Why does a created variable work in automation but then suddenly stop working in web request?

Question

Hi,

I've been struggling with an automation rule for a couple of days now. Most of it works but creating a variable and succesfully using it as a smart value has some unexpected outcomes.

Everything works until the action "And: Send web request" (see below screenshot). In that action I'm referencing a variable created earlier: {{issueOriginalReporter.urlEncode}} but this variable is always empty, which messes up the web request response etc.

The variable issueOriginalReporter is created and works for a while, as the action (see below screenshot) "And: Add value to the audit log." correctly displays an email address in the audit log. For some reason referencing the same variable again in the next action just returns an empty string or null. Why is this? I've tried using the variable in the web request action's body (custom body) by itself and with several different encoding methods. Nothing works.

Lazaros (Lasse) Lazarou · Answer

Well now I feel silly. After some more testing it turns out I didn't quite understand that using a custom variable created in an automation ofcourse isn't possible in the web request validation view, when editing said automation. The variable hasn't been created in that context yet, so how could it be available. Turns out I had an issue in the web request body I was using earlier. Using the custom variable directly in the web request URL without a custom body works fine now, when the whole automation runs.

Lazaros (Lasse) Lazarou · Answer

Hi Lindsay and thanks for the suggestions!

Here's some more testing I did.

The regexp I'm using, visible in my original post works, I've verified that several times with log actions. It succesfully captures an email address from the incoming email's subject line. A custom variable is also succesfully created and used (see picture). So we know the custom variable issueOriginalReporter is not empty when entering the web request part of my automation.

Here I used a test email with FROM(test.address@example.com) in the subject line:

* Testing custom variable {{issueOriginalReporter}} output BEFORE sending a web request with that variable:* {{issueOriginalReporter}} = test.address@example.com
* {{issueOriginalReporter.urlEncode}} = test.address%40example.com
* {{issueOriginalReporter.get(1-3)}} = ,,,

The variable itself seems OK (just triple-checking here). Let's move on to the web request part:

* Web request URL, empty body: https://MYORG.atlassian.net/rest/api/3/user/search?query=test.address%40example.com
-> the correct user is succesfully returned in the web request response body

* Web request URL, empty body: https://MYORG.atlassian.net/rest/api/3/user/search?query={{issueOriginalReporter.urlEncode}}
-> a lot of users are returned in the web request response, which seems to be the default behavior for rest/api/3/user/search?query with an empty query, which would indicate that my variable is passed as empty to the web request URL

* Web request URL, empty body: https://MYORG.atlassian.net/rest/api/3/user/search?query={{issueOriginalReporter}}
-> same as above, the web request response body returns with a bunch of users instead of the one I'm searching for by email address

* Referencing the {{issueOriginalReporter}} custom variable in a custom web request body also results in an empty string, instead of the value stored in the variable.

Lindsay Bolan · Answer

Have you tried not using the urlEncode modifier? I ran into this same problem of variable value disappearing on the "Send web request" step, and switching from {{issue.cusomfield_xxx.urlEncode}} to just plain {{issue.customfield_xxx}} worked. Happened with both integer and string type variables, and removing urlEncode worked for both. It's not clear why urlEncode doesn't work.