Why can't I get my automation to work?

[Jovana]

This is the rule that I set. I checked for typos multiple times and I tried changing the variable multiple times. I have a parent card that is attached to each child card, and the items of Sub-tasks checklist in the parent card consists of links for each child card. I'm new to this, pls help 

[DiMaggio Tucci]

Hi @Jovana 

I tested it, the issue is 100% that you have those '*'s in there.

Just use {triggercardname} instead of *{triggercardname}* 

When you use those '*' symbols, Trello is looking for other content there. See my other answer for more information.

[Jovana]

Thank you for your reply!

I tried it without "*" initially, but it was the same. Tried it now again and it still says Couldn't find a checklist item called "CRM basics".

I tried different variations, including [{triggercardname}]({triggercardlink}) and {triggercardlink}, when I use the link, it says Couldn't find a checklist item called "https://trello.com/c/t72MAqbV" (or CRM basics with the internal link). When I open the link, it leads to the card (in both cases). Is it possible that I didn't direct it to the parent card correctly?

[DiMaggio Tucci]

@Jovana 

It's definitely {triggercardname} as I did the exact same automation word-for-word and it worked.

However, something about your interface looks different...are those checklist items actually mirror cards? Or are they linked cards?

When I tested the automation, I just had the checklist items as...well...checklist items. They just happened to have the same name of the card. The linking of the cards had nothing to do with the checklist itself.

What exact steps are you taking to link the cards? We can figure out that part of your question from there.

For instance, if the link is actually a mirror card, there is a very specific way you have to write the automation in order to reference the right thing, and it's not obvious at all looking at it. It's a lot to explain but it makes so much sense once you do it, and we can go there if your method lends to the idea that mirror cards are at play.

It could also be just related to the link being on the checklist itself.

So my other question is:

Do you need to be able to pull up the card that the checklist item references from the checklist item itself? 

If not, it's trivial to do it (like I did) using your above method. As a side note, you can still use automation to create a card whenever a checklist item is added without linking them.

Sorry for so much information; in a nutshell, if you can answer those questions we can find the best solution for you.

[Jovana]

1. It's not a mirror card, I manually created a card, copied its URL and pasted as the checklist item, then the checklist item automatically appeared as the card's name with an internal link. 

2. I guess I don't need to be able to do that, I was doing this for practice purposes, so I did what made sense to me, I'm very new to all this. So should the checklist item just match the card's name, without the link (if I understand correctly)?

P.S. Thank you so much for taking your time to explain this, it's very helpful, I appreciate it.

[DiMaggio Tucci]

I tested it and I was correct that this was the issue. I had the exact same behavior with the stars, and got the behavior you wanted when I removed them. Bear in mind this means the title of the trigger card has to match the checklist item exactly, but it seems like, from your screenshot, that is the case. The "*" symbol is used when there is some other text there, in this case, before and after {triggercardname}

This is just a theory; I haven't had time to test this yet. I'll remove this answer and add a new one if I find out something else. But maybe you can try this in the meantime?

I think it could be the "*" that is the problem.

According to the article about wildcards: 

----

Using wildcards in automation triggers

In an automation, the wildcard is the special sequence that matches any text in the card name or description. 

Automation supports several types of wildcards: 

• {*}: this wildcard will match any text with blank spaces. Typically, it is used to match the text at the end of a card name or description.

• {* }: this wildcard will match a text until a blank space or the end of the text. Typically, it is used to match the text at the beginning/in the middle of a card name or description. When using this wildcard, make sure that you include a blank space in between the asterisk and the closing bracket.

• {?}: this wildcard will match the minimum amount of text.

----

I think what you're looking for it to just use

{triggercardname}

It seems like you just want the card name, so I'm not sure why you'd need the symbols at all.