Story API - What is the "automation" field?
Asked by Nigel Jewell:

Hi,

I am accessing story data via the API with rest/align/api/2/stories/{id} and getting the data I'd expect in the response. However, with about 10% of the stories I get back an "automation" field that is set to 0. In most cases it is empty.

What is this automation field? I can't find any documentation and / or reference to anything similar via the web interface.

The reason I ask is that if I try a PATCH to edit a field I sometimes get a "Value for automation is invalid." error if automation is set to 0. If I also set automation to be empty then my PATCH works, but I'm concerned that this could have other sider effects.

Thanks,

Nige.

```
Array
(
    [id] => 15759
    [title] => <snip>
    [description] => <snip>
         [state] => 1
    [type] => 339
    [mmf] =>
    [automation] => 0
    [programId] => 4
    [ownerId] =>

...
```


Answers:
author: Rodrigo San Vicente
body: Hello [@Nigel Jewell](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/2423256) !

A story created from a story template inherits such template's fields as Description, **MMF** , **Automation status**, parent Feature, Assigned, Program Increment, Team, LOE and LOV, Tags, Design/Assumptions/Notes, Persona, Tasks, Acceptance Criteria, and any comments left in the Chat section.

* **MMF**shows whether the story is a part of the minimum marketable feature. This is typically determined during story mapping and is critical for optimal flow and impact.
* **Automation** identifies the level of automation related to the story.

Create story templates from the stories page:

**If you're using the new navigation:**

1. Select **Items** in the top navigation bar.
2. Select **Stories**; the stories page displays.

**OR**

1. Select **Teams** in the top navigation bar and select the team you want to view stories for.
2. On the sidebar, select **Stories** in the list of options; the stories page displays, filtered by the selected team.

**If you're using the old navigation:**

1. Select **Team** from the left Nav menu.
2. Under the **Manage** section, select **Stories**; the stories page displays.

To create a story template:

1. On the stories page, select **Add Story** on the toolbar.
2. Enter the story's name and description in the corresponding fields.
3. Select the story's state, and then select **Template** from the **Type** drop-down menu.
4. Fill in all the necessary fields. You can find more information on the fields in the [Manage stories](https://help.jiraalign.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005732267-10X-Manage-Stories) topic.
5. Click **Save \& Close**.

To create a story from a template:

1. On the stories page, select the **Add Story** button on the toolbar (top-right of the page).
2. On the story's slide-out panel, click **Add from template**.
3. From the **Program** drop-down menu, select the program with the story template you want to use.
4. From the **Template** drop-down menu, select the story template.
5. In the **Story Name** box, type the story name.
6. Click **Create**. All the tasks belonging to the story are also included.

I hope it helps!

Should you need any help with the above instructions, please kindly raise a JA support ticket using this [link](https://support.atlassian.com/contact/) and we'll be more than happy to assist you!

comments: author: Rodrigo Cortez
body: The **Automation** field in the *Story* work item slide-out is ++disabled++ by default. So, should you want to work with it, you must first enable it via [*Details Panels Settings*](https://help.jiraalign.com/hc/en-us/articles/360041832653-Configure-default-and-custom-fields), where you can define whether it's required or not.

Aside from that, from the API standpoint, find below the valid values and their representation in the UI:

0 - Not Set  
1 - Not Reviewed  
2 - Not Automated  
3 - Partially Automated  
4 - Fully Automated

![Screenshot 2023-08-08 at 17.22.51.png](https://community.atlassian.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/273995iCFF889F3BA8A5EA1/image-size/large?v=v2&px=999 "Screenshot 2023-08-08 at 17.22.51.png")


author: Nigel Jewell
body: Thanks. Your second post answers my question.