As a user, I would like to receive a warning message when the URL exceeds the allowed length limit, so that I can shorten or correct it before submitting

Description

When a JQL query is submitted, it may generate a URL that exceeds the allowed length. In such cases, the customer is unable to open the URL and receives an error message. This issue is not immediately clear to the user. To improve the user experience, the system should display a warning message when the generated URL is too long. This warning should inform the customer about the limitation and allow them to reduce or adjust the JQL query, thereby shortening the resulting URL before attempting to open it.

User friction

Users may submit a JQL query that generates a URL exceeding the supported length without being aware of the limitation. As a result, the URL fails to open and displays a generic error message. Since the root cause (URL length) is not clearly indicated, users may become confused and spend time troubleshooting the issue. This creates unnecessary frustration and delays, as users must manually investigate and modify their JQL queries without guidance on what caused the problem.

Steps to reproduce (right now) / Actual Result:

• Create a Test Plan report (for example)
• Ensure the Test Plan contains a large number of Defects (e.g., more than 300)
• Run the report
• After the report is generated, click on the Defects count displayed in the report
• Observe that a “Bad Request” error is returned
• Repeat the same process with a smaller number of defects (e.g., around 90)
• Notice that in this case, the error does not occur

Note - This situation is also being noted in the Test Repository when trying to open issues in the Issue Navigator. If there is a huge number of issues, a similar situation happens, not allowing the customers to view the issues as expected.

IMPACT

What would improve if solved:

Resolving this issue would prevent errors when accessing large sets of defects from reports. Users would be able to open the defect list generated by JQL without encountering a “Bad Request” error. Additionally, providing a clear warning when the URL length limit is exceeded would improve usability and reduce confusion, allowing users to adjust their queries before submission.

Impact on stakeholders:

Customers using reports with a large number of issues (e.g., Test Plans with many defects) are directly affected. They may be unable to access the detailed list of issues from the report, which disrupts analysis, reporting workflows, and defect tracking. This can lead to frustration and additional time spent troubleshooting the issue.

Current workaround:

Users must reduce the number of issues included in the query or adjust the JQL to generate smaller result sets so that the resulting URL remains within the supported length.

CONTEXT & EXAMPLES:

Concrete example:

When a user generates a Test Plan report or tries to open View issues in the Issue Navigator using the Test Repository, containing more than 300 issues (for example). When clicking the defects count in the report to open the related issue list, the system generates a URL that exceeds the allowed length and returns a “Bad Request” error. When the number of issues is significantly lower (e.g., around 90), the issue does not occur.

Workaround risk:

Reducing the number of issues in the query may limit visibility into the full set of defects, potentially impacting reporting accuracy and analysis. Users may also spend additional time manually adjusting queries without understanding the underlying limitation.