projects in JIRA. Enter the user's name and a _valid_ e-mail address
   since JIRA sends a verification e-mail to set-up the password.
   _**Note:** JIRA creates the username automatically by using the e-mail
   prefix. You can change it later if you want._

     ![JIRA create new user](img/jira_create_new_user.png)

     ---

1. Now, let's create a `gitlab-developers` group which will have write access
   to projects in JIRA. Go to the **Groups** tab and select **Create group**.

     ![JIRA create new user](img/jira_create_new_group.png)

     ---

     Give it an optional description and hit **Create group**.

     ![jira create new group](img/jira_create_new_group_name.png)

     ---

1. Give the newly-created group write access by going to
   **Application access ➔ View configuration** and adding the `gitlab-developers`
   group to JIRA Core.

     ![JIRA group access](img/jira_group_access.png)

     ---

1. Add the `gitlab` user to the `gitlab-developers` group by going to
   **Users ➔ GitLab user ➔ Add group** and selecting the `gitlab-developers`
   group from the dropdown menu. Notice that the group says _Access_ which is
   what we aim for.

     ![JIRA add user to group](img/jira_add_user_to_group.png)

---

The JIRA configuration is over. Write down the new JIRA username and its
password as they will be needed when configuring GitLab in the next section.

### Configuring GitLab

>**Notes:**
- The currently supported JIRA versions are `v6.x` and `v7.x.`. GitLab 7.8 or
  higher is required.
- GitLab 8.14 introduced a new way to integrate with JIRA which greatly simplified
  the configuration options you have to enter. If you are using an older version,
  [follow this documentation][jira-repo-docs].

To enable JIRA integration in a project, navigate to your project's
**Services ➔ JIRA** and fill in the required details on the page as described
in the table below.

| Field | Description |
| ----- | ----------- |
| `URL` | The base URL to the JIRA project which is being linked to this GitLab project. E.g., `https://jira.example.com`. |
| `Project key` | The short identifier for your JIRA project, all uppercase, e.g., `PROJ`. |
| `Username` | The user name created in [configuring JIRA step](#configuring-jira). |
| `Password` |The password of the user created in [configuring JIRA step](#configuring-jira). |
| `JIRA issue transition` | This is the ID of a transition that moves issues to a closed state. You can find this number under JIRA workflow administration ([see screenshot](img/jira_workflow_screenshot.png)). |

After saving the configuration, your GitLab project will be able to interact
with the linked JIRA project.

![JIRA service page](img/jira_service_page.png)

---

## JIRA issues

By now you should have [configured JIRA](#configuring-jira) and enabled the
[JIRA service in GitLab](#configuring-gitlab). If everything is set up correctly
you should be able to reference and close JIRA issues by just mentioning their
ID in GitLab commits and merge requests.

### Referencing JIRA Issues

When GitLab project has JIRA issue tracker configured and enabled, mentioning
JIRA issue in GitLab will automatically add a comment in JIRA issue with the
link back to GitLab. This means that in comments in merge requests and commits
referencing an issue, e.g., `PROJECT-7`, will add a comment in JIRA issue in the
format:

```
USER mentioned this issue in RESOURCE_NAME of [PROJECT_NAME|LINK_TO_COMMENT]:
ENTITY_TITLE
```

* `USER` A user that mentioned the issue. This is the link to the user profile in GitLab.
* `LINK_TO_THE_COMMENT` Link to the origin of mention with a name of the entity where JIRA issue was mentioned.
* `RESOURCE_NAME` Kind of resource which referenced the issue. Can be a commit or merge request.
* `PROJECT_NAME` GitLab project name.
* `ENTITY_TITLE` Merge request title or commit message first line.

![example of mentioning or closing the JIRA issue](img/jira_issue_reference.png)

---

### Closing JIRA Issues

JIRA issues can be closed directly from GitLab by using trigger words in
commits and merge requests. When a commit which contains the trigger word
followed by the JIRA issue ID in the commit message is pushed, GitLab will
add a comment in the mentioned JIRA issue and immediately close it (provided
the transition ID was set up correctly).

There are currently three trigger words, and you can use either one to achieve
the same goal:

- `Resolves PROJECT-1`
- `Closes PROJECT-1`
- `Fixes PROJECT-1`

where `PROJECT-1` is the issue ID of the JIRA project.

### JIRA issue closing example

Let's consider the following example:

1. For the project named `PROJECT` in JIRA, we implemented a new feature
   and created a merge request in GitLab.
1. This feature was requested in JIRA issue `PROJECT-7` and the merge request
   in GitLab contains the improvement
1. In the merge request description we use the issue closing trigger
   `Closes PROJECT-7`.
1. Once the merge request is merged, the JIRA issue will be automatically closed
   with a comment and an associated link to the commit that resolved the issue.

---

In the following screenshot you can see what the link references to the JIRA
issue look like.

![A Git commit that causes the JIRA issue to be closed](img/jira_merge_request_close.png)

---

Once this merge request is merged, the JIRA issue will be automatically closed
with a link to the commit that resolved the issue.

![The GitLab integration closes JIRA issue](img/jira_service_close_issue.png)

---

![The GitLab integration creates a comment and a link on JIRA issue.](img/jira_service_close_comment.png)

## Troubleshooting

If things don't work as expected that's usually because you have configured
incorrectly the JIRA-GitLab integration.

### GitLab is unable to comment on a ticket

Make sure that the user you set up for GitLab to communicate with JIRA has the
correct access permission to post comments on a ticket and to also transition
the ticket, if you'd like GitLab to also take care of closing them.

### GitLab is unable to close a ticket

Make sure the `Transition ID` you set within the JIRA settings matches the one
your project needs to close a ticket.

[services-templates]: ../project_services/services_templates.md
[jira-repo-docs]: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/blob/8-13-stable/doc/project_services/jira.md