Introduction

The Automation Toolbox for Jira expression parser provides over 200 functions and operators to read, manipulate and filter data from Jira issues, users, groups, projects and more.

Among the long list of functionalities, the parser functions support setting and/or updating field values, issue filtering, date and time calculations, string manipulation and the execution of mathematical operations.

The expression parser has been in constant development since 2009 when it was first introduced in Jira Workflow Toolbox. Since that time, the expression parser has seen constant development, improvement, and extended functionality.

Main Features

The expression parser has two major core functionalities:

• Extend accessibility to
  • issue
  • system
  • project
  • version
  • component
  • and user data through the use of Virtual Fields 
• Provide a set of operators and functions to
  • read
  • filter
  • extract
  • manipulate
  • write
  • update related data

Field codes and usage

Virtual fields

%{issue.summary}

%{issue.description}

%{issue.assignee}

%{parent.assignee}

%{issue.votes}

Functions and Operators

Please use one of the following links for detailed descriptions of functions and operators.

• Boolean expressions - Logical and conditional operators

• Numbers, Dates and Times - Mathematical operators
• List operators

Functions

• Issue data functions
• User, Group & Role functions
• Version functions
• Field history functions
• Selectable fields functions
• Mathematical functions
• Date-Time functions
• String functions
• String list functions
• Issue list functions
• Number list functions
• Cast functions

You can find all functions here.

The Expression Parser Syntax Specification

Automation Toolbox for Jira uses a powerful expression parser for interpreting expressions with logical, mathematical, date-time and string-text terms.

This parser is a fundamental part of the app, and is used by various features in the app. The parser offers very similar functionality to the expression parser known to Jira Workflow Toolbox users. There are some differences, mainly in field code usage and the lack of ephemeral fields. 

You can use the provided parser functionality with a number of triggers, conditions, actions and selectors.      

The following is a simple example of parser usage for the Condition → Boolean Condition .

The condition will return true  if the issues Due date is greater than the current date.

Image Removed

#basic parsing mode
%{trigger.issue.description}
Last comment:
%{trigger.issue.comment.last}
#advanced parsing mode
%{trigger.issue.description} + "\nLast comment: \n" + %{trigger.issue.comment.last}

Parsing modes

modes

• Basic: with this simple parsing mode you can write free text and insert field codes with format %{nnnnn} or %{nnnnn.i} anywhere in your text. These field codes will be replaced at runtime with the corresponding field values of the issue currently being processed

The Expression Parser offers you different modes to provide a flexible usage in certain places. You can calculate an issue due date depending on the current date or filter the issue sub-tasks by status to add a comment to those.

To update issue fields the parsing result will be cast to the expected value e.g. a user name will be cast to a user to update a user field like the assignee field.

String

Object

The basic parsing mode supports the usage of field codes. Field codes can be used to access issue field values.

This is the issue summary: %{trigger.issue.summary}

Field codes

Parser Functions

String

Object

The advanced parsing mode has a defined syntax that allows you to write functions to read and manipulate data from any issue in Jira. Field codes are supported as well as clear text, written in quotation marks. 

"This is the issue summary:" + %{trigger.issue.summary} + " and the assignee mail is: " + userEmail(%{trigger.issue.assignee})

Field codes

Parser Functions

Number

Date

Date Time

The mathematical and date time parsing mode works like the advanced mode but expect a number as result instead of a string. The resulting number is used to updated numeric or date time fields. In case of date or date time fields the number will be cast to a date.

{trigger.issue.resolutionDate} - {trigger.issue.createdDate}

Field codes

Parser Functions

true

false

The logical parsing mode works like the advanced parsing mode but expression result must return true or false.

{trigger.issue.assingee} = {trigger.issue.reporter}

Field codes

Parser Functions

issue list

Field codes

Parser Functions

Field codes

Parser Functions written in three curly braces