Description field cleared on Creation of Issue
Asked by Cheryl Stukey:

Hello. When we create issues in our Jira project the issue gets created successfully, however, when we view the issue after it is created the Descritpion field is empty (even though a description has been entered). We've look at automation, rules, workflows, etc and we cannot find where/how the description is getting cleared.

Please help. We have a client who creates bug tickets and their descriptions are being cleared. PS this happens when anyone creates a ticket - even admins.


Answers:
author: Walter Buggenhout
body: Hi [@Cheryl Stukey](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/5540678) and welcome to the Community!

Just a couple of things you can check:

* check the issue history on the *history* tab at the bottom of an issue that is missing the description. If something clears the description *after* the issue was created, you should be able to see it there. If so, there might be pointers to the user / rule / automation that is causing this behaviour. If so, dig deeper from there.
* check your custom fields and make sure that there is no custom field called *description* that is on the issue create screen instead of Jira's system field with the same name. In that case, it may well be that the information is saved, but not in Jira's system field. In this scenario, update your screen configuration so the system field is displayed on all screens.

Hope this helps!

comments: author: Cheryl Stukey
body: Hi Walter - yes I have done both of those things (which is why I am so perplexed) there is nothing in the history except that I created the issue. I looked at the fields in the issue and there are no custom fields. Any other ideas? Thanks in advance.

![JiraDescription.png](https://community.atlassian.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/334684iF9A982B574D59DD4/image-size/large?v=v2&px=999 "JiraDescription.png")


author: Cheryl Stukey
body: OK so there IS a custom field called Custom Description but it was not on any of the screens. I deleted the custom field and then attempted to create an issue and I got the message that the issue could not be created because "the custom field Custom Description does not exist but is in cluded in the workflow"

Where is this in the workflow? How do I remove it?

Thanks!


author: Walter Buggenhout
body: Most likely, it is being used in a validator on the create issue transition. I would also not be surprised if there is a post function that tries to do something to manipulate that custom description.

Check your project settings \> workflows and locate the workflow associated with the issue type you just tried to create. You should be able to edit it from there - at least if you have Jira Admin permissions. Select the create issue transition and then *validators*.

Deleting the custom field might not have been the best idea there. I hope you can still retrieve it from the custom field trash. Better to understand first what is happening before you delete some of your configuration ...


author: Cheryl Stukey
body: Oh yeah I retrieved it...it *was* the best option because now I know where the problem is originating from and I knew I could retrieve it and I made sure not other projects were using it. :) Additionally, I had exhausted every other possibility I knew of to check.

Anyway - when I click on settings, workflows, there is then a list of workflows (all projects), nothing about issue types (see screenshot below for line displayed for my project). Can you please document the steps and/or include screens shots for how I am **to get to the Create Issue transition** because**that does indeed sound to be the most logial explanation for where the problem is.**

If I click **edit from the Workflow list** there is nothing on the subsequent screen that says Create Issue - the screen displayed lists all of the columns on the board (see screenshot).

PS this is a company-managed project and one other thing - as you can see in the screen shot my Project says DRAFT ... I have attemtped to Publish multiple times and it still says DRAFT. Perhaps the transition was removed, but for some reason it will not Publish. I don't know. **THANK YOU for all of your help!!**

![worflow.png](https://community.atlassian.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/334731i22E2493789948B45/image-size/large?v=v2&px=999 "worflow.png")![workflow2.png](https://community.atlassian.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/334732iFA30C45887C9DA3A/image-size/large?v=v2&px=999 "workflow2.png")


author: Laura Campbell _Seibert Media_
body: To more easily find the Create issue transition, I prefer looking at the workflow settings in the diagram format, versus text. The Create transition starts from a circle/bullet point, and should look something like this. Click on the line leaving the circle to open the modal to edit the transition.![Screenshot 2024-07-10 at 18.19.52.png](https://community.atlassian.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/334738iC7E77C5AFBA34BF8/image-size/large?v=v2&px=999 "Screenshot 2024-07-10 at 18.19.52.png")


Tags: cloud

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