How to copy values between Assets object field and multi-select custom field using Automation

Summary

There can be scenarios where customers have a multi-select custom field that captures assets, and the workflow involves copying/adding these assets to an Asset object custom field. Some Situations might also involve copying them from an Asset object custom field to another type of custom field. 

Solution

Use case 1: Copy values from a multi-select custom field to an Asset object custom field

Let's take an example where you would like to copy the values from a multi-select custom field called "List of software" into an Asset object field "Software" that can store multiple objects of type "Software". The options of the multi-select field match the "Name" attribute of the Software objects. 

For example, the multi-select custom field has the values "Software 1" and "Software 2". The automation rule should copy these values to the Asset object custom field.

To edit an Asset object custom field via automation, an AQL is provided. To get the desired list of objects, the AQL should look as follows:

We need to manipulate the values selected in the multi-select custom field in the format "Software 1" and "Software 2" and then copy them into the Asset object field.

Follow the steps below:

1. Create an automation rule and set the trigger as required.

2. Click on New action > Create variable. Create a variable called "Asset1"(use any name you want) to store the below smart value:

   {{#issue.select list multiple}}"{{value}}"{{^last}},{{/}}{{/}}

   This will fetch the values from the multi-select field, which is stored as a list, and return them in the desired format, which can then be used in our AQL. To know more about accessing list values and formatting them, you can refer to this article.

3. Add a log action to make sure we get the desired results:

   List of Softwares: {{Asset1}}

4. Click on New action > Edit issue. Choose your Asset object custom field and specify the below AQL:

   objectType = "Software" AND Name IN ({{Asset1}})

Use-case 2: Copy values from the Asset object custom field to a multi-select custom field.

Let's say you have an Asset object field"Software" that stores a list of Software installed on a system, which can hold multiple objects. Also, you have a multi-select custom field called "List of software" which has options that match the "Name" attribute of the Software objects. You would like to copy the values from the "Software" Asset object custom field to the "List of software" multi-select custom field.

1. Create an automation rule and set the trigger as required.

2. Click New action → Edit issue action.

3. Click More options to expand the advanced fields section.

4. In the advanced fields JSON editor, add the following:

   { "fields": { "customfield_XXXXX": [ {{#issue.Software}}"{{name}}"{{^last}},{{/}}{{/}} ] } }

   Replace customfield_XXXXX with the ID of your multi-select custom field (find it via Settings → Issues → Custom fields → Edit → note the ID in the URL).

   The smart value {{#issue.Software}}"{{name}}"{{^last}},{{/}}{{/}} iterates over the objects stored in the Assets field and outputs their Name attribute as a comma-separated list of quoted strings — the format the multi-select field expects.

5. Save and enable the rule.

Confirm if the values were copied correctly

After the rule runs, open a test work item and confirm the destination field displays the same value(s) as the source. Then check the Automation audit log for the copy action — it will surface mapping errors such as an object reference that didn't resolve or a value that doesn't match an available option.

When this won't work

• Both the multi-select custom field and the Assets object field must be present on the relevant issue screens for the rule to read/write them.

• Copying relies on matching the Assets object's Name attribute to an existing option in the multi-select field. Values that don't correspond to an existing option will not resolve.

• For Use Case 1, the AQL match relies on exact name parity — partial matches or free-text entries that don't exist as Assets objects will fail silently.

For more examples of how you can use Automation with Assets, refer to the article: Update Insight object attribute values using automation