Adjusting Fields Before Cloning

Clone Expert for Jira allows you to customize and prepare work items before they are cloned – directly in the preview table shown during the cloning process.

Instead of duplicating issues exactly as they are, you can modify field values, apply bulk changes, and review the structure of each item to ensure accuracy. This ensures that the cloned epics, work items (issues), and sub-tasks are ready to plan and immediately usable.

In the sections below, we’ll walk through the most powerful ways to adjust summaries, dates, issue types, and other field values – both individually and in bulk.

🧩Transparent table view

When cloning with Clone Expert, all selected work items (issues) are presented in a transparent, editable table. This view allows you to clearly see the structure of the items being cloned, including epics, stories, tasks, and subtasks.

By default, the table displays only a few basic fields such as Summary, Issue type, and Dates. However, users can fully customize the view to match their needs.

You can add, remove, or rearrange fields to see and edit exactly what matters – such as components, labels, assignees, or even custom fields. Every user can configure their preferred table layout without affecting the layouts of others.

This flexible preview table is the central place to review and adjust the cloned content before submitting – helping teams produce ready-to-plan work items with full control.

🛠️ How it works

Fields scope customization

You can select values visible in the linked issues grid table. To add values to the list, please choose proper custom fields in the Additional fields edit box.

Table view personalization

You can customize how issues are displayed and edited in the Dynamic Table View during the cloning process. Available options include:

• Resize columns – adjust column width to improve readability
• Reorder columns – change column order by dragging or using the move left/right option
• Show or hide columns – display only the fields relevant to your task
• Saved layout – your settings are stored and automatically applied each time you use the app

These adjustments help simplify work item preparation and speed up the cloning workflow.

Supported fields

See the full list of supported field types here.

🧩Select items to clone

In the preview table, each work item (issue) and sub-task has a checkbox on the left-hand side. This lets you decide exactly which items will be cloned.

By default, all items in the hierarchy are selected for cloning.

To exclude any item:

• Uncheck the box next to its row
• The item will be skipped during the cloning process
• Its children (if any) will also be skipped automatically

You can deselect:

• Specific sub-tasks
• Individual stories, tasks, or bugs
• Even the top-level item (e.g., an epic) – if you only want to clone child issues

🧩Single field editing

Before cloning, you can edit individual fields directly in the preview table. This allows you to fine-tune specific values for each issue – so the cloned items are already adjusted and ready to plan.

To edit a field:

• Click into the table cell you want to update
• Enter or select the new value (depending on field type)
• The updated value will be saved and used in the cloned issue

You can edit fields for any level of issue: epics, work items (tasks, stories, bugs), or subtasks.

💡 Tips

• Fields that are not editable show an icon with a message:
  “Field not available on issue creation screen for the selected project/issue type, or insufficient permissions.”
• If a field is missing, make sure it is available on the Create screen in the relevant Jira project configuration.
• All changes apply only to the cloned issue, not the original one
• Ideal for quick adjustments like renaming summaries or changing priorities per task
• Use placeholders to populate the content dynamically

🧩Bulk editing options

To save time and apply changes to multiple issues at once, you can use bulk editing directly from the preview table.

Click the edit icon in the header of any editable column to access available bulk operations. The list of actions depends on the field type (e.g., text, date, single select).

☛ Overwrite values

The Overwrite option allows you to replace the value of a selected field across all visible issues in the preview table with just one click.

Use this when you want to set the same summary prefix, assignee, date, or label for the entire set of issues being cloned.

To use:
Click the edit icon in the column header → Select Overwrite → Enter/select the new value → Apply to all.

Available for:

• Multiline text fields (e.g. Description, Acceptance Criteria)
• Single-line text fields (e.g. Summary)
• Single select dropdowns (e.g. Priority, Issue type)
• Multi-select dropdowns (e.g. Label)
• User-picker fields (e.g. Assagne, Reporter)
• Date fields (e.g. Due date, Start date)

The value you enter will be applied to all issues in the column – replacing any existing values.

☛ Add prefixes

The Add prefix option lets you insert a custom text snippet at the beginning of each value in a selected column.

It’s useful when you want to:

• Differentiate cloned issues from the original ones
• Indicate the target project or release (e.g. [Q4] New feature)
• Group related items visually in the backlog

To use:
Click the edit icon in the column header → Select Add value prefix → Enter your prefix → Apply to all.

