Overview

Idea: Built with Forge, the Grid Custom Field is designed to gradually replace the Connected App. This feature allows you to create and manage Grid data directly as a native Jira custom field, delivering better performance and deeper native integration with Jira.

Goal: Enable Jira users to configure, and work with table data directly within Jira using a native custom field. The goal is to provide flexible configuration, scalable management, and consistent behavior with native Jira fields across projects, issue types, and request types. This consistency helps users manage Grid data more easily and efficiently while supporting a wider range of use cases within Jira Cloud.

Key Features

Table Grid Next Generation has always allowed teams to store structured, tabular data inside Jira issues. The Grid Custom Field takes this capability to the next level by turning grids into native Jira custom fields — built on Forge, designed to eventually replace the current Connected App. For users, this means grids now behave exactly like any other Jira field: predictable, manageable, and consistent across their entire Jira environment.

Native field management means administrators no longer need to work around Table Grid's own configuration layer. Grid Custom Fields are created and managed directly from Jira's Fields page or from the Table Grid app — whichever fits the team's workflow. Fields can be edited, deleted, and even restored within a 60-day window after deletion, following standard Jira behavior. This eliminates the risk of accidentally losing a field configuration permanently.

Context-based configuration is where the real flexibility lies. A single Grid Custom Field can carry multiple contexts, each with its own independent grid configuration. This means one field can behave differently for a software project than it does for an HR or service management project — without creating and maintaining separate fields for each. Each context can also have its own default value, so issues are pre-populated with the right structure the moment they are created, reducing manual data entry and inconsistency.

Native screen placement means Grid Custom Fields can be added to any Jira issue screen through standard Jira administration, for both company-managed and team-managed projects. Users interact with the grid directly on the issue — adding rows, editing data, filtering and grouping — just as they would with any other field. The same field can also be exposed on JSM Customer Portal screens, allowing external users to submit structured tabular data as part of a service request. This opens up use cases like onboarding forms, purchase requests, and expense submissions without requiring agents to manually transcribe data from unstructured requests.

JQL search support means grid data is no longer isolated inside individual issues. Teams can query across their entire Jira instance based on what is inside a grid — filtering issues by text content, numbers, dates, or user values stored in specific columns. This makes Grid Custom Field data actionable at scale, enabling reporting, automation triggers, and board filters based on structured grid content.

Change history is tracked natively. Every modification to a Grid Custom Field is recorded in the issue's activity log, giving teams full auditability over who changed what and when — consistent with how Jira tracks changes to any other custom field.

Taken together, the Grid Custom Field removes the boundary between Table Grid's data and Jira's native ecosystem. Grids become first-class citizens in Jira, inheriting all the management, flexibility, and auditability that comes with native fields — while retaining the full power of Table Grid's structured data capabilities.

Instructions for Use

How to create and manage a Grid Custom Field

How to create and manage contexts of a Grid Custom Field

How to add Grid Custom Field to Field Configuration Schemes

How to apply a Grid Custom Field to Work item Screen

How to apply a Grid Custom Field to Request Screen

How to view Grid Custom Field History

How to search for work items using Grid Custom Field data in JQL Query

Feedback and Support

For more information, visit our Support Portal here.

Conclusion

Grid Custom Field enables teams to manage structured, table-style data directly within Jira using a native custom field. With support for multiple contexts, independent configurations, default values, native screen placement, and JQL search, it provides a flexible and scalable way to configure, display, and work with Grid data across projects and issue types, while delivering better performance and deeper Jira integration.

We encourage you to explore its capabilities and integrate it into your workflows to streamline operations.