Merging Custom Fields in ViewTicket of Staff

[Mick]

Ok I'm trying to setup a typical software bug/feature lifecycle in SupportSuit.

Needed custom fields:

• Combobox named "Type" (Bug, Feature, Change)
• Editbox named "Estimation"
• Checkbox named "Approval" (has customer agreed to pay for feature)
• Combobox named "Resolution" (Fixed, Duplicate, Won't Fix, Not Reproducible, Invalid, Workaround)

Basically the scenario...
1. Customer mails bug to support@blablabla.com
2. Mail is parsed, based on certain words in body, mail gets piped into a specific department as a new ticket with a certain SLA plan.
3. Developer opens ticket, tries to make an estimate and enters that value in custom field "Estimation"
4. Developer replies to customer estimation including possible delivery date.
5. Customer approves of the estimation
6. Developer sets status to "Assigned" and checks the custom field "Approval"
7. Developer implements feature and sets status to "Resolved" sets custom field "Resolution" to "Fixed"
8. SupportSuite automatically sends the customer an email since the status has become "Resolved"
9. <time passes>
10. Customer replies that the feature has been tested and accepted
11. Developer sets status of the ticket to "Closed"

There are s couple of things I can't get to work...

Custom fields are a mess... Either I have to add a custom field group and link it specifically to the "Staff Ticket Creation" or "User Ticket Creation" or even "Ticket Time Creation"...
Why can't I simple add custom fields to tickets in general?

I know there is a way to do this... View a ticket, click on the tab "Edit" and link the tick with the custom field group. But this is no real solution... You would have to do it for EACH and EVERY ticket!!!

Anyway I did the above... linked a ticket to the custom field group and yes... when you click on the tab "General" you can see the custom fields but they are READONLY! So the only way to set them is by going back to the "Edit" tab. Even worse... the values you set in the custom fields don't get retrieved the next time you jump to the "Edit" tab.

Is there a way to make certain custom fields visible only when a ticket has or gets a certain status ? For instance, when a ticket has/gets the status "Resolved" that a custom field "Resolution" appears.

Which template would I have to alter to make changes to the view ticket (tab "General") template of the Staff ?

How to make the custom field "Type" so it appears for the customer and is visible and adjustable for the developer ?

Sorry for the complaining... but alot of stuff simply isn't explained anywhere... I really miss some good "how to set up ticket workflow" documentation.

Any tips/answers would be highly appreciated!

Regards,

Mick