# Create Sub-task

**URL:** <https://community.exalate.com/t/create-sub-task/4631>\
**Category:** General Questions\
**Tags:** exalate, servicenow-jira, jiraserver, migrated\_question, sub-task\
**Created:** [November 4, 2024, 7:11am UTC](https://community.exalate.com/t/create-sub-task/4631 "2024-11-04T07:11:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Post date:** [November 4, 2024, 7:11am UTC](https://community.exalate.com/t/create-sub-task/4631/1 "2024-11-04T07:11:32Z")

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_Originally asked by Patrick Mennecke on 08 March 2021 [(original question)](https://oldcommunity.exalate.com/questions/25069483)_

* * *

How can I create sub-tasks if the tasks come from ServiceNow but the patent ticket already exists in JIRA?

The tasks must be assigned correctly

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**Author:** ![xl8bot](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex018/user_avatar/community.exalate.com/xl8bot/32/324_2.png) [@xl8bot](https://community.exalate.com/u/xl8bot)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2024, 7:11am UTC](https://community.exalate.com/t/create-sub-task/4631/2 "2024-11-04T07:11:39Z")

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_Answer by Francis Martens (Exalate) on 10 March 2021_

Hi Patrick Mennecke

You can create a subtask just by setting the right issue type and parentid

```auto
if (firstSync) {
   issue.typeName = "Sub-task"
   issue.parentId = <correct parent id>
}

```

Of course you need to find out what the right parent id is. Assume that you want to set the parent to the twin of a ServiceNow customercase ‘CR1234567’

You can use for this the [getLocalIssueFromRemoteUrn](https://docs.idalko.com/exalate/x/EAFzAg)

```auto
if (firstSync) {
   ...
   def targetParent = nodeHelper.getLocalIssueFromRemoteUrn("CR1234567")
   if (!targetParent) {
      // make sure that the parent is found, else bail out
      throw new Exception("Parent not found")
   }
   issue.parentId = targetParent.id
}

```

Of course that is not very dynamic.  
So if you manage to have the parent in the replica, you can use that to find the twin parent

```auto
if (firstSync) {
   def targetParentURN = replica.customKeys.parentURN
   if (! targetParentURN) {
      // make sure that the parent is found, else bail out
      throw new Exception("No parent URN provided ...")
   }
   def targetParent = nodeHelper.getLocalIssueFromRemoteUrn(targetParentURN)
   if (! targetParent) {
      // make sure that the parent is found, else bail out
      throw new Exception("Parent not found")
   }
   issue.parentId = targetParent.id
}

```

* * *

#### Comments:

> **Karen Jennings commented on 25 April 2022**
>
> > Francis Martens (Exalate)
> 
> How do you get the replica.customKeys.parentURN from ServiceNow? What does the ServiceNow outgoing script look like?
> 
> We are trying to sync Change Tasks from ServiceNow to Jira.
> 
> I can send the parent sys\_id (parent Change of the Change Task) using the getReference node helper. I got that by hard coding the Change number in the script:
> 
> `replica.parent = nodeHelper.getReference("change_request", "number" , "CHG0053092")?.sys_id`
> 
> However when I try to map it to
> 
> `replica.customKeys.parentURN = nodeHelper.getReference("change_request", "number" , "CHG0053092")?.sys_id`
> 
> I get a null value.
> 
> What am I missing?

---

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**Author:** ![xl8bot](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex018/user_avatar/community.exalate.com/xl8bot/32/324_2.png) [@xl8bot](https://community.exalate.com/u/xl8bot)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2024, 7:11am UTC](https://community.exalate.com/t/create-sub-task/4631/3 "2024-11-04T07:11:40Z")

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_Answer by Karen Jennings on 16 May 2022_

Update: I am able to get the Change Task (subtask) created in Jira by hard coding the parent issue ID in the ServiceNow outgoing script:

`replica.parentID = "12345"`

and using this in the Jira incoming script:

`issue.parentId = replica.parentID`

The issue now is **how do we dynamically get the Jira parent ID from the parent Change in ServiceNow.**

That information resides in a custom field called `u_external_correlation_id` on the parent Change in ServiceNow.

In trying to get that information, I have been looking at the ServiceNow API and updating the outgoing script to do an API call. However, I am now getting a Bad Gateway message when accessing Exalate, which I am sure is related to the outgoing script. Will submit a support ticket to get that cleared.

