Get help, support, and fixes for ACLI tools
This guide outlines how to get help, request fixes, and troubleshoot issues when using the Appfire CLI (ACLI) tools. Following these steps can help you resolve problems faster and reduce support overhead. If you've solved a problem before, consider helping others by answering questions or contributing to pages such as this one.
Start with self-service support
Before requesting help, try the following steps:
Update to the latest ACLI release.
Consult the documentation and the issue tracker.
Use the website’s search box to look up your issue.
Search externally via Google or community.atlassian.com.
Review the Tips for common issues section below.
Check the What to do? section for additional guidance.
Tips for common issues
Encoding issues
If your local machine uses a different character encoding than the server (typically UTF-8), you might see encoding problems. To fix this:
Open your Atlassian- or product-specific command script.
Add the following JVM option immediately after
java:
-Dfile.encoding=UTF-8
Language-dependent parsing
Some CLI actions rely on screen output that is easier to parse in English. If you're using a different language, switch to English for improved compatibility:
Open your command script.
Add the following option after
java:
-Duser.language=en
Jira name formatting
Jira allows leading or trailing spaces in names (for example, custom fields, versions, or link types). These invisible characters can cause issues, as many CLI actions require exact name matches.
Ask your administrator to review and clean up construct names to remove unintended spaces.
Use verbose mode
Use the -v or --verbose option to view detailed command output. This extra information often helps diagnose problems or identify workarounds.
Understanding releases
ACLI releases include enhancements and critical fixes, and undergo full regression testing using GINT. Each release is tested against multiple Atlassian product versions, from the oldest supported to the latest available.
Because each release requires significant effort, releases may occur several months apart.
Request a fix or improvement
To track fixes and request improvements:
Locate the related Jira issue.
Check the issue status and review the fix release and comments.
If the status is not Resolved or Closed, the fix is not yet available. If the issue is important to you, vote for it and add a comment.
If the issue is Resolved, the code fix has been committed to Bitbucket.
If the fix isn't in a public release yet, check for an Early Access Program (EAP) SNAPSHOT release.
About SNAPSHOT releases
SNAPSHOTs are in-progress builds.
They undergo regression testing against at least one supported Atlassian release.
They offer limited support and can require manual installation.
You are responsible for keeping SNAPSHOTs up to date.
To use a SNAPSHOT:
Check the Downloads page for a SNAPSHOT matching the issue’s fix version.
Verify the upload date is later than the issue’s resolution date.
Download, install, and test the SNAPSHOT.
Provide feedback in the issue.
Install a SNAPSHOT release
Installing a SNAPSHOT follows the same steps as installing a standard release. To add a SNAPSHOT to an existing installation:
Unpack the distribution (product-specific or ACLI-level).
Copy new JAR files from the
\libdirectory into your existing\libdirectory.Important:
Do not delete existing JARs. It's okay to have multiple versions with different release numbers.
If you're replacing an older SNAPSHOT with the same release number, overwrite it.
Update your custom scripts (
.bator.sh) to reference the new SNAPSHOT JAR.Compare with the new distribution’s script for any changes (though script updates are rare).
Provide useful problem information
When reporting an issue, include the following details to help the support team respond more effectively:
CLI version
Environment:
Atlassian product version
Client operating system
Java version
Any other relevant details
Command line used
Output with the
--debugflagStack trace from server logs, if available