The Formatting Gap in Jira Integrations

When enterprises integrate Jira Cloud with systems that rely on HTML formatting—like Azure DevOps, ServiceNow, or Salesforce—they often encounter a frustrating gap.

Jira stores its rich text in Atlassian Document Format (ADF), a JSON-based schema, while target systems expect HTML. Without conversion, the result is messy:

• Tables collapse into plain text.

• Lists lose structure.

• Code blocks flatten out.

• Inline images and embedded attachments disappear.

The outcome is more than cosmetic. Critical context is lost, teams waste time reconstructing details, and resolution times increase—ultimately impacting SLA compliance and customer satisfaction.

How ZigiOps Solves the Formatting Problem?

ZigiOps includes a built-in ADF→HTML expression. It converts Jira’s ADF payloads into standards-compliant HTML in real time. That means fields like Description, Comments, Work Notes, and Repro Steps land in the target system with the same structure and readability the author intended.

Instead of raw text, teams see fully formatted content—usable without cleanup or manual rework.

What Gets Preserved (and Mapped)?

ZigiOps preserves and translates the elements that matter most for IT and DevOps collaboration:

• Headings, paragraphs, and text styling (bold, italic, underline)

• Links, mentions, and emojis

• Ordered/unordered lists, blockquotes, horizontal rules

• Inline code & fenced code blocks

• Tables & table headers

• Inline images with attachment/URL mapping

• Smart links converted to standard anchors when needed

All HTML output is automatically sanitized to strip unsafe tags and align with enterprise security policies.

Tackling Embedded Attachments: A Bigger Challenge

Formatting is only half the story. Modern tickets and comments often include embedded attachments—most commonly inline images like screenshots or diagrams. These carry vital context, yet they’re often lost when syncing across systems.

ZigiOps supports collection and delivery of embedded attachments by turning them into standard attachments in the target system and rewriting references inside the synced text.

Supported Use Cases Today

• Collection: Extract embedded attachments (e.g., from Jira or Zendesk) and report them as normal attachments in the target system.

• One-Time Delivery in Ticket Fields: Supported for ticket creation (e.g., description with an image) but not updates, to avoid duplication.

• One-Way Delivery in Comments: Supported when comments are created; embedded attachments sync as files and references in HTML or Markdown.

This ensures that when a Jira issue or Zendesk ticket syncs to Azure DevOps or ServiceNow, inline images are collected, uploaded, and displayed properly in the target system.

How It Works in Practice: Jira → Azure DevOps Example

1. Pick the Field Pair

• Jira description (ADF) → Azure DevOps System.Description (HTML).

2. Transform ADF to HTML

• Apply ZigiOps’ built-in expression to convert rich text to HTML.

3. Collect and Upload Attachments

• Extract embedded images from Jira. Upload them to Azure DevOps as attachments.

4. Rewrite References

• Replace ADF image references with Azure DevOps <img src> links pointing to the uploaded files.

5. Sync

• The Azure DevOps work item now displays the full description with tables, lists, and inline images intact.

A Simple Business Use Case: Fortune 500 Financial Services Firm

A large financial services enterprise used Jira for product development and Azure DevOps for escalations. Their biggest issue: critical context kept disappearing during ticket handoff.

Before ZigiOps

• Jira tables and lists collapsed into plain text.

• Inline screenshots became raw <div><img> strings Azure DevOps couldn’t parse.

• Attachments were lost unless re-uploaded manually.

• Support staff recreated tickets by hand, increasing MTTR by 30%.

After ZigiOps

• Jira descriptions landed in Azure DevOps with full formatting fidelity.

• Embedded screenshots synced automatically as attachments, with references rewritten correctly.

• Updates flowed back using HTML→ADF, keeping formatting consistent.

• MTTR improved by 27%, SLA breaches dropped, and compliance audits became smoother.

Where It Helps Most?

ZigiOps’ ADF→HTML + embedded attachment support applies across multiple integration scenarios:

• Jira ↔ Azure DevOps: Descriptions, Comments, Acceptance Criteria, Repro Steps.

• Jira ↔ ServiceNow: Work notes and customer-visible comments with images intact.

• Jira ↔ Salesforce: Rich text areas for cases/opportunities without losing structure.

• Zendesk ↔ ADO or ServiceNow: Comments with embedded screenshots.

For enterprises where formatting and context = meaning, this capability is a game-changer.

Key Benefits for Enterprises

• Consistency: Teams see the same content, regardless of the system.

• Faster Resolution: No lost screenshots or broken formatting = fewer delays.

• Lower Risk: Compliance audits supported with unified, traceable histories.

• Scalability: Works across ITSM, DevOps, CRM, and support platforms.

• Future-Ready: Roadmap includes advanced support for updates and backsync via the workflow engine.

Conclusion

Rich text and embedded attachments aren’t cosmetic—they are critical context. When these elements are lost during integrations, teams face delays, compliance risks, and rising SLA costs.

With ZigiOps’ ADF→HTML expression and embedded attachment handling, enterprises gain a reliable way to preserve fidelity, structure, and media across systems. It’s a step toward seamless, trustworthy synchronization—and a foundation for even deeper automation when the new workflow engine arrives.

Ready to see how ZigiOps keeps formatting and attachments intact? Book a demo and experience integrations done right.