How to create recurring tasks in JIRA

[Won Je Choi]

For example, I would like to get a monthly task to review a list of servers for updates.

Can any one tell me how would be possible in jira plugin development ?

[Stoyan Stoitsev · Accepted solution]

you can use the project automations feature for this

[Eva van Kempen]

Do you have an example of such an automated rule? Which steps to set in the automation flow? 

[Stoyan Stoitsev]

Project settings > Apps > Project Automation > Create Rule

The select a Scheduled trigger and from there on I think it is rather clear what to do ;)

[John Tolle]

Thanks, @Stoyan Stoitsev!  This is exactly what I was looking for.  For those who want to setup tasks that are always done annually, you can use the Advanced CRON expression rather than Fixed rate scheduled (based on number of days).  For example:

0 0 12 1 NOV ? = November 1st of any day of the week (?) at exactly 12:00:00 UTC.

Using a Fixed rate schedule of 30 days is nice, but doesn't work so well if you want to generate an issue on the first day of the month, etc. (and it's not the first day of the month when you're creating the automation). Another CROM expression that would handle it for you:

0 0 12 1 * ? = The first day of every month at 12:00:00 UTC

Or maybe you only want it to get generated on the first weekday of the month so it doesn't land on weekends (yes, the added "W" is all it takes):

0 0 12 1W * ? = The first day of every month at 12:00:00 UTC

Here's all the CRON goodies:

https://support.atlassian.com/jira-software-cloud/docs/construct-cron-expressions-for-a-filter-subscription/

[Ross Summers]

This is great. But we shouldn't have to "code" something in that should be a default for EVERY pm system ever.

[John Tolle]

@Ross Summers I totally agree.  CRON expressions are far from elegant, but at least they do provide a lot of flexibility.  That said, they're meant for Linux engineers, and all of this should be available in GUI form instead.

[Peter Chodakowski]

You don't need to use a cron expression though. You can use the "Basic" option rather than advanced on the Scheduled Trigger action.

[John Tolle]

@Peter Chodakowski you are correct that there are some recurring configurations that can be handled using the GUI (Basic).  It even has a "Years" option to do something annually... except there is no way to tell it what month/date to start doing it.  You can only start it today and it will kick off a year from today.

@Metod Kana I didn't need to add any add-on, as far as I can tell.  I just go to Project -> Settings -> Automation and it's there.  I am on the cloud instance, but I assume you are, too.

[Metod Kana]

don't worry... you'll get a notification that you've reached your automation limit. that was at least the case for us.

[Bruno Felício]

Indeed it works, but is it also possible to create tasks with subtasks?

[Marco Massarotto]

Hi @Metod Kana,

I've run into the same problem in JIRA Standard: << you've reached your automation limit >>. There's no limit in JIRA Advanced.

Anyway, I found that the above said limitation apply just if you set  a multi-project rule. It means: you define the rule just once, and select to apply it to more than one project.

There is no limit for mono-project rules (1 rule - 1 project). So, you can copy-paste the same rule to all the Project you need. I know it is not ideal, but at least it works.   

[Deleted user]

omg, yet another upgrade to pro to get a simple solution that most other project management tools have by default..    so done with Atlassian products. 

[Stephan Grubbe Sølby]

The limit is only imposed on "general rules". If you implement them in each project, there is no limit.

AFAIK, the limit is removed from general rules if you subscribe to Premium.

That said, I agree this should be a standard feature. I live with it because Jira offers so much flexibility that I choose to live with the obvious bugs and missing features (and there are quite a few of those ;-)

[nilo soto]

Is this cloud only or is this available in Data Center I don't see an option for scheduled or CRON in automation

[John Tolle]

I can only say that we exclusively use Cloud and it is present there.  I do not know if it is (or should be) available in Data Center

Somehow, Data Center without CRON just seems wrong to me, so hopefully it's there and you just have to enable it in your config or something.  Unfortunately, I can't help you with that since, again, we're a cloud-only shop here, and I do not have any experience with the offline versions of Atlassian's products.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

It uses Automation, which is installed on Cloud automatically, but you will have to add the full app to Data Center (not the "light"/free version)

[nilo soto]

@Nic Brough -Adaptavist- that was it thanks!

