DROPS for JIRA

Main concepts

The DROPS for JIRA add-on is an extension of the DROPS tool. It allows you to create deployment requests via your JIRA workflow and to execute the import and deployment processes via a new workflow dedicated to a DROPS project in JIRA.

An action is added to your JIRA workflow which allows you to request a deployment. Selecting this action will create an issue (linked to your project's issue that sends the request) in a different project dedicated to the DROPS workflow.

This linked deployment request issue has its individual workflow so that the deployment process can be managed outside of your development project's workflow. It is this issue that will be linked to all of your entities in DROPS and that includes the button to execute the import and deployment processes via JIRA.

The import and deployment are managed in the DROPS Server, as usual, and the results are relayed to the JIRA execution issue.

The JIRA issue is updated and the parent request issue can transition to the next step and advance depending on the deployment results.

Functional constraints

DROPS Software assumes that you are already familiar with the basics of DROPS and JIRA. This documentation does not cover how to use JIRA.
When an import process instance is executed, all of the import strategies defined in every component included in the application is carried out. This is the equivalent to creating an import process instance with "no filter".

Reference
For more information about the different filter options for import execution instances, refer to Step 6 Select the import strategy(ies) to use to feed the selected release. inCreate new import process instances.
When the import process is executed via JIRA, the current release defined in the application is always used to receive the imported artifacts. You cannot select a different release or create new releases via JIRA. The current release must already exist and be clearly defined in the application.

Reference
For more information about how the current release is overridden when used during the import process, refer to Step 3 Select the release in which to save the artifacts that will be imported. inCreate new import process instances.
When the deployment process is executed via JIRA, the default deployment process in the target environment is always used. The default deployment process must already exist and be clearly defined in the environment. If no process is defined as default and there are more than one processes defined in the environment, the process will fail. If there is only one process defined in the environment it will be used to execute, even if it is not defined as the default process.
JIRA does not support special characters when defining field and transitions.

Prerequisites

System requirements:

JRE/JDK v8
JIRA must be installed on a server. The add-on is compatible with JIRA ≥v7.2.2. For lower versions, the interface may be a little different.

Reference
For more information about installing JIRA, refer to the JIRA installation instructions and JIRA requirements.

DROPS-specific prerequisites:

This plug-in does not offer any DROPS configuration features. To execute import and deployment processes in DROPS via JIRA, they must already be completely configured in the DROPS Studio.
Every application associated with a JIRA project must already have an existing current release.
You must create at least one JIRA project dedicated to the DROPS deployment execution workflow.

Installing the DROPS for JIRA add-on

Follow the subsequent steps to install an ARCAD add-on in JIRA.

Step 1 Open JIRA in a navigator and login as the administrator.

Step 2 To access the add-on install page, select the settings menu, then Add-ons.

The JIRA settings menu: Add-ons

Step 3 Click on Manage apps then upload an external plug-in.

Step 4 Navigate to the location where the installation file is stored. Select the .jar file that corresponds to the product and click Open. This installation file can be found in the root of the installation materials.

Result Refresh the page or your connection to see that the add-on is installed and ready to be configured.

Configuring the DROPS for JIRA add-on

There are four configuration categories to complete in order to fully configure the DROPS for JIRA add-on.

Step 1 To access the DROPS for JIRA configuration categories, select the settings menu, then Add-ons.

Step 2 The DROPS Deployment Request menu on the left contains the four configuration categories.

Map your JIRA projects to your DROPS applications

Every project in which you wish to add a step to launch a DROPS process must be mapped to one pre-configured application on your DROPS Server. Mapping your JIRA project(s) to your application(s) ensures that the processes launched via JIRA correspond to the correct components to deploy and the correct environment to which to deploy.

Reference

For more information about applications in DROPS, refer to Applications.

Step 1 To map your JIRA project to a DROPS application, click the Project Mapping Settings menu.

Step 2 Click the Add a new Entry button.

Step 3 Select the project you will use to launch the deployment processes.

Step 4 Select the application to which to link the selected project. The list of applications is pre-populated with all of the applications currently available on the DROPS Server to which you are connected.

Step 5 Click the Save button.

Result The map is configured. You can map as many projects in JIRA to as many applications as you have in DROPS. The only requirements is that each project must be mapped to one application.

Adding the request to deploy to your development project workflow

In order to create the DROPS deployment release request via your development project's workflow, you must add a transition to the workflow. This transition must include a screen in which you select the environment to which to deploy the content in the application linked to the project.

Step 1 To add the deployment request transition to your development workflow, select the settings menu, then Issues.

Step 2 Create the field from which you will select the target environment when requesting a deployment. This built-in field will display all of the environments in your DROPS Server.

Select Custom Fields from the left-hand menu.
Click the Add custom field button.
Click Advanced in the dialog to access the advanced field options.
Select the DROPS Environment drop-down list to create a field in which you select the target environment to which to deploy. Click Next > to continue.
Enter a name and description for the field to help your team understand what they are selecting.
Click Create.

Step 3 Create the screen in which the target environment field will be displayed when requesting a deployment.

