Is it possible to use multiple lookup issues in the same automation rule?

[Shir Avtabi]

Hi all,

I'm trying to get a list of several JQL results in one email.

I tried with a lookup issue and a smart variable to capture it, but it only returns the latest lookup issue and not all of them. Is it possible to get it working in one email?

[Tim Kopperud · Accepted solution]

Hi @Shir Avtabi 

You might try something like this:

The rule is executed in the example above, and returns two variables representing two lists (split shown in yellow) that can be used in later JQL (see below).

The create variable step should look something like this:

You might combine them and use them like this:

TimK.

[Shir Avtabi]

Thank you!

[Bill Sheboy · Accepted solution]

Hi @Shir Avtabi -- Welcome to the Atlassian Community!

It is not possible to have multiple, active Lookup Issues results in a rule at this time.

A work-around is to use the new Lookup Table issue to store the results; the "value" field of a table is an object and may be referenced the same as the lookup.  For example...

• trigger: some trigger
• action: lookup issues with first JQL
• action: create lookup table, storing {{lookupIssues}} as a row value, 
• action: lookup issues with second JQL
• action: send email:
  • {{lookupIssues}} and {{tblMyTable.get("myKey")}}

Kind regards,
Bill

[Shir Avtabi]

Hi Bill, thanks so much for your response.

I tried your suggestion but unfortunately I could still only get the latest lookupissue result but nothing from the lookup table. 

Maybe you have another suggestion or maybe you know of a feature request that we can vote for? 

Thanks a lot!

[Bill Sheboy]

Interesting...I re-tested that approach before I posted this.  Would you please show the complete rule you are using, including details of the table creation and usage in your email?

[Shir Avtabi]

Sure! 

The result I get by mail is the list of the second JQL and the word "and" at the end with nothing after it.

Thanks for looking into it! 

[Bill Sheboy]

Smart values are name, spacing, and case-sensitive.  When you created the table your smart value for {{lookupIssues}} has the wrong case, and so gets translated to null.

Please try changing that and observe the results.

And...

I suspect you want more details in your email, rather than just the issue keys.  And so both smart values can be iterated in the email, like this:

{{#lookupIssues}}
* {{key}} - {{summary}}
{{/}}

and 

{{#EpicLists.get("DoneEpics")}}
* {{key}} - {{summary}}
{{/}}

[Shir Avtabi]

Thank you for your response! It's been a huge help!

[Aron Gombas _Midori_ · Accepted solution]

As far as I remember, the Lookup Issues action collects the resulted issues to the {{lookupIssues}} smart value or similar. But the point is that there is only one smart value (variable in this sense). Which ultimately means that it will always contain the the result of the very last Lookup Issues action.

What you could try is something like this:

1. Execute your first Lookup Issues
2. Using Create variable copy the value of the current {{lookupIssues}} to {{foo}}
3. Execute your second Lookup Issues
4. Using Create variable copy the value of the current {{lookupIssues}} to {{bar}}
5. Now, you have the two result set in the two smart values, you can render the email!

I never tried it, but could work...

[Bill Sheboy]

Hi @Aron Gombas _Midori_ 

When I have tried that method in the past (for lookup issues and web response) the results were stored in the created variable as text, requiring more complicated parsing...and no smart value names unless the results were stored as JSON.

Please see my post for using lookup tables for another approach that preserves the object types.

Kind regards,
Bill

[Aron Gombas _Midori_]

@Bill Sheboy This is valuable practical insight, thanks!

[Shir Avtabi]

Thank you!