Add a specific Subtask if one does not already exist with that name?

[Sarah Isaacs]

Hi Please can you help me.

I have a project that requires me to write an automation which when in a particular status detects whether there is a subtask with a specific name within that card. If there is then do nothing, if there isn't then create on. 

This is what I have done:

This works if there are no subtasks in the card but not if the subtasks already exist.

Please please can you help it is doing my head in.

[Andy Heinzer]

@Sarah Isaacs I created a support case on your behalf over in https://getsupport.atlassian.com/servicedesk/customer/portal/23/JST-931193

I also included your site-admin as a requested participant.  We typically request data access in cases like this so that our support team can get a better look at your environment, but we would need the authorization of your site-admin to do so.  Even if they do not agree to give data access, perhaps our support team can still provide some troubleshooting steps here.

Andy

[Valerie Knapp]

Hi @Sarah Isaacs , thanks for your question.

I got something to work like this -

I just set it on any transition but when it worked the first time, you can see this means that having a Subtask already with the word Design in the summary caused a subsequent Subtask to not be created -

Please can you test this and see if it works for you?

Hope so!

Cheers

[Sarah Isaacs]

Hi Valerie,

Thank you so much for helping me. SO I get this error?

I not sure why it isn't working.

Thanks

[Valerie Knapp]

Hi @Sarah Isaacs , thanks for your response. It sounds like the issue that is triggering the rule is a Subtask, which cannot have other Subtasks nested underneath it. What did you do to trigger the rule being called please?

[Sarah Isaacs]

So my team have the board set up with a workflow of To do column, then Teacher Content, Pre-Design, Allocation, Design and then Done, Unless there are Revisions in which case a manual trigger is run to create a revisions subtask and the card moves to the revisions column.

Some of our cards already have Sub tasks as I've mentioned and I need to detect whether a specific sub tasks exists or not. If it doesn't then create one. I have set up another automation to do the changing of Status I.e Moving the card to the next stage in the work flow.

This is the automation I have now that you helped with:

This is my board:

This is my other automation:

I put them in two separate automations as I assumed it was to much for Jira to do in one. One automation would be more ideal though.

Thanks so much you are a life saver helping me - my head is exploding

[Valerie Knapp]

Hi @Sarah Isaacs , thanks for your response. Ok, I think we just need to add a clause to the first condition so that we aren't running this rule against Subtasks. Please can you try this and let me know if it works?

Cheers

[Sarah Isaacs]

Hi ya 

Sorry still not working

I get this error:

[Valerie Knapp]

Hi @Sarah Isaacs , please can you share what kind of issue the AUST-35465 is? I am testing in my instance and I see the rule working -

Where the SKPA-17 is this issue. So, I created the Story with the summary that should call the rule and for the first transition, I triggered the action, to create the Subtask, but when I transitioned the Story again, nothing happened, which is correct, right?

[Bill Sheboy]

Hi @Sarah Isaacs 

Adding on to Valerie's answer...

Sometimes customers add / change their subtask issue types.  Have you confirmed that your condition in the rule is checking for any of them, or instead check to confirm a valid type for this rule?

For example, replacing

issueType != Subtask

with

issueType IN (Story, ...any other issue types you use which have the subtask as children)

Kind regards,
Bill

[Sarah Isaacs]

Hi guy you are so helpful thank you. So I'm quite new to Jira I started learning it in June. Having never used anything like it, so sorry I sometimes don't understand stuff.  

My users create there jira card by doing this:

Using the create button they create a resource as the issue type. I don't understand what you mean by story?

Yes Valerie that is correct if it exists do nothing if it doesn't then create a subtask.

These are my issue types

What do you think please?

[Sarah Isaacs]

So I have changed the Automation as Bill suggested. Whilst I now do not get an error, it also doesn't add the subtask? Which it needs to add please as one is not present.

[Valerie Knapp]

Hi @Sarah Isaacs , please can you confirm if this is a team-managed project? If so, this could explain perhaps why the rule is behaving differently in your setup than in mine and why I wasn't able to reproduce the same error. Let me try to implement my rule in a team-managed project and see if I can get it working.

[Sarah Isaacs]

HI Valerie Gosh so sorry yes it is a team-managed project. Please forgive me I'm so new to Jira and I'm trying so hard to learn it.

[Valerie Knapp]

Hi @Sarah Isaacs , no worries at all. I think I got it to work anyway. It just explains why we were seeing different errors.

Ok, I got the same message you were receiving when I changed the rule to be in a team-managed project.

I just modified the rule a little bit and now it works for me. 

Basically, because you can create custom issue types in a team-managed project, as you have done, I think the Automation doesn't understand if the task you are creating can act as a parent or not. 

I changed the action to be, instead of create a subtask, create an issue and I set it up like this, so to do essentially the same thing, but also in this way I am saying in the rule execution, in the action, who is the parent, which maybe is the part the automation couldn't determine by itself.

Please can you try this and let us know if it works?

Cheers

[Sarah Isaacs]

Hi ya

So I have tried the above automation with and without Bills additional JQL IN.

Error without the JQL issueType IN 

Error with that JQL

Or I need to create another Issue Type that is a subtask as the issue type you show on our board is called production stage.

This is my Automation:

Thanks for your help. I super appreciate it.

