Clone work item and copy Linked work items to new work item

[Priscille Lesne]

Hi, 
I have created a manual trigger: 
when work item type = Request, then clone the work item and set work type as Epic. 
The original work type (Request), can have one ore more Linked work items (relates to). I want to copy those linked work items to the new Epic created. 

I am not sure how to do it: 

- do I edit inside the action: create a new Epic? 
- do i need to create a branch? (I am still new to it, and I don't fully understand how Branch works...).  

Any ideas, tips? 
Thank you! 

[Brita Moorus · Accepted solution]

Hi, @Priscille Lesne! 👋

Yes, this is something you can achieve using automation. You can try this:

• Manual trigger from work item
• When work item type equals "Request"
• Then Clone work item into the target project and set the new work item type to "Epic"
• Branch:
  • For each linked work item
  • Link work item to the recently created (cloned) work item

Branching logic is necessary to get all the linked issues from the main work item, loop through them and link all of them to the cloned work item ✨

A few things to keep in mind:

• When linking, you’ll need to specify the link type. If the link type needs to differ from the original, you might need additional logic to handle that.

• If new work items are frequently created in the project, consider storing the key of the cloned Epic (e.g. using a smart value or variable) and referencing that in the linking action to ensure accuracy.

Hope this helps! ✨

[Brita Moorus]

Ah, I now see that you have already created the variable 😊 Then the last part of the automation could look something like this:

[Priscille Lesne]

Thank you for your reply.

I've done what you suggested. But I still have the same results: my Linked work items are not copied to my new work item. 

In the original work items (the one i want to clone), i have this link: 

With my automation: 

There is no linked work items in my new work item. 

How can I get the link of the cloned work item and the link that exists in the cloned work item? 

thank you. 

[Clara Belin-Brosseau_Elements]

Hi @Brita Moorus

I just wanted to offer an alternative to Automation that can be complex to set up and maintain.

Our app Elements Copy & Sync is doing exactly what you're trying to achieve: clone a work item, change its type and copy the linked issues.

Don't hesitate to check the documentation, it’s really quick and easy to set up.