Generating a projected date

[john.monteith]

I have a custom field "Projected Completion Date" and I am trying to use a smart value to generate this date from the following inputs: 

• Start Date (Audit log shows this value is a proper date value "2025-04-17)"
• Total Hours Needed
• Weekly Hours Available

I have created a variable (AdditionalDays) that calculates the number of days needed based on Total Hours Needed/ Weekly Hours Available * 7 - this give me the number of additional days needed. Audit log shows this value is correctly generated.

I am then trying to add this value to the Start date to give me the Projected Completion Date.

I have tried various iterations using the .plusDays method but I get an error of "Unable to render smart values when executing this rule:" An example of one of my attempts: {{issue.fields.Date Started.jiraDate.plusDays({{AdditionalDays}})}}

Does anyone know the correct syntax to get this rule to work.

I can provide screen shots if needed but the situation is pretty straight forward in its description.

[Trudy Claspill · Accepted solution]

Hello @john.monteith 

It would be helpful if you provided us with screen images that shows your entire rule. Sometimes these types of errors are related to the context of the step.

Without that info I have the following suggestions.

Remove the curly braces inside the parentheses and around the name AdditionalDays.

Change the order of the functions from .jiraDate.plusDays() to .plusDays().jiraDate

[john.monteith]

Hi Trudy,

I was hoping it was just a simple syntax error (which I did apparently make) and someone would just point out the error of my ways. : )

I have played around with your suggestions and Piyush's. Here is where the rule stands now, I used variables and log entries to determine where the issue is.

• The Additional Days variable returns the correct value
• The Start Date variable returns the correct value - I used a future date to check this
• The New Date variable which I have tried constructing with the various suggestions listed below does not return anything:
  • Using field name  issue.fields.Date Started
  • Using variable name StartDate
  • Moving jiraDate before and after plusDays().

[Trudy Claspill]

Thank you for that additional information.

When you create a variable, the information is stored as a string. So if you have a variable that is showing a date and try to use a date function with it, that won't work. You would be trying to apply a date function to a string; i.e.

{{StartDate.plusDays(AdditionalDays)}} 

is interpreted as

<string value> plusDays <string value>

You have to cast the variable string values as the appropriate data type.

StartDate.toDate("<formatting of the StartDate value>")

i.e. if StartDate is 2025-04-18 then to cast that as an actual date to which you can apply other date manipulation functions:

StartDate.toDate("yyyy-MM-dd")

Then cast AdditionalDays as a number:

AdditionalDays.asNumber

And optionally apply a date formatting command at the end:

{{StartDate.toDate("yyyy-MM-dd").plusDays(AdditionalDays.asNumber).jiraDate}}

If your starting date is a reference to a field that is already a Date or Date/Time field, you don't need to use the toDate function nor the final date formatting function; i.e.

{{issue.Date Started.plusDays(AdditionalDays.asNumber)}}

[john.monteith]

Hi @Trudy Claspill 

Thank you for the clarification. Because the two fields used to generate the Additional Days value were both number fields, I did not even think about Jira referencing that value as a string. Everything works great now. Thanks!!

[Piyush Annadate _ACE PUNE Community Leader_]

Hi @john.monteith ,
I suspect, you should use  as below

{{issue.fields.Date Started.plusDays(AdditionalDays)}}

Don’t wrap AdditionalDays in {{ }}—just reference the smart value name directly in the function.

Variables:

• StartDate = {{issue.fields.Date Started}}

• AdditionalDays = {{#=}}{{TotalHours}} / {{WeeklyHours}} * 7{{/}}

Then your final expression for Projected Completion Date should be:

{{issue.fields.Date Started.plusDays(AdditionalDays)}}

Or, if you used Create variable for AdditionalDays, just refer to it:

{{StartDate.plusDays(AdditionalDays)}}

[john.monteith]

Hi @Piyush Annadate _ACE PUNE Community Leader_ ,

Thanks for your suggestions, I also got a response from @Trudy Claspill

Please see my reply to Trudy's message.

[Bill Sheboy]

Hi @Piyush Annadate _ACE PUNE Community Leader_ 

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