How to append a label to a Jira ticket using Java API without overwriting existing ones?

Other Questions Jira
1

Hey folks, I’m working on a Java project where I need to add a new label to a Jira ticket without messing up the existing ones. Right now, my code is replacing all the labels instead of adding to them. I’ve set up the Java REST client and can update other fields, but I’m stuck on this label thing. Here’s a snippet of what I’m doing:

void modifyTicket(String ticketId) {
    TicketInput input = new TicketInputBuilder()
        .setParentLink(PARENT_LINK_ID, PARENT_LINK_VALUE)
        .setReleaseVersion(Arrays.asList(makeVersion()))
        .setFieldValue(TicketFieldId.LABELS.id, Arrays.asList("EXTRA_TAG"))
        .build();
    
    JiraApiClient apiClient = JiraTools.getApiClient();
    apiClient.getTicketApi()
        .modifyTicket(ticketId, input)
        .execute();
}

Any ideas on how to add just one new label without touching the existing ones? Thanks in advance!

2

I’ve worked extensively with the Jira API, and this is a common gotcha. The key is to retrieve the existing labels first, then append your new one. Here’s a more robust approach that’s served me well:

Issue issue = apiClient.getIssue(ticketId).execute();
Set<String> currentLabels = new HashSet<>(issue.getFields().getLabels());
currentLabels.add("EXTRA_TAG");

TicketInput input = new TicketInputBuilder()
    .setFieldValue(TicketFieldId.LABELS.id, new ArrayList<>(currentLabels))
    .build();

apiClient.getTicketApi().modifyTicket(ticketId, input).execute();

This method ensures you’re not overwriting anything. It’s also more efficient as you’re only updating the labels field. Remember to handle potential API exceptions and consider implementing retry logic for robustness in production environments.

3

I encountered a similar issue when integrating with Jira. My solution was to first retrieve the ticket to obtain the current set of labels. Then I merged the new label into the collection of existing labels before updating the ticket. This approach guarantees that the new label is added without removing what was already there. I made sure to account for potential duplicate entries and handled possible exceptions during the API calls. This method keeps all labels intact while allowing the addition of the new one.

4

yo grace, ive dealt with this before. u gotta fetch the existing labels first, then add ur new one to that list. somethin like:

Issue issue = client.getIssue(ticketId).execute();
Set<String> labels = new HashSet<>(issue.getFields().getLabels());
labels.add("EXTRA_TAG");
input.setFieldValue(TicketFieldId.LABELS.id, new ArrayList<>(labels));

that should do the trick without messin up whats already there