Importing details of repeating to issues (CSV)

Importing data from CSV file

The Repeating Issues add-on, allows you to import repeating issues details from a comma-separated value (CSV) file. CSV files are text files representing tabulated data and are supported by most applications that handle tabulated data (for e.g. Microsoft Excel, databases, etc.).

To import repeating issues please go to Jira Administration > System > Issues > Repeating Issue > Repeated Issues and then in the actions menu on the right (the button with label "...") select "Import repeatings".

Preparing your CSV file

The add-on assumes that your CSV file is based off a default Microsoft Excel-styled CSV file. Fields are separated by commas and any content that must be treated literally, such as commas and new lines/'carriage returns' themselves are enclosed in quotes. The basic CSV file requirements is pretty similar with such used in The JIRA Importers plugin, which is bundled with JIRA. That means you can use the same import file to import issues to Jira, and then use the same file to import repeatings details.

Additional CSV file requirements

In addition to being 'well-formed', CSV files have the following requirements:.

1. Each CSV file must possess a heading row with at least "Issue key" or "Summary" column.  This columns are used to match proper issue for repeating
2. Each CSV file must possess a heading row with "Repeating" column
3. "Repeating" column should have JSON value with details of repeating. See repeating JSON value format

Treating special characters literally

Use double-quote marks (") around a section of text to treat any special characters in that section literally. Once this data is imported into JIRA, these special characters will be stored as part of JIRA's field data. Just like in The JIRA Importers plugin

To treat a double quote mark literally, you can 'escape' them with another double quote mark character. Hence, the CSV value:

• "This is ""Repeating Issues"" add-n"
  once imported, will be stored in JIRA as:
• This is "Repeating Issues" add-on

Matching proper issue for repeating

During import issues can be matched in two ways:

• Direct matching by issue key - this is the best if you know exactly the issues keys to which you want to import repeatings

• Issue summary matching - this is the best if you had previously import issues to Jira with The JIRA Importers plugin and you do not know imported issues keys. In this situation you can use the same import file where "Summary" column is provided. Issues will be matched by theirs summary. This can lead to ambiguous issue matches, e.g. when there are issues with the same summary in different project. Then you can add "Project key" column to csv data to limit matched issues into one project.

  By default records with ambiguous issue matches will not be imported. To force import such record please check the "Import ambiguous records" option on import view.

Repeating JSON value in CSV file

The CSV file require  "Repeating" column with JSON value with following structures:

{
  "rRule": "INTERVAL=3;FREQ=DAILY;COUNT=35",
  "action": "CloneIssue",
  "startDate": "2018-06-27T13:32:00+02:00",
  "actionParams": {
    "summary": "CLONE - ${sourceIssue.summary}",
    "reporter": "admin",
    "assignee": "-1",
    "scheduleType": "issueCreateDate",
    "issueDuration": 2,
    "cloneLinks": false,
    "cloneSubTasks": false,
    "cloneSprintValues": false,
    "preventAutoWatch": false,
    "notifyWatchers": false
  }
}

{
  "rRule": "INTERVAL=3;FREQ=DAILY;COUNT=35",
  "action": "CreateSubTaskIssue",
  "startDate": "2018-06-27T13:32:00+02:00",
  "actionParams": {
    "summary": "CLONE - ${sourceIssue.summary}",
    "reporter": "admin",
    "assignee": "-1",
    "scheduleType": "issueCreateDate",
    "issueDuration": 2,
    "issuetype": "10001",
    "components": [
      "10000"
    ],
    "description": "Some description with repeating date time variable ${repeatingDateTime}",
    "preventAutoWatch": false,
    "notifyWatchers": false
  }
}

{
  "rRule": "INTERVAL=3;FREQ=DAILY;COUNT=35",
  "action": "DoIssueWorkflow",
  "startDate": "2018-06-27T13:32:00+02:00",
  "actionParams": {
    "workflowId": "11",
    "notifyWatchers": false
  }
}

"{""rRule"":""INTERVAL=3;FREQ=DAILY;COUNT=35"",""action"":""DoIssueWorkflow"",""startDate"":""2018-06-27T13:32:00+02:00"",""actionParams"":{""workflowId"":""11"",""notifyWatchers"":false}}"

JSON properties explanations and values

Sample CSV file content

Summary, Repeating
"Test issue", "{""rRule"":""INTERVAL=3;FREQ=DAILY;COUNT=35"",""action"":""CloneIssue"",""actionParams"":{""summary"":""CLONE - ${sourceIssue.summary}"",""cloneSubTasks"":false,""cloneLinks"":false,""cloneSprintValues"":false,""reporter"":""admin"",""assignee"":""-1"",""preventAutoWatch"":false,""scheduleType"":""issueCreateDate"",""issueDuration"":0,""notifyWatchers"":false},""startDate"":""2018-06-27T13:32:00+02:00""}"
"Test issue 2",
"Test issue 3", "{""rRule"":""INTERVAL=3;FREQ=MONTHLY;UNTIL=20191226T220000Z;BYDAY=MO,TU,WE,TH,FR;BYSETPOS=-1"",""action"":""CloneIssue"",""actionParams"":{""summary"":""CLONE - ${sourceIssue.summary}"",""cloneSubTasks"":false,""cloneLinks"":false,""cloneSprintValues"":false,""reporter"":""admin"",""assignee"":""-1"",""preventAutoWatch"":false,""scheduleType"":""issueCreateDate"",""issueDuration"":0,""notifyWatchers"":false},""startDate"":""2018-06-27T13:32:00+02:00""}"