Where can I find a more comprehensive guide to using Smart Values?
Asked by Danno:

I am at my wit's end with trying to figure out the structure and use of Smart Values. Does someone know of a guide or reference book that serves this purpose?

A simple example of my problem with this is using worklogAuthor in a JQL search but knowing I need to change that to {{worklog.Author}} to get that value back out of the search results.

My list of attempts to utilize what is published in the Atlassian documentation in a rule that ultimately fails due to issues like this would be a novel in itself.

Even with the help of experienced users like [@Bill Sheboy](https://community.atlassian.com/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/1685313) this can be an arduous task.

Why is the Atlassian documentation so poor? I'm pretty certain that it never gets any updates to improve it and It always seems to me that no matter what I am looking for the example given to explain the use of the smart value is never what you are looking for and there is no way to know how to alter it for what you need.

To summarize, if someone can point to a resource I would appreciate it.

Rant over for now.


Answers:
author: Marcus Jones
body: Ok so don't laugh at me when I say this but have you tried ChatGPT? It's hit or miss but I have been able to work through a few things by leveraging it and I know you're at your wits end.

Here's an example response (I can't say whether all or some is accurate so take it with a grain of salt)  
How do I use the smart value worklogAuthor in jira service management JQL  
ChatGPT  
In Jira Service Management (formerly known as Jira Service Desk), the `worklogAuthor` field represents the author of worklogs for an issue. You can use this field in Jira Query Language (JQL) to search for issues based on the author of the worklogs associated with them. Here's how you can use the `worklogAuthor` field in JQL:

1. **Basic Usage:** To find issues based on the worklog author, you can use the following JQL query:

   makefileCopy code  
   `worklogAuthor = `"username"

   Replace `"username"` with the actual username of the user whose worklogs you want to search for. This query will return all issues where the specified user has logged work.
2. **Operators:** You can use various operators with the `worklogAuthor` field to refine your JQL queries. Here are some examples:

   * `=`: Use the equals operator to find issues where the worklog author exactly matches the specified username.

     makefileCopy code  
     `worklogAuthor = `"john.doe"
   * `!=`: Use the not equals operator to find issues where the worklog author is not the specified username.

     arduinoCopy code  
     `worklogAuthor != `"jane.smith"
   * `IN`: Use the IN operator to find issues where the worklog author is one of multiple specified usernames.

     javaCopy code  
     `worklogAuthor `IN` `("alice", "bob", "charlie")
   * `IS EMPTY` and `IS NOT EMPTY`: You can use these operators to find issues where the worklog author field is either empty or not empty.

3. **Functions:** You can also use JQL functions to perform more advanced queries. For example:

   * `worklogAuthor in membersOf("groupname")`: This query will find issues where the worklog author is a member of the specified Jira group.
4. **Combining with Other JQL Clauses:** You can combine the `worklogAuthor` clause with other JQL clauses to further narrow down your search. For example, you can find issues assigned to a specific user where the worklog author is also that user:

   javaCopy code  
   `assignee = `"john.doe"` `AND` `worklogAuthor` `=` `"john.doe"

Remember to replace `"username"` with the actual username or group name you want to use in your query. Using the `worklogAuthor` field in JQL can help you track and manage issues based on who has worked on them, making it a useful tool for team collaboration and workload analysis.

comments: author: Danno
body: [@Marcus Jones](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/5132701) I'm not laughing. I was starting to consider using the internal Atlassian Beta AI tool. Thanks for pushing me in that direction.

I'm also of a mindset that I need to spend time digging into JSON which is what I think is being used for what I am trying to do.

I will reply here with my findings after playing around with it.


author: Laurie Sciutti
body: Hi [@Danno](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/1287831) \~ use these as my resources:

1. <https://medium.com/@jacobthomasharrison/all-available-jira-issue-smart-values-macros-issue-details-id-keys-608ef5eadd31>
2. <https://support.atlassian.com/cloud-automation/docs/smart-values-in-jira-automation/>

comments: author: Danno
body: [@Laurie Sciutti](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/1137433) thank you for replying so quickly. I had great hope for the Medium article but alas it isn't any more helpful than the Atlassian support link.

As I stated in my question, Atlassian's documentation lacks the detail it needs to be useful. I have been through everything that is linked out of the page you posted.

I was hopeful that Jacob Thomas Harrison's article would at least shed some enlightenment but it too was just a short collection of the smart values that are easy to use and provided no further insight, unfortunately.

I am hoping someone with more experience in programming (scripting?) than I have will answer here as well.


author: Laurie Sciutti
body: Hm... not sure I fully understand the issue you're having and I'm sure you've already come across much of what I've found but these additional links took me down a rabbit hole of new info....maybe they will do the same for you.

* [how-to-get-the-entire-structure-of-smart-values](https://community.atlassian.com/t5/Jira-Service-Management/how-to-get-the-entire-structure-of-smart-values/qaq-p/1453712)
* [find-the-smart-value-for-a-field](https://support.atlassian.com/cloud-automation/docs/find-the-smart-value-for-a-field/)
* [smart-values-syntax-and-formatting](https://confluence.atlassian.com/automation/smart-values-syntax-and-formatting-1141480622.html)
* [getting-worklog-owner](https://community.atlassian.com/t5/Marketplace-Apps-Integrations/getting-worklog-owner/qaq-p/976578)


author: Danno
body: [@Laurie Sciutti](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/1137433) I did find something new in your additional links that might provide some more insight. Thank you for your continued help.

I've started searching for information outside of the Atlassian community as well. If I find the motherlode somewhere out there on the interwebs I will definitely post about it here. Keep watching. As you can see above [@Marcus Jones](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/5132701) posed an interesting thought on going down the AI route.


Tags: smart-value