[Alvaro Landin]

Hi,

And how would be the case if you want also to locate those stories in a existing epic?

Thanks!

[Gertjan Fober]

OMG, feature request please! (also for jira cloud)

[Peter Chodakowski]

I know it's an old question, but came across it searching for the same answer.  Here's what I found: It's simple.  Create an automation rule to fire at the desired period and have the rule create the issue(s) you need.

[RJAS]

I second this, with the new automation features I was able to have the same task fire off each day

[Benjamin Peikes]

That works, but is not ideal because it means giving access to automation to all users. Ideally, you'd be able to simply mark an issue as recurring, and it would generate a new issue and assign it. You should be able to specify how far in advance the issues are created.

[Benjamin Peikes]

I agree, this is a bit of a joke. You should be able to simply set a "recurring" field in the ticket, and new ones should be automatically created each day based on the field.

Using automation rules seems a bit crazy.

[Daniel Wester]

Don't use SAL's scheduler - it's in the process of being deprecated. There's now a new scheduler at https://bitbucket.org/atlassian/atlassian-scheduler which replaces SAL's scheduler. There's an example of how to use it at https://bitbucket.org/cfuller/atlassian-scheduler-jira-example

[Alexey Matveev]

Hello, 

Yes it is possible to create recurring tasks in Jira. You can find a tutorial in this page:

https://developer.atlassian.com/docs/atlassian-platform-common-components/shared-access-layer/scheduling-events-via-sal-tutorial

[Won Je Choi]

awesome! thank you!

[meha.ved]

This will require people to learn coding only to create recurring task. Atlassian can do better

[Tom Vogt]

While I agree that this should be a default feature, that people need to code is not exactly a crazy requirement for a tool that is mostly used by software development teams. :-)

[John Tolle]

While coding is great for some, it's not necessary in this case.  Check out the answer from @Stoyan Stoitsev below.  In short, Project Automations will set you free, no coding required!

[Karyna Tyrnavska _SaaSJet]

Hello!

If you`re ok with Jira plug-ins try out the Recurring Checklists and Report, developed by my team. This app allows to create, automate and control Jira issues with a checklists in one place.

Learn more how to manage recurring tasks or read our use case about the security checklist 

[Tom Jones [Appsvio]]

Hi, 

Writing recurring tasks app from scratch might be a nightmare. There are many factors you need to consider:

• Different type of triggers (manual, CRON, workflow)
• Proper implementation of task execution
• Performance
• User interface (if required)
• Specific features like dynamic due date

In most cases, ready-to-use apps will be a better solution. Most of them are paid but you get a good product with support in return. 

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

I use a cron script that pokes things in over the REST API, but for something a bit less reliant on a bit of command line stuff, yes, you can do it.

There are several add-ons in the marketplace that can do it with a friendlier UI from within Jira, and the generalised tools like Automation and ScriptRunner enable you create regular processes.

You can, of course, write your own too.  Have a look at https://developer.atlassian.com/docs/atlassian-platform-common-components/shared-access-layer/scheduling-events-via-sal-tutorial if you want to do it yourself.

[Won Je Choi]

Thank you for the information, trying to avoid using add-ons...using a cron script over the REST API works too?

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Absolutely.  The code I use is pretty much a plain rip-off of https://developer.atlassian.com/jiradev/jira-apis/jira-rest-apis/jira-rest-api-tutorials/jira-rest-api-example-create-issue

[Deleted user]

After you have selected scheduled trigger and set up the frequency of the ticket (i.e. time and date) and selected new action ; Create an issue and ENSURE you have selected your project manually from the drop down list (instead of going ahead with the default one), select issue type as task. Then save and run it . This way you can create an automated recurring ticket. 

[Mateusz Daleki _Codedoers_]

Hello, try the Repeating Issues app for Jira.

[Brendan Johnson]

Why would I pay for such a basic function?  Waste of money.

[Mateusz Daleki _Codedoers_]

Hi,

Our customers do not pay for such basic features but rather for something that help them achieve their goals and work better (including support).

Cheers,
Product Owner of Repeating Issues app.