How to provide an incident update message using the API?

Question

The API documentation for the Incident API PATCH operation (labeled as "Update An Incident") does not list any way to provide an update message when updating an incident:  the only related field is `body`, which is described as "The initial message, created as the first incident update. There is a maximum limit of 25000 characters."  I don't want to replace the initial message; I want to provide an update message.

Johnson Earls · Answer

Can you please explain what you mean by "use Incident Updates"?

The API calls listed under the "Incident Updates" section of the API documentation explicitly say they are to Update a previous incident update -- not to add an update to an incident -- and they require the ID of an already-existing incident update to modify.

Mikael Sandberg · Answer

Okay, so you can set the initial update in two (or three if you count PATCH and PUT) via the API. You can do it either via Create an incident, or via the Update incident. The body is not a required field so you just have to pick which option you like better. Then when you add a new update you will use Incident Updates.

Johnson Earls · Answer

My point is, then, that the API documentation is incorrect.  (a)  The initial update is created when you create the incident (using POST).  (b)  I am looking at the PATCH API documentation and it has the verbage I put in the description, which you repeated, which is apparently not correct if that's the same field you use to provide an update message for each subsequent update.