Automation updates assignee based on how the issue transitions through the workflow

Question

Hello!

I would really like some help with an automation.

There are three steps in my workflow:

* Write
* Edit
* Approve

Each step is done by a separate person, and the people who do each step will be different for every separate workflow. I have created custom fields (people fields) for each person on the issue, eg:

* Write: Alex Smith
* Edit: Roger Smith
* Approve: David Smith

I would like to write an automation which does the following:

When I change the status from Write to Edit, the issue automatically gets assigned to whoever I've allocated the edit job to.

I have tried the following automations (which haven't worked):

FIRST TRY

When: Issue transitioned from Write to Edit

Then: Edit issue fields Assignee

* Set: {{Edit.DisplayNAME}}

And: Re-fetch issue data

The rule has been validated, and has run but it's not updating the assignee field with the name of the person who is doing the edit stage.

SECOND TRY

When: Issue transitioned from Write to Edit

Then: Assign the issue to: {{Edit.DisplayNAME}}

And: Re-fetch issue data

Please help!!

Rosalind Bird · Answer

Thanks for the help everyone, I got there in the end :-). The answer was to edit issue and then do advanced options with the following code as shown below.

{
"fields": {
"assignee": { "id": "{{customfield_10057.accountId}}" }
}
}

Bill Sheboy · Answer

Hi @Rosalind Bird -- Welcome to the Atlassian Community!

First thing, smart values are name, spacing, and case-sensitive.  When an incorrect one is used, that evaluates to null, often failing to work as expected.

The smart value for the display name of a user is displayName, as in {{issue.myCustomPeopleField.displayName}}

You may also want to use the accountId attribute for issue assignment rather than the displayName: {{issue.myCustomPeopleField.accountId}}

Next, there are several ways to select the users from your custom fields for the various transitioned-to statuses:

* use multiple rules, setting the status in the trigger (as you have already tried)
* use a single rule with one of these* an if / else block to test each status
* a single edit issue action with a conditional expression

Using one rule will reduce the chance of errors and make maintaining the rule easier.

Finally, can your issues ever transition backwards in the workflow, such as from Edit back to Write?  If so, please consider to whom the issue should be assigned when that happens.

Kind regards,
Bill

Gerusa Lobo · Answer

Hi Rosalind Bird

I have two solutions:

1. Automation

Create an Automation, with a condition for each status, like that:

The transition must be empty:

The condition block should be if-else, and analyze the status:

2. Post-Functions

Use a workflows post function in these transitions, setting the field assignee to correct person, like that:

I hope help you.