Manage ARN templates
- Annu
Overview
The Templates tab enables users to generate customized templates for automated release notes and reports in multiple formats. These templates guarantee that release updates are effectively communicated to teams, customers, and partners in a clear and refined manner.
The Templates tab provides users with the functionality to create personalized templates designed for automated release notes and reports across various formats. These templates serve as a crucial tool in ensuring that the latest release information is efficiently conveyed to teams, customers, and partners in a concise and polished manner.
For publishing release notes to the new Confluence editor read Checklist to Publish release notes (in new Confluence editor) using ARN Helper app
Types of templates available in ARN
Email - Keep your stakeholders informed via emails
PDF - Shared a structured PDF document with release updates
More details on PDF
Confluence - Publish release updates to your Confluence spaces
Slack - Send release updates on your Slack channels
MS PowerPoint - Create PowerPoint presentations that talk about your releases
LinkedIn - Announce your release updates on your LinkedIn’s individual/org pages
Release page notification - Notify stakeholders about release updates on ARN release pages
JSON - Export release notes and reports in JSON format for seamless integration with other systems
HTML - Design visually appealing release notes and informative reports with flexible HTML formatting
Markdown - Create clear & concise release notes and reports effortlessly using Markdown formatting
MS Word - Create professional, formatted documents in MS Word format to present Jira data
JSM announcement - Increase awareness of important updates by broadcasting them to JSM portal
What are template levels (Local, Global & Cross-project)?
Based on the below conditions, Edit and Delete options will be available for respective templates from in-project and cross-project screens.
Template level Accessibility | Local | Global | Cross-project |
|---|---|---|---|
View | Can be viewed only from the same project they were created in | Can be viewed from all the projects | Can be viewed only on cross-project screen |
Edit | Can be edited only from the same project they were created in | Can be edited only from the same project they were created in | Can be edited only on cross-project screen |
Delete | Can be deleted only from the same project they were created in | Can be deleted only from the same project they were created in | Can be deleted only on cross-project screen |
Template creation can be controlled from the setting available on Jira admin’s ARN screen. Read more -
Create templates
Navigate to Templates tab from the cross-project/in-project screen and Click on Create.
Select the relevant type of template from the given pop-up and then you will be taken to the template editor page. Below image is from the email template, however depending on the type of template you have selected you will view the respective template builder.
Fields
Field name | Description | Applicable to templates |
|---|---|---|
Template type | This field appears when you create a fresh template | All types of templates |
Template name | This field is to define your template name within ARN for quick identification of any template. Not visible to end users. | All types of templates |
Level | This field defines the level of template to define its scope for in-project or cross-project screens. Read | All types of templates |
Empty check (checkbox) | If checked, when the JQL sections in the given template do not return any data, the rule action will be skipped for the given template when automated. |
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Email Subject | This applies to only a handful of templates where email notifications are being sent. This is visible to end users. |
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Announcement subject | This applies to only a handful of templates that are used for an announcement of release updates. This is visible to end users. |
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File name | This applies to the templates where some files are being created. File name applies to the respective file downloaded/attached in email actions. |
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Confluence page name | This is visible to end users when as Confluence page title |
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ARN branding name | If checked, it adds ARN’s branding in the release notes. |
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Main content/body/message | This is the most important field for every template as here you would build/design your release notes content. The name of the field differs based on the template. For eg. Email body for Email template, Slack message for Slack template, etc. The bottom line is that it applies to all templates and is easy to identify based on template type. | All types of templates |
Elements of release notes content creation
Content element | Description | Applicable to templates | More details |
|---|---|---|---|
WYSWYG editor | The editor for text formatting. |
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+Variables | These are the ARN variables that you can add to the template. On execution, these variables will be replaced with actual values. For eg. versionId, projectName, etc. |
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+Custom variables | As the name suggests, you can create custom variables in ARN to fetch different values in release notes. |
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+JQL Section | This is the most important element of ARN templates. Using JQL section define -
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+Stats & charts | Using Stats & charts, you generate reports for your releases |
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+Users | Using this macro, you can highlight the contributors of the release |
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+AI Generator | This macro allows you to add a summary based on issues fetched using JQL in this macro |
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+Add Macro | This macro supports actual Confluence macros. |
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Preview template content
Be it any type of template, users can preview it to check the release notes content before publishing it to end users.
In the case of templates like PDF, Markdown, HTML, JSON, MS Word, and MS PowerPoint templates the output files can be downloaded for final review from the preview screen.
Other actions on the Templates tab
As shown in the below image, there are some interesting actions and data points on the Templates tab.
Filters - To filter your templates
Customize the columns you want to see on the templates tab
Preview template
Clone template
Icons to identify the template type
Icons to identify whether the template is Local/Global
The number of rules the template is used in. Clicking on the link will display the list of rules