jira_download_attachments.py - Download attachments from Jira issues

Description¶

Downloads all attachments from a Jira issue and saves them with their original filenames to a specified directory. Supports filtering by filename pattern and list-only mode for previewing attachments. Designed for downloading manuscript PDFs and submission forms from AEA Data Editor Jira tickets.

Usage¶

python3 tools/jira_download_attachments.py <issue-key> [OPTIONS]

Arguments¶

• issue-key (required) - Jira issue key (e.g., AEAREP-9354, aearep-9354, case-insensitive)

Options¶

• --output-dir DIR, -o DIR - Directory to save attachments (default: current directory)

• --filter PATTERN, -f PATTERN - Only download files matching this pattern (case-insensitive substring match)

• --list, -l - List attachments without downloading

• --verbose, -v - Print detailed progress information

Examples¶

# Download all attachments to current directory
python3 tools/jira_download_attachments.py AEAREP-9354

# Download to specific directory
python3 tools/jira_download_attachments.py AEAREP-9354 --output-dir ./attachments

# Download only PDF files
python3 tools/jira_download_attachments.py AEAREP-9354 --filter ".pdf"

# Download only manuscripts
python3 tools/jira_download_attachments.py AEAREP-9354 --filter "manuscript"

# Download only forms
python3 tools/jira_download_attachments.py AEAREP-9354 --filter "form"

# List attachments without downloading
python3 tools/jira_download_attachments.py AEAREP-9354 --list

# Verbose mode
python3 tools/jira_download_attachments.py AEAREP-9354 --verbose

Automation Script¶

A convenient wrapper script is available that automatically reads the Jira ticket from config.yml:

# Download all attachments from ticket in config.yml
bash automations/30_download_commit_jira_attachments.sh

# List attachments first
bash automations/30_download_commit_jira_attachments.sh --list

# Download only manuscripts
bash automations/30_download_commit_jira_attachments.sh --filter manuscript

# Download only forms
bash automations/30_download_commit_jira_attachments.sh --filter form

Requirements¶

• Python >= 3.6

• jira: Python Jira library (already in requirements.txt)

Environment Variables Required¶

• JIRA_USERNAME - Your Jira email address

• JIRA_API_KEY - API token from https://id.atlassian.com/manage-profile/security/api-tokens

To obtain a Jira API token:

1. Visit https://id.atlassian.com/manage-profile/security/api-tokens

2. Click “Create API token”

3. Copy the token and set it as JIRA_API_KEY environment variable

Output¶

• On success: Downloads attachments with their original filenames; prints each filename to stdout

• No attachments: Prints warning to stderr and exits with code 0

• Missing credentials: Prints error message with instructions and exits with code 1

• Invalid issue key: Prints error and exits with code 1

• Download failure: Prints error for failed files but continues with remaining files

Typical Workflow¶

For AEA replication packages, each Jira ticket typically has two attachments:

1. A manuscript (PDF)

2. A submission form (PDF or Word document)

Recommended workflow:

# 1. Check what attachments are available
bash automations/30_download_commit_jira_attachments.sh --list

# 2. Download all attachments to repository root
bash automations/30_download_commit_jira_attachments.sh

Or download selectively:

# Download manuscript only
bash automations/30_download_commit_jira_attachments.sh --filter manuscript

# Download form only
bash automations/30_download_commit_jira_attachments.sh --filter form

Behavior¶

• Attachments are saved with their original filenames from Jira

• Existing files with the same name will be overwritten without warning

• Downloads are performed over HTTPS using the Jira REST API

• The tool respects Jira API rate limits

• Requires active internet connection and valid Jira credentials

See Also¶

• jira_get_info.py - Retrieve Jira issue information

• jira_add_comment.py - Post comments to Jira issues

• jira_find_task_by_icpsr.py - Find Jira tasks by openICPSR ID

• 30_download_commit_jira_attachments.sh - Automation wrapper script (downloads attachments and commits them)