Select Screens from the left-hand menu.
Click the Add screen button.
Enter a name and description for the screen.
Click Add to create the screen. You will be redirected to the Screens page where the new screen appears in the list.
Click the Configure link to add the field that you created in the previous step to the screen.
From the Field name list, select the DROPS Environment field, then click Add.

Step 4 Modify your development project's workflow to include the deployment request transition.

Select Workflows from the left-hand menu.
Select your development project or any project in which you want to add a transition to request a deployment.
Click Edit to modify the project's workflow.
Click the Add transition button.

Step 5 Define the transition.

Select the statuses between which you want to add the deployment request.
Define a name for the transition.
Select the environment selection screen you created in the previous steps in this procedure to include the screen in the transition.

Step 6 Click Save.

Example

In the following example, we have created a loop transition in the "In progress" status because the parent issue should not close automatically after the deployment is completed. You can add the transition anywhere you need to in your project workflow.

Step 7 Add the DROPS Deployment Request post function to the transition. This built-in function is the key to creating the new issue in the project dedicated to DROPS that allows you to execute the deployment.

In the transition's menu, click on Post Functions to add a function to the transition.
Click Add post function.
Select the DROPS Deployment Request post function and click the Add button.

Step 8 Click the Publish button at the top of the screen to save all the changes made to the workflow.

Result The workflow has been modified to include the transition for requesting a deployment.

Define the request/requested by link between issues

Define the process to automatically link deployment request issues in the DROPS project to the parent issue in your development projects. This link ensures that every issue created from the deployment request transition is related to the development issue that requested it.

Note

The link defined here is added automatically to issues in your development projects and the DROPS project by the DROPS Deployment Request Post Function that you added to your development workflow.

Step 1 Select Issue linking from the left-hand menu.

Step 2 At the bottom of the page, define the Name of the link in the Add a new link type section.

The name must be "Deployment Request".

Important!

The name of the link between development and deployment-request issues MUST be "Deployment Request" in order for the DROPS Deployment Request Post Function to add it to each issue automatically.

Define the description of the outward and inward link descriptions. This text will appear in each issue next to the link to describe from/to where the link is pointing (the relationship between the issues).

Step 3 Click the Add button.

Adding the instruction to launch the deployment to your DROPS project workflow

In order to execute the deployment process via your DROPS project's workflow, you must add a transition to the workflow.

Step 1 Create the execute import & deployment screen to attach to the transition you will add to the DROPS workflow.

Select Screens from the left-hand menu.
Click the Add screen button.
Enter a name and description for the screen.
Click Add to create the screen. You will be redirected to the Screens page where the new screen appears in the list.

This screen does not require any fields.

Step 2 Modify the DROPS project's workflow to include the import and deployment execution transition.

Select Workflows from the left-hand menu.
Select the DROPS project.
Click Edit to modify the project's workflow.
Click the Add transition button.

Step 3 Define the Import and Deployment Execution transition.

Select the statuses between which you want to add the import and deployment execution.
Define a name for the transition.
Select the execute import & deployment screen you created in the previous steps in this procedure to include the screen in the transition.

Step 4 Click Add.

Step 5 Add the DROPS Execute Import and Deploy post function to the execution transition. This built-in function is the key to launching the import and deployment execution instances in DROPS.

In the transition's menu, click on Post Functions to add a function to the transition.
Click Add post function.
Select the DROPS Execute Import and Deploy post function and click the Add button.

Step 6 Click the Publish button at the top of the screen to save all the changes made to the workflow.

Result The workflow has been modified to include the transition to execute import and deployment processes.

Adding custom fields to deployment request issues in your DROPS project

The deployment request issues in your DROPS project are created automatically when a deployment is requested via the new workflow in your development project (see Adding the request to deploy to your development project workflow).

This section describes how to add custom fields to these issues in order to display the statuses and results of the import and deployment processes launched in DROPS. These fields correspond to the fields of the same name that you must define in the Workitem provider editor in the DROPS Studio.

The Target environment field displays the environment to which the deployment is made.

There are four built-in fields that relay information concerning the import and deployment processes sent by DROPS to JIRA.

DROPS Deployment Result
DROPS Deployment Status
DROPS Import Result
DROPS Import Status

Note

All four of the status/result field types must be defined to fully configure JIRA to work with DROPS. The target environment field is optional but very helpful.

Reference

For more information about configuring the workitem provider to populate the status/result fields in your JIRA deployment request issue, refer to Editing JIRA workitems.

Step 1 Select the settings menu, then Issues.

Step 2 Create the five fields, one-by-one.

Select Custom Fields from the left-hand menu.
Click the Add custom field button.
Click Advanced in the dialog to access the advanced field options.
Select the field to create. Click Next > to continue.
Enter a name and description for the field to help your team understand what they are selecting.

Important!
The name of each status/result field MUST correspond exactly to the four fields defined in the JIRA workitem provider in the DROPS Studio!
Click Create.

Step 3 Add the custom fields to the Create issue and to the Edit/View Issue screens in the DROPS project.

For each new field, click the settings icon and select Screens.

Check the boxes for both the [DROPS] Project Management Create Issue Screen and the Project Management Edit/View Issue Screen.

Click the Update button at the bottom of the page.