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Flex Fields

Owned by Jaramy Conners
Last updated: Sept 23, 2024
2 min read

Flex fields allow you to add custom, structure-only fields to your issues. You can add text, number, or date fields for any custom metric you or your team needs to track:

  • Add a custom notes column visible only in Structure

  • Add scoring or estimate columns for project planning

  • Track dates that are important for your team, but maybe not the rest of the company

  • Use Flex Field values in a formula

Structure with Flex Fields.png

Since these are Structure fields, you don't have to contact your Jira admin or update your Jira configuration. Simply create whatever custom fields you need for that particular structure.

To add or delete a Flex field, you must have Control permission for the structure.

Adding a Flex Field

To add a Flex field to a structure:

  1. Open the Add Column menu

  2. Select the appropriate category (Number, Text, or Date)

  3. Choose the New option (ex. New Number...)

  4. Name your field

  5. Click Create

Creating a custom text field

Flex Fields are Local

Flex fields are local fields, meaning they are only available in the current structure. You can delete the column and reuse the flex field later – it gets saved under the corresponding field menu – but it isn't available in any other structure.

This allows you to create as many custom fields as you need for a specific structure, without cluttering up the column menu for everyone else!

Global Flex Fields

The following global Flex fields are available in all structures:

  • Notes

  • Item Start Date

  • Item End Date

The values in these fields are shared across structures: if an issue appears in multiple structures, values in the Notes, Item Start Date, or Item End Date fields are available in any of those structures.

Using Flex Field Values in Formulas

Flex field values can be used in formulas, just like any other field value. To include a Flex field value in a formula:

  • Type the name of the Flex field as a variable - Structure will attempt to auto-map the variable to your Flex field.

  • If you use another name for the variable (or Structure is unable to map the variable correctly), select the Flex Field as the variable’s Source.

For more information about mapping variables, see Mapping Variables.