Choose destination project each time automation is run?

[Erin Lee]

When using automations to create an issue, is there a way to prompt the user to select the destination project each time the automation is run? 

Currently, the rule creator asks you to select the destination project for the issue when configuring the rule. This is a required field.

I have many use cases where we want to create automations that will add issues to a project board, but I would want the person who initiated the automation to be able to choose which project it goes into! 

I know I could technically create the issue, add some sort of unique label to it, and then set up another automation that would clone the ticket to another board based on the label. But then I would run into the same issue of not being able to select which project the cloned issue goes to! It would require me to create a Jira rule for every single one of our active projects, and add new labels every time a new project was added, in order to make sure there was a unique label for every project in order to activate the rule properly. I unfortunately do not have the time to set up something as in-depth as that.

Has anyone found a less complicated work-around?

Has this already been submitted as a feature request?

[Trudy Claspill]

Hello @Erin Lee 

As mentioned by @Anandhi Arumugam _Cprime_ you can use a Manual automation rule and in the trigger prompt the user to specify the project where the issue should be created.

However, in the Create Issue dialog there are the following limitations:

1. You have to provide the unique numeric ID for the project, not the project key or name. So, depending on how you prompt the user for input, you may also have to have a Lookup Table to correlate their input to the numeric ID for the project.

2. You have to specify an issue type in the Create Issue step. What you see available for selection in that field is the names of Issue Types. If you use Team Managed projects, even if those projects use Issue Types with the same names as other projects the Create Issue step will not recognize them as the same issue type. So, if you elect to create a Story issue type, that will work if the destination is a Company Managed project, but it won't work if the destination is a Team Managed project.

[Erin Lee]

The drop-down for selecting the project does not include an option for a smart value. It essentially forces me to choose a project from the list of active projects we currently have. Maybe I'm missing something, but it doesn't look like using a prompt to ask for the numeric ID would work? 

Maybe you could share some screenshots of how it looks on your end?

[Trudy Claspill]

You have to type the smart value into the field. As you type it in, it displays below with the prefix Smart value. After you finish typing in the smart value, you have to click on it where it shows with the Smart value prefix to get it inserted into the field.

[Erin Lee]

OMG thank you! If I can get this to work, it's going to solve a ton of problems I've been running into with automations.

I'm struggling with the numeric ID portion. I'm familiar with project keys, which you've mentioned, but where can I find the numeric ID?

[Trudy Claspill]

I recommend using the REST API endpoint to retrieve data for one project...

https://developer.atlassian.com/cloud/jira/platform/rest/v3/api-group-projects/#api-rest-api-3-project-projectidorkey-get

...or a paginated list projects 

https://developer.atlassian.com/cloud/jira/platform/rest/v3/api-group-projects/#api-rest-api-3-project-search-get

You can use those in a browser tab, in a browser window where you are already logged in to Jira. Preface the API in the documentation with your Jira base URL.

The output data will include the numeric ID for each project near where it is showing the project key.

[Trudy Claspill]

Hello @Erin Lee 

Did my responses help you solve your issue? If so, please click the Accept Answer button above my responses.

If you have additional questions, let me know.

[Anandhi Arumugam _Cprime_]

Hi @Erin Lee 

This is only possible using Manual Automation.

1. Have a Global Automation that applies to all your projects

2. Choose a Manual trigger

3. Choose Projects as field value and set a Prompt

4. Use the smart value in other places to create issues.

Alternate Option:

1. Use a Custom field in a workflow transition and trigger a post-function to set another field value that can be used as a field value changed trigger to Automation rule.

Hope this helps!

[Mikael Sandberg]

Currently it is not possible to set the project via a smart value as the input. You could work around it by using the web request component and use the REST API to create the work items. Another way of doing it is to use IF/ELSE condition and each one created the work item in the project that the user provided. This is best suited if you have a limited set of projects that the user can create the work items in.

[Trudy Claspill]

Actually, it is possible. See my response...