[Valerie Knapp]

Hi @Sarah Isaacs , thanks for your reply.

It would seem from the error messages that the automation rule doesn't manage to parse correctly the issue type in () statement, please can you replace it with the issue type = 

Second, please can you try in this part to replace the custom Subtask of 'production stage' to be just a subtask? I want to see if the problem is that the Automation doesn't like the custom issue type

Good luck!

[Sarah Isaacs]

Hi ya 

Thanks again for your continued help with this sadly I'm still getting an error message. I created a new Issue Type of a bug and named it sub task. I'm not sure how to create a new sub task that is the same as the Production stage issue type? 

This is my error.

Your Thoughts please? thank you

[Valerie Knapp]

Hi @Sarah Isaacs , thanks for your message.

Ok, the error message is advising to use separate instances of the the 'issue fields condition'. I tried, like this, with three separate conditions -

And it works correctly for me.

Please can you try this?

[Sarah Isaacs]

Hi ya 

So i have edited the automation to separate the issue type out. I have tried the issue type as a task or a resource.  I have tried the subtask as a production stage and as a subtask issue type. I have no errors but no subtasks are created.  ?? thank you

[Valerie Knapp]

Hi @Sarah Isaacs , the audit log is saying that the issue that triggered the rule passed the first condition, so had the summary text, but didn't pass the second one, so it wasn't a task issue type, therefore no action was performed. 

[Sarah Isaacs]

Hi ya 

This is the strange thing so it gives me that error but I just don't understand why as the jira card is issue type task.

The Summary is Teacher content its in the teacher content column on the board and there is no sub task that is called Pre-Design. So to me this meets all the conditions yet it still does not create that sub task for me. I just can't work it out?

[Bill Sheboy]

Hi, Sarah!

To help diagnose this it may help to show images of the issues and the audit log for those same issues trying to process.  Then we can try to connect-the-dots for what is happening.  Thanks!

[Sarah Isaacs]

Okay that makes sense.

So here is the Issue Types we have:

This is how I set up the new task/card/resource:

This is the new automation:

This is the jira Audit Log - issue type resource and sub task

This is the jira audit log - issue type task - and production stage

??? What do you guys think please

[Bill Sheboy]

Thanks!  Would you also post images of AUST-35561 and AUST-35559 to help align to the audit log results?

[Sarah Isaacs]

Is this the view you mean:

[Sarah Isaacs]

this one

[Bill Sheboy]

The audit log shows the rules triggered for AUST-35561 and AUST-35559 (not their parents), and that is why I wanted to see those issues.

And, what are the issue types of those two issues, AUST-35561 and AUST-35559?  It seems the condition not being met is the issue type.

[Sarah Isaacs]

Do the sub tasks and parents have to be the same issue type as AUST-35558 is the parent and is a task issue type. The first one of its child sub tasks teacher content is Aust- 35559 is a production stage issue type. When the parent moves to the teacher content column at that point the automation needs to check if the parent has a child sub task of pre-design if it doesn't then it needs to create one. The issue type should be the parents issue type?

[Sarah Isaacs]

Valerie and Bill any other thoughts please. I just can't get it to work please?

[Valerie Knapp]

Hi @Sarah Isaacs , I can't speak for @Bill Sheboy , but it seems to me that you might need a live call with someone to look into this with you. I have got this rule to work, even in a team-managed project. I don't manage anymore to replicate the issue you are having. I am sorry but I don't know if there is much more I can do to help.

Is there anyone in your company who can help you with this?

If not, please open a ticket with Atlassian here, Atlassian Support, for a technical issue or bug. They might be able to offer a call to help you get this sorted.

[Bill Sheboy]

I agree with Valerie:

Sarah, please check with your Jira Site Admin, first to explain the rule and they may notice something with the issue types we are missing.  And...

If that does not help, your admin can submit a ticket to Atlassian Support to take a look.  (You appear to be on a paid, Jira Standard license and so can submit support tickets.)  Atlassian has access to logging which customers cannot see and so they may notice something.  https://support.atlassian.com/contact/#/

Once you hear back from them, please post what you learn to benefit the community.  Thanks!

[Valerie Knapp]

Hi @Sarah Isaacs , please can you update us on the outcome of this? Did you end up opening a ticket with Atlassian or getting this resolved?

Thanks

[Sarah Isaacs]

Hi @Valerie Knapp  I have tried to find someone in the team who is the site Admin with no luck.

[Sarah Isaacs]

I've reached a dead end. I don't really know what more to do. 

[Bill Sheboy]

Hi, Sarah. Do you have a production support team who would know the admin for your Jira instance?

If not... @Valerie Knapp  as you are in a Community Leader role, would you please ping the Atlassian team to have them get in touch with Sarah to help?  Thanks!

[Sarah Isaacs]

@Bill Sheboy  Hey Bill I can't seem to get hold of anyone in my company who is able to offer help and support. I am being passed around! If @Valerie Knapp you could some how get me some help I'd really appreciate it as I've just noticed the same problem is going to occur on another board/team. thanks kindly

[Valerie Knapp]

Hi @Sarah Isaacs , @Bill Sheboy , thanks for your feedback. I have escalated this to Atlassian.

[Sarah Isaacs]

@Valerie Knapp you are fantastic thanks so much