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Export Jira issues to PDF

The Better PDF Exporter for Jira Data Center app enables users to create professional PDF files from issues, filters, dashboards, and other Jira data. The whole process is intuitive and takes just a few clicks.

You can start PDF exports in multiple ways, explained in the next sections.

Direct PDF exports

Direct exports are seamlessly integrated into the Work Item Details, Filter Results, Dashboard, Board, and other Jira screens. This is useful if you want to review the object before exporting it.

To start a direct PDF export:

  1. Go to the object to export (issue, filter, dashboard, board, etc.).
  2. Click the export link on the screen. (See the next section for the exact location of the link.)
  3. Select the PDF view that produces your desired output.
  4. Wait for the file to be downloaded to your computer.

The following table summarizes the locations of the export links on various screens.

Data to export Export link location
A single issue "Export" menu on the top of the issue Details screen.
Issues resulted from a search or filter "Export" menu on the top of the Issue Navigator screen.
Issues from a board "Download" button on the top of the board column.
Issues from a sprint "Export" menu at the sprint on the Backlog screen.
Issues from a backlog "Export" menu at the backlog section on the Backlog screen.
Issues from a version (release)
Dashboard "..." menu on the top of the Dashboard screen.

Work with the PDF export file

After the app generated the PDF document, it will automatically download the file to your computer.

You can open it in any PDF viewer. We recommend using Adobe Reader for the best experience.

Configure PDF exports

There are two components to configure PDF exports:

  1. PDF views (also called "export types")
  2. PDF resources

The app supports multiple PDF views. Different PDF views generate PDF exports using different templates and different Groovy scripts. That way you can set up separate views to export issue lists, timesheets, release notes, and other PDF documents.

Manage PDF views (export types)

You can manage the PDF views on the PDF Views screen, where you can add, edit, delete, and reorder them.

To access this screen, go to Jira administration (on the top-left) → Manage apps → PDF Views. It requires Jira administrator permissions for obvious reasons.

Add a new PDF view

You can add a new PDF view by clicking the button beside the list and filling the form with the view's properties.

Each PDF view has the following properties:

  • Name: it appears in the Export drop-down menu.
  • Description: it explains the purpose of the view.
  • Enabled contexts: the screens where this view will be offered as an export option.
    1. Single Issue View
    2. Issue Navigator
    3. Dashboard
    4. Board (in Jira Software)
    5. Backlog (in Jira Software)
    6. Service Desk (in Jira Service Management)
    7. Structure
    8. Tempo Timesheet
    (You can completely hide the view by disabling it in all contexts.)
  • PDF template: the template file that will be used to generate the exported PDF document for this view. Template files can be shared between multiple views. For example, a Foo Release Notes and a Bar Release Notes can use the same PDF template, with differences in the template logic.
  • Allowed for groups: you can optionally restrict the view to certain groups.
  • Allowed for users: you can optionally restrict the view users.
  • Allowed for issues: you can optionally restrict the view to issues specified by JQL query.
Edit an existing PDF view

You can edit the view's properties by clicking its name in the list.

Delete an existing PDF view

You can delete a view by clicking the "delete" action in the list.

Reorder PDF views

You can change the display order for the PDF views in the list, which will also be reflected in the Export drop-down menu. To reorder views, click the arrows in the list.

Restore the default PDF views

You may want to restore the default PDF views in the following exceptional cases:

  1. You broke or deleted some views, or created new ones that are no longer needed, and now want to start over from a clean state (factory defaults).
  2. You never customized the views, and you want to upgrade to the latest version without manually performing all the upgrade steps. Restoring guarantees that you will get the views that are 100% consistent with your current app version. For details, see the Version History.

You can restore the default views by opening this URL in your browser: 

http://localhost:8086/secure/reset-pdf-views.jspa?santa

Just replace the localhost:8086 part to match your Jira base URL. The request parameter santa reduces the risk of accidentally calling this URL. (Fun fact: we developed this feature on 6 Dec.)

Important: use this feature carefully, as there is no undo. If something went wrong, remember that views are saved to the regular Jira back-up.

Manage PDF resources (PDF templates and Groovy scripts)

As written above, PDF views render the export files from PDF templates, optionally running Groovy scripts. Template and script files, used by the rendering process, are together called "resources".

You can manage the PDF resources on the PDF Templates screen, where you can add, edit, and delete them.

To access this screen, go to Jira administration (on the top-left) → Manage apps → PDF Templates. It requires Jira administrator permissions for obvious reasons.

Add a new PDF resource

You can add a new PDF resource by clicking the button beside the list and filling the form with the resource's properties.

Each PDF resource has the following properties:

  • Name: if it is a template, it is used when choosing the template for a PDF view. If it is a script, it is used when executing a script from a template (by name).
  • Description: it explains the purpose of the resource.
  • Content: the actual content of the resource.

All resources, including PDF templates and Groovy scripts, are plain text files. You can conveniently edit them in the online editor. The editor offers syntax highlighting, collapse/expand block, and other useful features.

Edit an existing PDF resource

You can edit the resource properties by clicking its name in the list.

Delete an existing PDF resource

You can delete a resource by clicking the "delete" action in the list.

Restore the default PDF resources

Similarly to restoring the default views, you can also restore the default resources. Again, use it in exceptional situations and use it carefully.

You can reset the resources by opening this URL in your browser: 

http://localhost:8086/secure/reset-pdf-resources.jspa?santa

Just replace the localhost:8086 part to match your Jira base URL.

After the successful restore, you will be redirected to the list of the PDF resources.

Next step

Next step: customizing your Jira PDF templates.

Questions?

Ask us any time.