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Understand the Issue

Rich text fields (Polarion Text type) may lose formatting such as line breaks, bold text, lists, or other HTML styling when edited directly in the RISKSHEET grid. This occurs because the grid uses plain text input controls for cell editing, which cannot preserve rich text markup.
Nextedy RISKSHEET has limited support for editing rich text fields directly in the grid. Line breaks, formatting tags, and other HTML elements are stripped when you edit a cell containing rich text content. This is a product limitation, not a configuration error.

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Field Type Comparison

Rich Text vs. Plain Text:
Field TypePolarion TypeSupports FormattingEditable in RISKSHEETPreserves Line Breaks
Rich TextTextYes (HTML)LimitedLost on edit
TextStringNoYesNo (single line)
Multi-line TextStringNoYesYes (with multiLine)

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Identify Rich Text Columns

Check if your column is bound to a Polarion rich text field:
  1. Open the work item in Polarion’s standard editor
  2. Right-click the field you want to verify
  3. Select Edit Field → Field Properties
  4. Check the Type field
If the type is Text (not String), it is a rich text field. Alternatively, check your RISKSHEET configuration: 
{
  "columns": [
    {
      "id": "description",
      "header": "Description",
      "binding": "description"
      // No type specified = uses Polarion field type (Text)
    }
  ]
}

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Workaround Options

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Option 1: Make the Column Read-Only

Prevent editing in RISKSHEET and require users to edit rich text fields in Polarion’s native editor: 
{
  "columns": [
    {
      "id": "description",
      "header": "Description",
      "binding": "description",
      "readOnly": true
    }
  ]
}
Users can still view the content but must click Open Work Item from the context menu to edit in Polarion.
Set rich text columns to read-only in RISKSHEET configuration. This preserves formatting while allowing users to view content inline and edit in Polarion when needed.

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Option 2: Use Multi-Line Text Instead

If you do not need HTML formatting (bold, italic, lists), convert the Polarion field from Text to String type and configure the column for multi-line editing: Step 1: Change Polarion field type
  1. Navigate to Administration → Work Items → Types
  2. Select the work item type (e.g., Risk, Requirement)
  3. Find the field and change Type from Text to String
  4. Save and restart Polarion
Step 2: Configure RISKSHEET column 
{
  "columns": [
    {
      "id": "description",
      "header": "Description",
      "binding": "description",
      "type": "text",
      "multiLine": true,
      "wordWrap": true
    }
  ]
}
Converting a field from Text to String requires migrating existing data. Rich text content will be converted to plain text automatically by Polarion, but you will lose all HTML formatting permanently.

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Option 3: Edit in Lightbox

Use the RISKSHEET lightbox editor for fields that require formatting:
  1. Right-click the row containing the rich text field
  2. Select Open Row Item from the context menu
  3. The Polarion work item editor opens in a dialog
  4. Edit the field using Polarion’s rich text editor
  5. Save and close the dialog
The RISKSHEET grid will refresh automatically with the updated content.

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Configure Lightbox Fields

Ensure rich text fields are included in the lightbox configuration: 
{
  "gridProperties": {
    "lightbox": {
      "fields": ["title", "description", "rationale"]
    }
  }
}
This makes the fields editable when users open work items from the context menu.

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Visual Workflow

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ User edits rich text cell in RISKSHEET grid        │
└─────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────┘
                  │
                  ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Grid uses plain text input (no HTML support)       │
└─────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────┘
                  │
                  ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Formatting stripped: <b>text</b> → text            │
│ Line breaks removed: line1\nline2 → line1 line2    │
└─────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────┘
                  │
                  ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ User saves → Formatting permanently lost           │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

SOLUTION: Use read-only config or edit via lightbox

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Display Rich Text Content

Even if editing is disabled, you can still display rich text content in the grid: Option A: Show plain text preview RICKSHEET automatically strips HTML tags for display: 
{
  "columns": [
    {
      "id": "description",
      "header": "Description",
      "binding": "description",
      "readOnly": true,
      "wordWrap": true
    }
  ]
}
Option B: Use custom renderer to preserve formatting Create a server render column to display HTML content: 
{
  "columns": [
    {
      "id": "description_html",
      "header": "Description",
      "type": "serverRender",
      "cellRenderer": "renderRichText",
      "readOnly": true
    }
  ]
}
Note: Server-rendered content is read-only by design.

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Verification Steps

After applying a workaround:
  1. Open a RISKSHEET containing rich text fields
  2. Verify read-only columns show a lock icon or greyed-out appearance
  3. Attempt to edit a rich text cell (should be prevented if read-only)
  4. Right-click a row and select Open Row Item
  5. Edit the field in the Polarion editor
  6. Save and verify the RISKSHEET grid updates with formatted content preserved
You should now see rich text content displayed correctly without risk of formatting loss during editing.

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See Also

Support TicketsSource Code
  • CellEditorFormatter.ts
  • ExportToExcel.ts
  • GetSetUtil.java
  • CommentBasedReview.java
  • MultiItemLinkEditor.ts