'View in Jira' links fail with "Cannot open project/issue with % characters in the URL" on Jira Align
Platform Notice: Cloud and Data Center - This article applies equally to both cloud and data center platforms.
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*Except Fisheye and Crucible
Summary
Clicking on a View in Jira link for a Story or Feature (Jira Epic) in Jira Align fails with the new browser tab displaying the error “Cannot open project/issue” with the URL displayed containing % characters with numeric codes in the URL, of a format similar to:
1
https://jira.company.com/browse/%7B%E2%80%8Bexternal%7D%E2%80%8BIt returns the error message:
Cannot open project/issue The project or issue you're trying to open doesn't exist or you don't have the permissions required to view it. Verify the spelling and try browsing for the issue/project. If you think you shouldn't get this message, please contact your Jira administrators.
Diagnosis
Jira Align attempts to convert /browse/{external} to /browse/Jira Issue Key before the user clicks on the View in Jira button. For this problem hovering the mouse pointer over the View in Jira button also displays the % characters in the pop-up that appears bottom left of the Jira Align page. This confirms the problem is within Jira Align and not Jira (or the network infrastructure)
Unicode references for non-alphanumeric characters can appear in browser URLs with the format %xx. The codes %7B and %7D seen in the URL are those for the { and }characters which are required in the Jira Link box of the Jira Connector. The other codes displayed in the URL of the error are unexpected. For a comprehensive list of Unicode characters see this Unicode Chart
Opening Jira Align > Administration > Jira Settings > Jira Connectors does not show any unexpected characters in the Jira Link box
Copying the complete URL from the Jira Link box into a text editor (or website) that can display hidden, non-printable Unicode characters shows the hidden characters do exist in the Jira Link box. For the reported issue the hidden characters were identified as 0x200b
Cause
The cause of the failing View in Jira links was due to the Jira Link box in the Jira Connector settings containing hidden (non-printable) Unicode characters in the entered URL. Such characters can be accidentally introduced by copying and pasting text from a website or document that already contains the hidden characters. It is possible, but not-confirmed that regional, language settings for the operating system and browser used to enter the URL could also introduce such characters
The error was reproduced by deliberately entering a Zero-Width Space character into the Jira Link box.
Solution
In Jira Align, go to Administration > Jira Settings > Jira Connectors (and make sure the correct connector is selected)
In the 'Jira Link' field, delete /browse/{external} from the end of the URL
Re-type /browse/{external} onto the end of the URL - DO NOT use Copy and Paste
Click Save
Re-test the 'View in Jira' link
If the issue persists, copy the complete URL from the 'Jira Link' field into a text editor that can display hidden, non-printable Unicode characters (such as Sublime Text). Then correct the URL in the text editor and copy this corrected URL back into the Jira Link box.
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