Automated Issue Creation: Plan To Action In GitHub

by Dimemap Team 51 views

Hey guys, let's dive into a killer way to automate issue creation and supercharge your GitHub workflow. We're talking about taking a 'plan' label on an issue and, poof, automatically generating new issues for each unchecked item in the checklist. This is a game-changer for project management, and we'll break down how to set it up step by step.

The Problem: Manual Issue Creation Woes

Before we jump into the solution, let's chat about the problem. Imagine you're outlining a new feature in a GitHub issue, and you've got a detailed checklist of tasks. Currently, you'd have to manually create a new issue for each of those checklist items. That's a lot of repetitive work, and it's a drag on productivity. Plus, it increases the chance of human error. We're all about working smarter, not harder, right? That's why automating this process is so brilliant.

The Solution: GitHub Actions to the Rescue

Now, for the fun part! We're going to leverage GitHub Actions to automate the whole shebang. When you label an issue with plan, our action will spring into action, parse the checklist, and create a new issue for each unchecked item. Each new issue will be labeled as enhancement and added to your "Feature X" project board. No more manual labor! Sounds awesome, right?

Step-by-Step Implementation

Let's get down to the nitty-gritty and see how to bring this automation to life. Here's a detailed breakdown of the implementation, making it super easy to follow along.

1. Workflow File (.github/workflows/plan-to-issues.yml)

First, you'll need to create a new workflow file in your repository. This file will contain the instructions for GitHub Actions to follow. Make sure the file is located at .github/workflows/plan-to-issues.yml. Here's the code:

name: Plan → Issues

on:
  issues:
    types: [labeled]

jobs:
  split-plan:
    if: github.event.label.name == 'plan'
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout repo
        uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Parse checklist & create issues
        uses: actions/github-script@v7
        with:
          script: |
            const issue = context.payload.issue;
            const body = issue.body || '';
            const checklist = body.match(/- ${ }$ (.+)/g) || [];

            for (const line of checklist) {
              const title = line.replace(/- ${ }$ /, '').trim();

              // 1️⃣ Create the new issue
              const newIssue = await github.rest.issues.create({
                owner: context.repo.owner,
                repo: context.repo.repo,
                title,
                body: `Created from #${issue.number} checklist item.\n\n---\n${title}`,
                labels: ['enhancement']
              });

              // 2️⃣ Add to Project “Feature X” (classic or beta)
              // Classic project example:
              const project = await github.rest.projects.listForRepo({
                owner: context.repo.owner,
                repo: context.repo.repo
              });
              const featureX = project.data.find(p => p.name === 'Feature X');
              if (featureX) {
                await github.rest.projects.createCard({
                  column_id: /* column ID for the desired column */,
                  content_id: newIssue.data.id,
                  content_type: 'Issue'
                });
              }

              // 3️⃣ Optionally, mark the original checklist item as done
              // (requires a new commit to the issue body – omitted for brevity)
            }

Explanation:

  • name: Sets the name of your workflow.
  • on: Specifies the events that trigger the workflow. In this case, it's the labeled event for issues.
  • jobs: Defines the jobs to be executed. We have one job called split-plan.
  • if: This condition ensures the job runs only when the label applied is plan.
  • steps: Contains a series of actions that the workflow will perform.
    • Checkout repo: Checks out your repository code.
    • Parse checklist & create issues: This is where the magic happens. It uses the actions/github-script@v7 action to parse the issue body, find the unchecked checklist items, and create new issues for each of them. It also adds the enhancement label to these newly created issues.

2. Project Column ID

Next up, you'll need to figure out your project column ID. This ID tells the action where to put the new issues on your project board. You can find this ID in a couple of ways:

  • Manual Method: Go to your project board and inspect the URL of the column you want to add the issues to. The column ID will be in the URL.
  • API Method: Use the GitHub API to query your project board and find the column ID dynamically. This is a bit more advanced but can be automated.

Once you have the ID, you'll need to hard-code it into the workflow file. Replace /* column ID for the desired column */ with the actual ID. Easy peasy!

3. Optional Polish

We can add some extra features to make this even better, like:

  • Updating the Original Checklist: Automatically check off the items in the original issue's checklist when the corresponding issues are created.
  • Adding Comments: Add a comment to the original issue linking to the newly created issues, so you can easily navigate between them.
  • Supporting Both Classic and GitHub Projects (Beta): Adjust the API calls to support both project types. This gives you more flexibility and caters to different project management setups.

The Result: Instant Automation

And there you have it! Labeling an issue with plan will now instantly spawn individual enhancement issues, place them on the “Feature X” board, and eliminate all that manual “Convert to issue” stuff. This one action alone can really streamline your workflow and boost your team's productivity. So go ahead, give it a try, and watch your project management become a whole lot easier!

Benefits of Automating Issue Creation

By automating issue creation, you'll unlock a bunch of benefits. It's not just about saving time; it's about building a more efficient and collaborative workflow. Let's dig into some of the top advantages:

  • Increased Productivity: Automating this process saves you time and reduces the risk of errors, freeing you up to focus on other critical tasks.
  • Improved Consistency: Automating issue creation ensures all new issues are created consistently, so you don't have to worry about missing crucial details.
  • Better Organization: This automation keeps your project board organized. New issues are created instantly and added to the project, so you can track progress effectively.
  • Enhanced Collaboration: Automating issue creation streamlines communication by linking related issues and making it easier to track progress and discuss new features.
  • Reduced Manual Effort: Nobody wants to do the same task repeatedly. This automation minimizes the manual work required to create issues, reducing the burden on your team.

Conclusion: Supercharge Your GitHub Workflow

This is a super powerful tool that can take your project management to the next level. By automating the creation of issues, you'll eliminate manual tasks, improve consistency, and boost your team's productivity. It's a win-win for everyone involved!

So, why wait? Start automating your issue creation today and experience the benefits of a streamlined and efficient workflow. If you have any questions or run into any problems, don't hesitate to reach out. We're all in this together, so let's make our GitHub workflows the best they can be!