Automate Issue Creation

Templating.app integrates seamlessly with Jira Automation, enabling you to apply issue templates automatically based on specific triggers. This helps maintain consistency and standardization across projects. This guide will walk you through activating the automation feature, generating API tokens, and configuring Jira Automation rules to work with Templating.app.

Activate Automation in Templating.app

Before setting up your automation rules, you need to enable the feature and get a few important details.

1. Activate Feature in Templating.app
   • Navigate to the configuration page.
   • Locate the WebTrigger URL and API token.
   • Both are needed to configure Jira Automation rules using Templating.app features.
2. Generate API Token
   • Click on the “Enable Automations” button to generate the API token.
3. Manage Automations
   • To disable automations, click on the designated button.
   • To re-enable them, click the button again.
4. API Token Management
   • Disabling/enabling automations does not change the API token.
   • To change the API token, click on “Generate new API token” and follow the instructions.

Note

Changing the API token will affect Jira Automation rules using the old token. Update the token in the automation rules if you generate a new one to make sure your Automations still work.

See how it works

Play

Setting up Jira Automation Rules

Basics

Before setting up your automation, you’ll need to gather a few key elements:

1. Prepare the Webtrigger URL and API Token:
   • Navigate to the Templating.app Configuration page (see above).
   • Copy the Webtrigger URL and API Token. You’ll need these to set up the automation.
2. Find the Template ID
   • Open the Issue Library in Templating.app.
   • Select the issue template you want to automate.
   • In the URL, the Template ID is the long string after the last /.
     • Example: 10008-bdc02d68-8f1a-4e2b-8f99-6650d1b6ee8a
3. Find the Project ID (Optional): If you want to apply the template to a specific project:
   • Open the Issue Library and select a template linked to the project.
   • The Project ID is the first part of the long string in the URL after the last /.
     • Example: 10008 in 10008-bdc02d68-8f1a-4e2b-8f99-6650d1b6ee8a
   • Alternative Method: For another way to find the Project ID, check out this guide.
4. Define Dynamic Variables (Optional): You can dynamically set variables like “Customer Name” using Jira Automation.
   • Ensure the variable isset up correctly in your template to match the automation input.

Configure Automation Rule

1. Create a New Automation:
   • Go to the Jira Automation screen and click Create Rule.
2. Set a Trigger:
   • Choose the event that will trigger the automation, such as project creation or a scheduled time.
3. Configure the Web Request Action:
   • Select Web Request as the action type.
4. Enter the Webtrigger URL from Templating.app.
5. In the Authorization Header, add the API token from Templating.app.
6. Choose Custom Data and paste your automation rule code.

Example Use Cases

Multi-Project Management

Note

• Use Case: Automatically apply an issue template when a new project is created. - Perfect for: Standardizing tasks for customer projects. - Trigger: Project Created

• Use Case: Automatically apply an issue template when a new project is created. - Perfect for: Standardizing tasks for customer projects. - Trigger: Project Created

By creating an issue template that includes all your standard project tasks, you can automate task creation when a new customer project is set up. This helps ensure consistency, saves time, and lets you focus on getting started right away.

With this example, you can even dynamically set the project name as a variable for the customer name within your Issue Template.

Code

{
  "id": "Enter your Template ID here",
  "projectId": "{{project.id}}",
  "input": { "Customer Name": "{{project.name}}" }
}

Note Make sure that your Issue Template includes a variable called “Customer Name”.

See how it works

Play

Time-Based Task Creation

Note

• Use Case: Apply an issue template when a specific date is reached.
• Perfect for: Recurring tasks, like generating quarterly financial reports.
• Trigger: Scheduled

Do you have tasks that need to be created regularly, like quarterly reports or monthly reviews? Instead of manually setting them up each time, you can automate the process with Jira Automations and Templating.app. By applying an issue template on a specific date, you ensure consistency and save valuable time for more important work.

Code

{
  "id": "Enter your Template ID here",
  "projectId": "Enter your project ID here"
}

Release Management

Note

• Use Case: Apply an issue template when a new version is created.
• Perfect for: Software development teams managing releases.
• Trigger: Version Created

Managing releases can be complex, but automating the creation of related tasks can make it easier. With Jira Automations and Templating.app, you can apply an issue template whenever a new version is created. This helps standardize your release process, ensuring that all necessary steps are automatically generated and nothing gets overlooked.

Code

{
  "id": "Enter your Template ID here",
  "projectId": "{{version.project.id}}",
  "input": { "Version Name": "{{version.name}}" }
}

Note Make sure that your Issue Template includes a variable called “Version Name”.