Using SmartLists in Jira Work Items
Open any work item in a project where SmartLists has been configured. The SmartLists for Jira panel appears on the work item.
If nothing has been added yet, you will see:
No SmartLists applied yet. Please select a template to add a SmartList.
Adding a SmartList
Choose a panel from Select panel.
Choose a template from Select template. There is always a No template option, which gives you an empty table.
Select Add Panel.
Two filters are applied for you. The panel dropdown lists only panels that apply to this work item's type and are not already on it - add a panel once and it disappears from the list. The template dropdown lists only templates whose JQL condition matches this work item.
If your administrator has enabled auto-population, one or more SmartLists may already be present when you first open the work item.
Editing
Each SmartList is a card with its template name at the top. Editing is deliberate - nothing you type is saved until you say so.
Select the pencil icon to enter edit mode.
Use Add Row to append a row. New rows arrive with sensible defaults: empty for text and selects,
0for numbers, today's date for date columns.Edit cells directly.
Use the trash icon on a row to delete it. You will be asked, "Delete Row?" - "Are you sure you want to delete the row?"
Select Save to commit, or Cancel to discard.
Cancel discards everything you have changed since entering edit mode, not just the last edit. There is no undo after saving.
Rows are always added at the end. Rows cannot be reordered - there is no drag handle or move control.
Deleting a whole SmartList
In edit mode, the trash icon in the card header removes the entire SmartList from the work item. You will be asked to confirm and warned that the action cannot be undone.
How each column type behaves
Type | Editing | Viewing |
|---|---|---|
Text | Free-text box | Plain text |
Date | Date picker, defaulting to today | The date |
Number | Numeric box; whole numbers only | The number |
Decimal | Numeric box accepting decimals | The number |
Select | Single-select dropdown | The option's label |
Checkbox | Checkbox group; tick as many as apply | Ticked labels, comma-separated |
User | Multi-select people picker | Avatars |
File | Multi-select of the work item's attachments | Clickable links that open each file |
Calculation | Read-only, recalculates as you type | The computed value |
Two behaviours catch people out:
File columns do not upload. They let you point a row at a file that is already attached to the work item. Attach the file to the work item first using Jira's normal attachment control, then select it in the column.
Calculation columns cannot be typed into. They recalculate live as you edit the columns they depend on. See Calculations and totals.
Validation
The Save button stays greyed out while anything in the table is invalid. Two rules apply:
Required columns must have a value in every row. Empty ones show Required beneath the cell.
Number and Decimal columns must contain a valid number - even when the column is not marked required. An invalid entry shows "{Column} is required and must be a whole number." for Number columns, or "...must be a valid number." for Decimal columns.
That second rule is the usual reason a Save button is stuck: a numeric cell somewhere in the table is blank or has stray text in it. Scroll the table and look for the red message.
An empty SmartList with no rows at all is always valid.
The footer row
If your administrator configured footers, a totals row appears beneath the table in view mode only - it is hidden while you are editing, and refreshes when you save. Columns with no footer configured show -.
See Calculations and totals for what each total means.
Exporting and importing
The icon at the top right of the panel, tooltip "Export / Import panel data.", opens Manage Panel Data. See Import and export.
Who can edit
Anyone who can edit the work item can edit its SmartLists. There is no separate view-only role. See Troubleshooting and limitations.