Tasks and contexts

Connect the IDE to your tracker

1. In the Settings/Preferences dialog Ctrl+Alt+S, select Tools | Tasks | Servers.

2. Click and select the necessary issue tracker from the list.

3. Enter connection details. Note that settings differ depending on your issue tracker.

   Normally, you have to specify the server URL and connection credentials: Username and Password.

   In some cases, you need enter an API token instead of your password. For example, if you're connecting your IDE to YouTrack, the Password field is replaced with Token. For more information, refer to Manage Permanent Tokens.

4. Select the Share URL option to allow access to the server for other members of your team. When this option is enabled, a server URL and its type are saved to the .idea/misc.xml file, which can be shared between development team members through version control.

5. Click Proxy settings if you want to access the server via a proxy server. You can find more information on proxy settings in the HTTP Proxy section.

   

6. On the Commit Message tab, you can enable adding a commit message for a changelist and configure a message template.

   

7. On the Server Configuration tab, configure advanced parameters for connecting to your issue tracker.

   This tab is only available for some trackers (for example, for trackers that are not supported out of the box).

Specify additional integration options

1. In the Settings/Preferences dialog Ctrl+Alt+S, select Tools | Tasks.

2. Configure the necessary options:

   • Changelist name format: when you open or create a new task, WebStorm prompts you to create a new changelist associated with this task. In this field, you can specify a template that will be used for generating names for new changelists.

     Click to select placeholders from the list.

   • Feature branch name format: when you create or open a new task, WebStorm prompts you to create a new feature branch. In this field, you can configure the template for generating names of new feature branches.

     Click to select placeholders from the list.

     Use the Lowercased and Replace spaces with options to configure prompted feature branch names.

     These settings are useful if your IDE is integrated with an issue tracker. For example, the DSGN-0001 Add new icon task name is going to be converted to the dsgn-0001add-new-icon feature branch name.

   • Task history length: the number of tasks that WebStorm stores.

   • Save context on commit: every time you commit changes, WebStorm creates a new closed local task that keeps files, bookmarks, and breakpoints that you have worked with. This way, you can quickly restore all tabs associated with the task any time in the future.

   • Enable issue cache: optimize synchronization between WebStorm and your issue tracker. Synchronization is especially recommended if you work with "slow" issue tracking systems.

     WebStorm caches the list of issues loaded from the tracker and updates them repeatedly. You can specify how many issues should be cached and how often WebStorm should update information about them.

     

Open tracker tasks

Tracker tasks are loaded to your WebStorm once you connect it to your issue tracker.

1. From the main menu, select Tools | Tasks & Contexts | Open Task Alt+Shift+N, or click the task combo on the toolbar.

2. Select the necessary task from the list.

3. In the Open Task dialog, you can update issue state.

   If you want to close all tabs that are currently opened in the editor, select the Clear current context checkbox.

4. In the VCS operations section, you can create a new changelist, select an existing branch to which you want to contribute, or create a new one.

   You can also shelve the current changes to return to them later.

   

Create local tasks

In WebStorm, you can create local tasks that do not originate from your issue tracker.

1. From the main menu, select Tools | Tasks & Contexts | Open Task. You can also use the task combo or press Alt+Shift+N.

2. In the Enter task name dialog, select Create New Task.

3. Enter a name for the new task.

   If you want to close all tabs that are currently opened in the editor, select the Clear current context checkbox.

4. In the VCS operations section, you can create a new changelist, select an existing branch to which you want to contribute, or create a new branch.

   You can also shelve the current changes to return to them later.

View task description

When you are choosing a task to switch to, the list of tasks shows only task IDs. This information is not always sufficient, because it reflects neither the steps that lead to the problem nor the related discussion.

1. Go to Tools | Tasks & Contexts | Open Task.

2. Open the necessary task and press Ctrl+Q to open the task description in WebStorm, or Alt+Shift+B to view the description in a browser.

Alternatively, go to Tools | Tasks & Contexts and click Show ' task ID' Description or Open ' task ID' in Browser.

View closed tasks

A closed local task is a task that is not associated with a changelist if the entire project or the affected directory is under a version control.

A closed tracker task is a task that has the closed status in your the issue tracker.

1. Click the task combo and then click Open Task.

2. Select the Include closed tasks checkbox, or press Alt+Shift+N.

Close tasks

• Go to Tools | Tasks & Contexts and click Close Active Task.

This will close the current context in the WebStorm. Select the necessary checkboxes to commit changes and, optionally, merge the branch that was created. For tracker tasks, you can also change their state. The new state will be propagated to your issue tracker.

Delete tasks

If you do not need a task to appear in WebStorm, you can remove it from the list of tasks.

1. Click the task combo on the main toolbar.

2. Select one or more tasks you want to delete.

   Use Shift (for adjacent items) or Ctrl (for non-adjacent items) keys for multiple selection.

3. Click the right-arrow button, and select Remove.

When you are deleting tracker tasks, you remove them from the IDE. They will remain in your issue tracker. Local tasks in this case will be completely removed, since they are not connected to your issue tracker.

Enable time tracking

1. In the Settings/Preferences dialog Ctrl+Alt+S,

   go to Tools | Tasks | Time Tracking and select the Enable Time Tracking checkbox.

2. (Optionally) Change the Suspend delay value.

   Here you can specify how long you have to stay inactive before the task will be considered suspended.

Track time

• Click for automatic time logging.

  For manual time tracking, click . To stop manual time tracking, click .

  

Send time log to tracker

1. Click Post work item to bug tracker in the Time Tracking tool window.

2. In the Time Tracking dialog that opens, specify the time interval you want to log and add a comment if necessary.

   

Save a context

1. From the main menu, select Tools | Tasks & Contexts | Save Context.

2. In the Save Context dialog, enter the name of the context and click OK.

Add items to existing contexts

1. From the main menu, select Tools | Tasks & Contexts | Load Context.

2. Add the necessary items (bookmarks or breakpoints) or open the necessary files and save the context: Tools | Tasks & Contexts | Save Context.

Switch between contexts

When you switch between tasks, the IDE automatically switches related contexts. However, if the contexts that you work with are not associated with tasks, you can switch between them manually.

1. From the main menu, select Tools | Tasks & Contexts | Load Context.

2. In the Load Context popup, select the necessary context from the list.

   Alternatively, click the right arrow and select Load.

   

Clear a context

• To clear the current context without loading another one, select Tools | Tasks & Contexts| Clear Context from the main menu, or press Alt+Shift+X.

Delete a context

When a task is finished, or if you do not need a context anymore, you can remove it.

1. From the main menu, select Tools | Tasks & Contexts | Load Context.

2. In the Load Context popup, click the right arrow and select Remove.