Date calculations

[tabdou]

We created a custom field called "Due Date" vs. the system provided "Due date".  I want to be able to create a filter that shows me all the tickets that are within 30 days based on the custom field "Due Date".

I know how to do that based on the "Due date" field using due = "30d" but I need it off the custom field.

[Bill Sheboy · Accepted solution]

Hi @tabdou -- Welcome to the Atlassian Community!

First thing, why did you create the field with such a similar name to the out-of-the-box field?  I suspect that several things in Jira will have problems with that, such as automation rules.

Next, have you tried using the same syntax with your custom field as you did with the existing (or any other) date field?

Kind regards,
Bill

[tabdou]

Excellent question Bill -- unfortunately, that field was created long before I arrived in my org.

Also unfortunately, it's not that clear to me (especially that I'm new to Jira).  So I didn't really do any calculations when using the system provided "Date date".  I found a solution online that literally says "due <= '30d'".  Not sure where "due" comes from though as it seems to be a calculated field based on "Due date".

[tabdou]

But to your point, yes I am afraid that Jira might have an issue with fields being called same names with the exception of capitalization.  My guess is that at some point, someone needed a Due Date field and didn't realize one already existed -- not sure!

[Bill Sheboy]

The built-in due date field is indeed a challenge as there are several names and capitalizations for it.  "due", "Due", "duedate"... are a few of the names.

I recommend finding the custom field id for your replacement field and using that in the JQL, such as customfield_12345 <= 30d

[tabdou]

Is the custom field id different from the custom field name?  If so, how do I look that up?

[Bill Sheboy]

Yes, they are different and usually represent the same thing.  The exception is when multiple fields are created with the same name in the same Jira site.

Your custom field has a human-friendly name of "Due Date" and the internal name is something like customfield_12345 where the 12345 is the id number.

There are several ways to find this name/id, and one is to use the how-to below.  Essentially you...

• identify an issue with your field and the value set
• call the REST API to load the issue and all fields from a browser
• search for your field, Due Date, on the page...and you will find the field id

https://support.atlassian.com/cloud-automation/docs/find-the-smart-value-for-a-field/

[tabdou]

Thank you Bill, this is very helpful -- much appreciated. 

I was able to find the custom field name.  Additionally, your earlier comment "customfield_12345 <= 30d" was very helpful as well. 

I thought I had to do a calculation to determine the difference between the Due Date and Today and select the tickets where the difference is within 30 days.  But based on your comment, it looks like JQL will automatically do the calculation using this format 'customfield_12345 <= 30d'.  I tried it and it works.

[Bill Sheboy]

Awesome; I am glad to learn that helped.  Please consider marking this question as "answered" to help other community members find solutions faster.  Thanks!