You are viewing documentation for Structure Server and Data Center version 5.6 and patch releases. For other versions, see Version Index or [Structure Cloud].
5th of April, 2016
Structure 3.0 is the biggest, most extensive and most awaited update of the Structure add-on. It introduces a lot of amazing features that can help you bring your command of JIRA to the next level.Important! Upgrade from Structure 2.x requires additional manual operations.
This version is a massive overhaul of Structure. If you're using Structure 2, please pay attention to these Release Notes, especially to Upgrade Instructions.
Download Structure 3.0 and Extensions
Structure 3.0 Demo Server
Structure 3 Quick Start Guide
Structure 3.0 is very different from previous versions of Structure. While the main concept – "structure" as a hierarchical list of things – remains, many things changed and a lot of features were added. We have put a lot of thought into expanding the scope of the product and rebuilt Structure almost from ground up.
After upgrading and finding your way around new user interface, you should be able to work with Structure 3.0 in the same way you worked with Structure 2.x. However, to take advantage of the new features such as Automation, some learning will be required. When you have Structure 3 installed, check out menu Structure | Get Started for a crash course on most important features. The Structure 3 Quick Start Guide has more details and is a recommended reading.
Multi-parent (same issue can be at multiple locations in any structure)
Folders (special non-JIRA folders for containing issues in structures)
Issue sorting and grouping
Structures within structures
Automation (automatic structure generation, an alternative to synchronizers)
Full description of all new features would be too much for this document. We invite you to take a look at the Structure 3 Quick Start Guide or explore the add-on yourself (make sure you stop by Structure | Get Started menu).
Please read carefully: if you're relying on some of the changed features, you need to make sure that after upgrade everything works as expected.
Synchronizers were remade. They generally do the same things as before, but we upgraded their logic so they can take advantage of the new architecture. For example, Links synchronizer can now place an issue in two or more places in the structure, so you will be able to visualize non-hierarchical links structure.
We kept most options, but introduced "Source of Truth", which helps bi-directional synchronizers resolve conflicts. If you're using synchronizers, please revisit all synchronization settings after upgrade.
Synchronizers and Generators
Please note that generators "see" the results of synchronizers' work, but not vice versa. if you'd like to take advantage of the new feature, Automation, and you're using synchronizers, we advise you to start off with a new structure to avoid confusion.
Structure 3.0 and all extensions support JIRA versions from 6.3 to 7.1. Note that for Structure there are separate downloadable files for JIRA 6 and JIRA 7. All editions of JIRA (JIRA Core, JIRA Software, JIRA Service Desk) are supported.
We now have only partial support for Internet Explorer 9 and 10. There are some known issues, but you may be able to use Structure. If you encounter a problem while using IE9 or IE10, please let us know and we'll advise if it's a known problem or something we can deal with.
If you're using Structure.Testy, you need to install Structure.Testy 2.0. Earlier versions of Testy are not supported.
If you’re using a plugin that integrates with Structure 2.x, most likely it will not work with Structure 3.0. Here’s the suggested course of action:
scheduled-sync
, status-bar-column
or other complimentary plugins by ALM Works, published as a part of Structure 2.x documentation – these plugins will not work with Structure 3.0. We will release updated versions later, along with the Structure 3.0 final release. If you need one of those plugins urgently to try out Structure 3, please contact us.REST APIs also have changed in Structure 3.0. If you have any reporting scripts that connect to Structure via REST, they most likely will stop working. At this moment, the new API is not published — please contact us at support@almworks.com and we’ll be happy to help you upgrade your scripts.
If you're using Structure dashboard gadget in Confluence, it is currently known to have issues. We'll be reviewing this functionality and possibly providing alternatives after Structure 3.0 release.
In Structure 3.0 we have made massive changes in the architecture of the product to accommodate the new features and lay groundwork for future expansion of the platform. Unfortunately, that means a lot of incompatible changes in the API. Most integrations with Structure 2.x will not work with Structure 3.0.
The new Java and REST API will be published later, closer to Structure 3.1 release. The reason for that is that we’ll need to spend additional time after Structure 3.0 release to stabilize and clean the new APIs and provide sufficient documentation.
Until the new stable API is released, we can provide information about the new API on individual basis. Please feel free to contact us at support@almworks.com if you’d like to integrate with Structure 3.0.
Important: The data from Structure 2.x is not automatically transferred when you upgrade, so you'll need to manually migrate it after installation.
If your JIRA server does not have Structure yet, the installation is simple:
catalina.out
or jira-application.log
for log messages from Structure.If you have Structure version older than 2.9, please upgrade to Structure 2.11.2 version first.
structure/
sub-directory under JIRA home while Structure plugin is disabled.To transfer the data, open Administration | Structure | Export Structure 2.x Data page. It allows you to create a backup zip with all Structure 2.x data, and then opens Restore Structure page, allowing you to immediately import the backup into Structure 3.x database.
Important: after you press Create Backup, wait for the backup to finish – it might take a while! Do not try to go back and repeat the backup. To see if the backup is still going on, access JIRA home directory, export/
folder, and see if the backup file is growing in size.
If you have Structure.Testy installed, upgrade to Structure.Testy version 2.0 or later.
catalina.out
or jira-application.log
for log messages from Structure.Unlike previous versions, Structure 3.0 uses the main JIRA database to store its data. After upgrade, your Structure 3.0 database will be empty. Don't panic – all data is intact, but it must be transferred from Structure 2.x database. See the instructions above.
If you have installed Structure 3 beta or release candidate, you need to uninstall it first.
catalina.out
or jira-application.log
for log messages from Structure.If you're using "Global Structure" structure, which was created by default in Structure 2.x, you need to make sure that there's an "owner" of that structure. Otherwise, Automation feature will not work there.
If you decide to downgrade to Structure 2.11, you can do so, but any changes made in Structure 3.0 will not be transferred to the previous version.
Please let us know what you think about the new Structure! We have grandiose plans for next versions, which now will be coming out frequently, and your feedback is instrumental for aligning our plans with what the users need.
Please write to support@almworks.com or almworks twitter if you have any comments, questions, suggestions or feelings to share!