Please note there are separate connections created for Change and Change Task. I have also tried combining them into one connection but I have yet to get that to work to create Changes from Jira to ServiceNow.

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**Author:** ![xl8bot](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex018/user_avatar/community.exalate.com/xl8bot/32/324_2.png) [@xl8bot](https://community.exalate.com/u/xl8bot)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2024, 7:11am UTC](https://community.exalate.com/t/create-sub-task/4631/4 "2024-11-04T07:11:41Z")

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_Answer by Karen Jennings on 03 May 2022_

Our ServiceNow outgoing script that gives us the parent Change is this:

if(entity.tableName == “change\_task”) {  
replica.key = entity.key  
replica.summary = entity.short\_description  
replica.description = entity.description  
replica.attachments = entity.attachments  
replica.comments = entity.comments  
replica.state = entity.state  
replica.assignment\_group = entity.assignment\_group  
replica.close\_notes = entity.close\_notes  
replica.u\_start\_date = entity.start\_date  
replica.u\_end\_date = entity.end\_date  
replica.u\_prod = entity.u\_prod  
// replica.parentid = parent.u\_external\_correlation\_id  
// replica.parentid = parent.entity.u\_external\_correlation\_id  
// replica.parent = nodeHelper.getReference(“change\_request”, “number” , “CHG0053092”)?.sys\_id  
[//replica.customKeys.parentURN](https://replica.customKeys.parentURN) = nodeHelper.getReference(“change\_request”, “number” , “CHG0053092”)?.sys\_id  
// replica.customKeys.parentURN = entity.change\_request  
// replica.customKeys.parentURN= entity.customKeys.change\_request?.value  
[//replica.parentId](https://replica.parentId) = change\_request.u\_external\_correlation\_id  
[//replica.parentId](https://replica.parentId) = nodeHelper.getTableByName(“change\_request”, “u\_external\_correlation\_id”)  
**replica.parentID = entity.change\_request?.display\_value**  
[//replica.customKeys.parentURN](https://replica.customKeys.parentURN) = change\_task.parent

As you can see, we tried several methods and the only one that gives us a value is `replica.parentID = entity.change_request?.display_value`

If I change `replica.parentID` to `replica.customKeys.parentURN` I get null.

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---

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**Author:** ![xl8bot](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex018/user_avatar/community.exalate.com/xl8bot/32/324_2.png) [@xl8bot](https://community.exalate.com/u/xl8bot)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2024, 7:11am UTC](https://community.exalate.com/t/create-sub-task/4631/5 "2024-11-04T07:11:41Z")

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_Answer by Karen Jennings on 26 April 2022_

I was able to get the ServiceNow parent issue key (number) to send over to Jira but getting the local issue now is where I get stuck.

`if (firstSync) {`  
`def targetParentURN = replica.parentID`

`[debug.info](http://debug.info)("targetParentURN is ${targetParentURN}")` **--_I get the ServiceNow parent Change Number--_**  
`if (! targetParentURN) {`  
`// make sure that the parent is found, else bail out`  
`throw new Exception("No parent URN provided ...")`  
`}`  
`def targetParent = nodeHelper.getLocalIssueFromRemoteUrn(targetParentURN)`  
`[debug.info](http://debug.info)("targetParent is ${targetParent}")`**– _I get [targetParent is null]--_**  
`if (! targetParent) {`  
`// make sure that the parent is found, else bail out`  
`throw new Exception("Parent not found")`  
`}`  
`issue.parentId = [targetParent.id](http://targetParent.id)`  
`}`

Looking at this documentation tells me the nodeHelper is correct.

[https://docs.idalko.com/exalate/display/ED/getLocalIssueFromRemoteUrn](https://docs.idalko.com/exalate/display/ED/getLocalIssueFromRemoteUrn)

Why is targetParent null?

