How can I use Jira automations to edit an issue's description with wiki elements like /info?

[Calvin Smith]

I'm looking to create Epics with a standardized description in Jira, but I want to use advanced wiki elements such as /info to make the description look visually appealing when shared externally with clients. However, I'm unsure if it's possible to use advanced wiki styles in automation. Can anyone advise me on how to use /info and other wiki styles in Jira automation to create visually appealing descriptions?

[Bill Sheboy · Accepted solution]

Hi @Calvin Smith 

Do you mean a pre-filled in template, or something after an issue is created?

Automation rules run after an event, like issue create.  And so the format would not apply before.  When you need a template I suggest looking into an addon for templates, or another mechanism to guide input, such as a form in another system which feeds into Jira.

Regarding use of the formatting/macros with automation rules: you will need to experiment to learn what works, based on your needs.  I spent a bit of time on this last year and discovered a couple of things:

• Not all of the things which are possible with the Description field editor can be replicated by a rule's field edit functions, and...
• Even when you exactly reproduce the markup content the Description field indicates it is using (such as by formatting a field in an issue, and then checking the resulting data using the REST API), the results may not be the same when used in automation.  I hypothesize there is other markup, which is not shown, or other field interpretation which prevents producing like results.

Kind regards,
Bill

[Calvin Smith]

Hey Bill, thanks for the response. I'm currently using automation to do several things every time an Epic is created, such as adding content to the description and creating child issues. The main thing I'm trying to achieve is to format the content in the description via automation so that I don't need to do it manually after the Epic is created. I'll look into a template addon to see if that might be a better way to do it. Thanks!