Available for:

• Single-line text fields (e.g. Summary, short labels, custom fields)

The entered prefix will be added in front of the existing text in all visible issues – without overwriting the original content.

☛ Add suffixes

The Add suffix option allows you to place a custom text string at the end of each value in a selected column.

This is useful when you want to:

• Add version tags (e.g. v2, Beta, 2025)
• Mark cloned items with workflow status (e.g. – Draft, – Updated)
• Distinguish copied items from originals

To use:
Click the edit icon in the column header → Select Add value suffix → Enter your suffix → Apply to all.

Available for:

• Single-line text fields (such as Summary or custom short-text fields)

The suffix will be appended to the end of each value – without removing or replacing the existing content.

☛ Find and replace

The Find & replace option lets you quickly locate specific text inside a column and replace it across all visible issues. This is especially helpful when duplicating templates or recurring tasks that require small adjustments.

Use it to:

• Replace project codes or sprint names (e.g. Q3 → Q4)
• Update product names, dates, or user roles
• Clean up or rebrand naming in summaries

To use:
Click the edit icon in the column header → Select Find & replace → Enter the text to Find and Replace fields → Apply to all.

Available for:

• Single-line text fields

The tool searches for the specified string and replaces it everywhere it appears in the selected column. Partial matches are supported.

☛ Date adjustments

When cloning work items arise, deadlines often need to shift. Clone Expert allows you to easily adjust Start date, Due date, or any other date-type fields – so your cloned work items fit the new timeline.

You can add or subtract days, months, or years in bulk, directly from the preview table.

☛☛ Add years/months/days

The Add years/months/days option helps you shift dates automatically, instead of updating each field manually.

Typical use cases:

• Move all tasks forward by 14 days for a new sprint
• Shift dates by 1 month to reuse a template

To use:
Click the edit icon in the date column → Select Add years/months/days → Enter the number of days, months, or years → Apply to all.

Available for:

• Date fields (e.g. Start date, Due date, custom date pickers)

☛☛ Subtract years/months/days

The Subtract option lets you shift dates backward – ideal when preparing cloned tasks for an earlier delivery, rescheduling prep work, or aligning dates with upstream milestones.

Common use cases:

• Pull deadlines earlier by 7 days
• Reschedule tasks for a shorter sprint

To use:
Click the edit icon in the date column → Select Subtract years/months/days → Enter a negative value for days, months, or years → Apply to all.

Available for:

• Date fields (Start date, Due date, any custom date field)

🧩Add issue to cloned set

Sometimes you need to enrich your cloned hierarchy with additional tasks – ones that weren’t part of the original structure. Clone Expert allows you to manually add extra work items to the cloned set before the operation is completed.

This gives you the flexibility to:

• Add new stories, tasks, or sub-tasks on the fly
• Insert forgotten items into the structure
• Extend the clone without going back to Jira or repeating the process

🛠️ How it works

While in the clone configuration screen (preview table):

1. Scroll to the bottom of the table
2. Click the Add work item button
3. Select the issue type (e.g. Task, Story, Bug)
4. Fill in the required fields (e.g. Summary, Assignee, Dates)
5. Click Clone – the added item will be cloned along with the rest

You can add as many issues as needed to the set.

💡 Tips

Added issues will be created as new Jira work items, just like the cloned ones

They follow the same rules and configuration (e.g. destination project, links, hierarchy)

Great for adding checklist items, missing steps, or custom-tailored additions to reusable templates

The newly added item appears at the bottom of the table and is, by default, assigned under the top-level item

🧩Work type change

Before cloning, you can change the work type (issue type) for any item in the cloned set – directly in the preview table.
This allows you to adjust your cloned structure to the context of the new project, team, or process.

For example:

• You can’t change a Story into an Epic
• You can’t change a Sub-task into a Bug

🛠️ How it works

1. In the preview table, locate the Type column
2. Click the dropdown for the issue you want to modify
3. Select a different issue type (from those available for the project and hierarchy level)
4. The selected type will be applied when you run the cloning process

Each item can have its issue type changed independently.

💡 Tips

Available issue types depend on your Jira project configuration

Use this feature to improve consistency across teams or projects

The cloned item will behave like any issue created directly in Jira with the selected type

Work type changes apply before cloning, so all transitions and workflows will follow the new type’s scheme

Work type changes apply only to the cloned issues – the original items remain unchanged