Time in Status (Forge) for Jira CloudWhat are event triggers?
Event triggers are rules that control when Stopwatch and Timer fields change state. Each Stopwatch and Timer field setting has four event slots:
- Start Events - triggers that start (or resume) the stopwatch/timer
- Pause Events - triggers that pause it
- Stop Events - triggers that stop it
- Restart Events - triggers that reset and restart it
When an issue changes in Jira (status transition, field update, comment, etc.), the app checks the issue’s changelog against the configured triggers. If a trigger matches, the corresponding action fires.
You can assign multiple triggers to each slot. Any matching trigger will fire the action.
Trigger categories
Status triggers
| Trigger | Description | Parameters |
|---|---|---|
| STATUS_ANY | Any status change | - |
| STATUS_FROM | Status changed from a specific status | fromStatusId |
| STATUS_TO | Status changed to a specific status | toStatusId |
| STATUS_FROM_TO | Status changed from one specific status to another | fromStatusId, toStatusId |
Example: Start a stopwatch when issue moves to “In Progress”:
- Slot: Start Events
- Trigger: STATUS_TO, toStatusId = “In Progress”
Status category triggers
| Trigger | Description | Parameters |
|---|---|---|
| STATUS_CATEGORY_ANY | Any status category change | - |
| STATUS_CATEGORY_FROM | Category changed from a specific category | fromCategoryId |
| STATUS_CATEGORY_TO | Category changed to a specific category | toCategoryId |
| STATUS_CATEGORY_FROM_TO | Category changed from one category to another | fromCategoryId, toCategoryId |
Status categories in Jira are: To Do, In Progress, Done.
Example: Stop a timer when issue reaches “Done” category:
- Slot: Stop Events
- Trigger: STATUS_CATEGORY_TO, toCategoryId = “Done”
Assignee triggers
| Trigger | Description | Parameters |
|---|---|---|
| FIRST_ASSIGNED | Issue assigned for the first time (was never assigned before) | - |
| UNASSIGNED | Issue becomes unassigned (assignee removed) | - |
| ASSIGNED | Issue gets assigned (to anyone) | - |
| ASSIGNEE_CHANGED | Assignee field changed (from one person to another) | - |
Example: Start a stopwatch when issue is first assigned:
- Slot: Start Events
- Trigger: FIRST_ASSIGNED
Field change triggers
| Trigger | Description | Parameters |
|---|---|---|
| LABELS_CHANGED | Labels field changed | - |
| PRIORITY_CHANGED | Priority field changed | - |
| UP_PRIORITY | Priority increased (moved to higher priority) | - |
| DOWN_PRIORITY | Priority decreased (moved to lower priority) | - |
| COMPONENTS_CHANGED | Components field changed | - |
| FIRST_SET_COMPONENTS | Components set for the first time | - |
| RESOLUTION_SET | Resolution set (issue resolved) | - |
| RESOLUTION_REMOVED | Resolution removed (issue reopened) | - |
| FIRST_SET_RESOLUTION | Resolution set for the first time | - |
Example: Pause a stopwatch when resolution is set:
- Slot: Pause Events
- Trigger: RESOLUTION_SET
Custom field triggers
| Trigger | Description | Parameters |
|---|---|---|
| CUSTOM_FIELD_CHANGED | A custom field value changed | fieldId |
| CUSTOM_FIELD_SET | A custom field set to a value (was empty) | fieldId |
| CUSTOM_FIELD_REMOVED | A custom field value removed (set to empty) | fieldId |
| FIRST_SET_CUSTOM_FIELD | A custom field set for the first time ever | fieldId |
You select which custom field to monitor via the fieldId parameter.
Example: Start a timer when “Story Points” field is set:
- Slot: Start Events
- Trigger: CUSTOM_FIELD_SET, fieldId = “customfield_10001”
Issue event triggers
| Trigger | Description | Parameters |
|---|---|---|
| ISSUE_CREATED | Issue created | - |
| ISSUE_COMMENTED | Comment added to the issue | - |
| FIRST_COMMENT | First comment added to the issue | - |
| CREATE_PUBLIC_COMMENT | Public (non-internal) comment created | - |
| CREATE_FIRST_PUBLIC_COMMENT | First public comment created | - |
Example: Start a stopwatch when a public comment is added:
- Slot: Start Events
- Trigger: CREATE_PUBLIC_COMMENT
Structural change triggers
| Trigger | Description | Parameters |
|---|---|---|
| CHANGE_PROJECT | Issue moved to a different project | - |
| CHANGE_ISSUE_TYPE | Issue type changed | - |
Custom event triggers
| Trigger | Description | Parameters |
|---|---|---|
| CUSTOM_EVENT | A custom event fires | customEventId |
Custom events are user-defined rules that match specific field value changes. Create them in the Custom Events tab of the admin panel, then reference them here.
Example: Start a timer when “Priority changed to Highest”:
- Create a custom event named “Priority to Highest” (field: Priority, action: CHANGE_TO, value: Highest)
- Add trigger: CUSTOM_EVENT, customEventId = (the custom event’s ID)
Using the Event Trigger Builder
In the admin panel, when editing a Stopwatch or Timer field setting (or web panel), you configure event triggers using the Event Trigger Builder.
For each event slot (Start, Pause, Stop, Restart):
- Click Add event to add a new trigger
- Select the trigger type from the dropdown
- Fill in the required parameters (status, field, custom event, etc.)
- Add more triggers if needed - any matching trigger will fire
Restart behavior
The Restart event slot resets the stopwatch/timer and starts it again.
By default, restart only works from the Paused state. If you enable Allow restart from any state (doRestartFromAnyState), restart can also trigger from the Stopped state (for Stopwatch) or Completed/Failed state (for Timer).
Tips
- Order matters: if multiple event slots match the same changelog entry, the app processes them in order: Stop > Restart > Pause > Start.
- Combine triggers: use multiple triggers in the same slot for flexible rules. For example, add both STATUS_TO “Done” and RESOLUTION_SET to the Stop slot to stop on either event.
- Use custom events for complex conditions that built-in triggers cannot express, such as “Priority changed from Low to Critical” or “Custom field set to a specific value.”
- Test with existing issues: after configuring triggers, run a recalculation to apply the rules to existing issues based on their changelog history.
