nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

Want to have an automated email send information about a linked(parent issue), double nested

Brandon Garrett

Hey,

This seems like a complicated one, at least to me: I currently have an automation that fires off and works great, but would like it to do additional reporting. Basically, I want it to be able to push out a smart value reading of the parent of the parent.

Here is the basic setup:
-We have a Board (Called Projects) that is the parent board for another board where the projects are broken up (The "child" board is called Agency)
-When Epics are created in the Project board a secondary issue is created and linked to them on the Agency board.

-The Agency board represents the work that is actually being done whereas the project board just tracks the completion of the overarching project.
-Because of this we have notifications sent out to our sales team when chunks of work get completed on the Agency board. Right now, the Automation correctly Identifies the parent of the subtask in the agency board when sending the email.

**What I want to do**
I want the current automation that sends off to ALSO identify the Parent from the Project board that is linked to the Agency board. The link classification is currently parent.

Here is what I have for my current automation (maybe its as simple as my smart values being wrong):
https://imgur.com/a/THZryuG

The highlighted ones output nothing.
Here is the email I receive:
https://imgur.com/a/DERH8Cc

And finally, here is the ticket in question to prove that it does have a parent linked.

https://imgur.com/a/wDgIiIi

BTW, yes, I do have the rule set to apply to BOTH of the boards in question, it exists in global automation rather than being attached to one board.

This whole thing may be a simple syntax error. The automation works great aside from not being able to show the parent of parent.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Accepted answers

Trudy P Claspill

Hello @Brandon Garrett

The first problem with your email is your reference to {{createdIssue}}. That is used to refer to an issue that is created within the executing Automation rule. Your rule is not creating any issues.

Second, your references to {{issue.parent}} in the email would all be attempting to reference the parent of your sub-task's parent issue. In the branch you have change the focus of the rule to the parent of the sub-task. So within the branch {{issue}} will be referring to the parent of the sub-task.

Third, in your email references to {{issue.parent.epic}} doesn't get POCBP-744 for two reasons.

First, in that context {{issue}} is referring to the parent issue of the sub-task. If you wanted to refer to the sub-task's parent issue's Epic at that point in the rule you would use simply {{issue.parent}}.
However, the second reason the reference wouldn't work is because you have used generic issue linking to connect the sub-task's parent to the related Epic. The reference you have used will work only if the Parent field in the sub-task's parent is updated to the key (POCBP-744) of the Epic. This also impacts your reference {{triggerIssue.parent.epic.summary}}

Is there a specific reason you are using generic issue linking rather than updating the Parent field?

The best way to fix this would be

1. Update the Parent field of the sub-task's parent issue to POCBP-744

2. To reference the subtask in the email use {{triggerIssue}}

3. To reference the parent of the sub-task in the email use {{issue}}

4. To reference POCBP-744 (the "grandparent" of the sub-task) in the email use {{issue.parent}}

All comments

Trudy P Claspill

Hello @Brandon Garrett

The first problem with your email is your reference to {{createdIssue}}. That is used to refer to an issue that is created within the executing Automation rule. Your rule is not creating any issues.

Third, in your email references to {{issue.parent.epic}} doesn't get POCBP-744 for two reasons.

First, in that context {{issue}} is referring to the parent issue of the sub-task. If you wanted to refer to the sub-task's parent issue's Epic at that point in the rule you would use simply {{issue.parent}}.
However, the second reason the reference wouldn't work is because you have used generic issue linking to connect the sub-task's parent to the related Epic. The reference you have used will work only if the Parent field in the sub-task's parent is updated to the key (POCBP-744) of the Epic. This also impacts your reference {{triggerIssue.parent.epic.summary}}

Is there a specific reason you are using generic issue linking rather than updating the Parent field?

The best way to fix this would be

1. Update the Parent field of the sub-task's parent issue to POCBP-744

2. To reference the subtask in the email use {{triggerIssue}}

3. To reference the parent of the sub-task in the email use {{issue}}

4. To reference POCBP-744 (the "grandparent" of the sub-task) in the email use {{issue.parent}}

Brandon Garrett

Trudy, Thank you so much for your reply. Gives me lots to think about. Your second bullet point gets to the core of the issue. I had figured our linking from grandparent to parent was problematic in the past and it makes more sense why, now that I am reading your feedback. I will have to do some work in revamping our linkages across the two boards and test your proposed solution.

I will report back when I have had a chance to do so.

Thanks again!

Brandon Garrett

Noticing a comment you made on a previous thread:
"If you are using Team Managed projects, those don't allow you to specify parent/child relationships between issues in different projects."
Since we are on a Team Managed Project for both of these boards in question, that sounds like it will not be possible to make the actual parent child relationships that you are suggesting in your solution.

Is that correct?

If I was on a company managed project, it sounds like this would be possible, yes?

Thanks

Trudy P Claspill

Correct - if either one of the projects is Team Managed, the parent Epic and child issue must be in the same project.

Correct - if both projects where Company Managed, then the parent Epic and child issue can be in different projects.

However, if you are considering trying to change to Company Managed projects, that comes with its own set of challenges.

So, let us assume you are not going to change your projects and we are therefore forced to work with the generic linking to identify the parent Epic.

There are some clarifying questions I need to ask.

Would you ever have a more than one "is child of" link on an issue?
1. What would you want to do in that case?
What if there is no "is child of" link at all? What would you want to do in that case?
What information are you trying to add to the email? Explain in words using the following references:
1. Subtask refers to the issue that triggered the rule.
2. Parent refers to the parent of the subtask
3. Epic refers to the issue Parent is linked to by "is child of"

Welcome!

It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.

Quick Links

Find more posts tagged with

jira

cloud

jira-cloud