Automation for converting a sub-task while creating the sub-task on a standard issue screen

[Richard Canlas]

Example:

I have a standard issue type "A", and I click on it while on the Kanban board. While on the ticket screen, there is an option to "create subtask". Once I create the sub-task, I want it to become an epic instead of a sub-task. Is there an automation to convert it into another issue type, such as an epic? 

[Richard Canlas]

@Bill Sheboy @Walter Buggenhout 

If I start with the epic as my top-level, there could be only 3 groups max in my hierarchy.

[Walter Buggenhout]

Hi @Richard Canlas and welcome to the Community!

Even if that were technically possible, I would strongly recommend you to not even try. Jira has a hierarchy of issues, consisting of:

Epics (which are parent of ...)

    Standard Issue Types such as Story, Task, Bug, ... (which are parent of ....)

        Sub-Task (which is the lowest level of the hierarchy)

A sob-task cannot exist without a relationship to an issue at the above level of the hierarchy. And as you can see, Epics have exactly the opposite relationship with those mid-level issues. So you would run into a lot of complexity if you would even want to try and do this type of conversion (I am not even mentioning that Epics have required fields to be filled out - like the Epic Name - that sub-tasks don't).

So, you will always be better off by just clicking the create button at the top of your screen, selecting your project and issue type that you want to create and take it from there.

Hope this helps!

[Bill Sheboy]

Hi @Richard Canlas -- Welcome to the Atlassian Community!

Yes, and...to what Walter suggests:

What problem are you trying to solve by doing that?  For an epic, what you describe seems like the opposite of the common use case of creating the top-level issue first and then any child issues.

Kind regards,
Bill

[Richard Canlas]

@Bill Sheboy @Walter Buggenhout 

I am trying to have four groups in my hiearchy:

Client (Standard Issue Type) > Product Name (Epic) > Project Stage (Task) > Tasks (Sub-tasks)

For process reasons, I want "Client" to be my top-level issue. 

In relation to my initial post: "Client" is Standard Issue Type "A" and the Produt Name is Issue type "B". 

[Bill Sheboy]

Thanks for that information, Richard. 

I seem to recall there are currently problems with automation rules performing the linkages (parent/child) for additional custom issue type levels created with Premium Jira.  So if you are able to create and change the type of issues, you may not be able to link them using a rule.