This is Jira Cloud

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#### Comments:

> **Daniel Carvajal commented on 03 May 2022**
>
> > Hi Karen Jennings
> 
> Can you share your SNOW outgoing script?
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Daniel

> **Karen Jennings commented on 03 May 2022**
>
> > Our ServiceNow outgoing script that gives us the parent Change is this:
> 
> if(entity.tableName == “change\_task”) {  
> replica.key = entity.key  
> replica.summary = entity.short\_description  
> replica.description = entity.description  
> replica.attachments = entity.attachments  
> replica.comments = entity.comments  
> replica.state = entity.state  
> replica.assignment\_group = entity.assignment\_group  
> replica.close\_notes = entity.close\_notes  
> replica.u\_start\_date = entity.start\_date  
> replica.u\_end\_date = entity.end\_date  
> replica.u\_prod = entity.u\_prod  
> // replica.parentid = parent.u\_external\_correlation\_id  
> // replica.parentid = parent.entity.u\_external\_correlation\_id  
> // replica.parent = nodeHelper.getReference(“change\_request”, “number” , “CHG0053092”)?.sys\_id  
> [//replica.customKeys.parentURN](https://replica.customKeys.parentURN) = nodeHelper.getReference(“change\_request”, “number” , “CHG0053092”)?.sys\_id  
> // replica.customKeys.parentURN = entity.change\_request  
> // replica.customKeys.parentURN= entity.customKeys.change\_request?.value  
> [//replica.parentId](https://replica.parentId) = change\_request.u\_external\_correlation\_id  
> [//replica.parentId](https://replica.parentId) = nodeHelper.getTableByName(“change\_request”, “u\_external\_correlation\_id”)  
> **replica.parentID = entity.change\_request?.display\_value**  
> [//replica.customKeys.parentURN](https://replica.customKeys.parentURN) = change\_task.parent
> 
> As you can see, we tried several methods and the only one that gives us a value is `replica.parentID = entity.change_request?.display_value`
> 
> If I change `replica.parentID`to `replica.customKeys.parentURN` I get null.

> **Karen Jennings commented on 03 May 2022**
>
> > I also added this to the top of the ServiceNow outgoing script, the capture the parent change info:
> 
> `def optionList = httpClient.get("/api/now/table/change_task?sysparm_display_value=all&sysparm_exclude_reference_link=true&sysparm_fields=change_request%2Ccorrelation_id&sysparm_limit=1")`

> **Daniel Carvajal commented on 08 June 2022**
>
> > We tested the following code snippet to work to sync from SNOW to Jira cloud and maintain the Change request/change task \<\> Parent/child relation
> 
> SNOW outgoing:
> 
> ```auto
> if(entity.tableName == "change_request") {
> replica.key = entity.key
> replica.summary = entity.short_description
> replica.description = entity.description
> replica.attachments = entity.attachments
> replica.comments = entity.comments
> replica.state = entity.state
> replica.assignment_group = entity.assignment_group
> replica.close_notes = entity.close_notes
> replica.u_start_date = entity.start_date
> replica.u_end_date = entity.end_date
> replica.u_prod = entity.u_prod    
> replica.tableName = entity.tableName    
> }
> if(entity.tableName == "change_task") {
> replica.key = entity.key
> replica.summary = entity.short_description
> replica.description = entity.description
> replica.attachments = entity.attachments
> replica.comments = entity.comments
> replica.state = entity.state
> replica.assignment_group = entity.assignment_group
> replica.close_notes = entity.close_notes
> replica.u_start_date = entity.start_date
> replica.u_end_date = entity.end_date
> replica.u_prod = entity.u_prod
> replica.parentID = entity.change_request?.display_value
> def var = entity.change_request?.display_value?.toString()
> replica.tableName = entity.tableName
> if(!syncRequest){
> def request = httpClient.get("/api/now/table/change_request?sysparm_query=number%3D$var&sysparm_limit=1")   
>    
> replica.changeRequest = request.result.find().sys_id
> }
> } 
> 
> ```
> 
> Jcloud Incoming(change the project key accordingly):
> 
> ```auto
> if(firstSync){
> if(replica.tableName == 'change_task'){
> if(replica.changeRequest == null){
> //possibly insert error
> return
> } else {
> issue.projectKey = "KAN" 
> issue.typeName = "Sub-task"
> issue.parentId = syncHelper.getLocalIssueKeyFromRemoteId(replica.changeRequest, "changeRequest")?.idStr
> }
> } else {
> issue.projectKey = "KAN" 
> issue.typeName = nodeHelper.getIssueType(replica.type?.name, issue.projectKey)?.name ?: "Task"
> } 
> 
> ```
> 
> ```auto
>   
> 
> ```