How do I create an automation based on the Release Date associated with an updated Fix Version?

Question

I am trying to create an automation that sends a Slack notification when a Fix Version is added or removed from an EPIC and the release date for that Fix Version is within 30 days. I can't pull the release date using {{issue.fixVersions.name}} because I don't want the release date of the current fix version on the epic. Instead, I want to base the rule on the fix version that was added or removed. I've attempted to pull the release date based on these smart values: {{changelog.Fix Version.to.releaseDate}}, {{changelog.Fix Version.from.releaseDate}} and {{fieldChange.to.releaseDate}}, {{fieldChange.from.releaseDate}} but from what I can tell, these are just string string representations of changes, not full Version objects with metadata. Is it possible to set up an automation that is based on a check for criteria on the the release date associated with an added or removed fixed version?

Bill Sheboy · Answer

Hi @Tara Brown

Just following up to check if this answered your question.  If so, please consider marking this one as "answered".  That will help others with a similar need find solutions faster.  If not, please let the community know what help you need with the rule changes.

Thanks!

Bill Sheboy · Answer

Hi @Tara Brown -- Welcome to the Atlassian Community!

First thing, there are known problems with the accuracy of the changelog for list fields (e.g., Fix Versions, Sprints, etc.) when provided to automation rules.  The accuracy worsens when the fields have been changed multiple times.  And while there are specific smart values for the added / deleted values, those may not be correct.

And so you have two options: assume the smart values are accurate enough, or call the REST API to get the actual changelog entries and parse them.

For the first approach using the smart values, with the version's name you could either:

* I recommend calling the REST API endpoint using the Send Web Request action to query the version by the name.  This will be the fastest to implement and test.
* Using the {{issue.project.versions}} smart value, which contains all of the versions for a project, use dynamic list filtering with a regular expression to get the release date.  This approach is quite complicated and may only save a small amount of rule execution time.

For the second approach with the changelog endpoint, this may require multiple calls when an issue has been edited many times.  This approach will guarantee the accuracy of the change log but be more difficult to implement.

Kind regards,
Bill