Introduction to Placeholders in Clone Expert for Jira

Clone Expert for Jira introduces a flexible way to insert dynamic values into your templates. Instead of rewriting the same names, dates, emails, or configuration details every time you clone a template, placeholders allow you to automate this step and instantly personalize all cloned issues.

Placeholders work similarly to Jira Automation smart values: they let you reference objects, insert dynamic content, or replace custom variables with values that make sense for your specific cloning activity.

Under the hood, placeholders use Handlebars – a simple template language that allows expressions such as:

{{originalIssue.summary}} – created {{now.jiraDate}}
{{ClientName}}
{{SPOCEmail}}

If you’ve ever worked with Jira smart values, the syntax will feel familiar. If not, don’t worry: the basics are extremely easy to learn, and you can start using placeholders right away without understanding any programming.

What placeholders allow you to do

With placeholders, you can:

Automatically personalize cloned issues

Replace repeated information across multiple tasks (client name, new hire name, URLs, deadlines, environment data).

Pull dynamic content from the original issue

For example: summary, reporter name, labels, versions, dates.

Insert dates that match the current moment

Such as today’s date or a formatted timestamp.

Use custom values consistently across all templates

Such as company names, standard labels, signatures, or contract references.

Build smarter templates that reduce manual editing

Templates become reusable building blocks instead of static copies.

Types of placeholders

Clone Expert supports three categories of placeholders:

• On-clone placeholders
  Values defined at clone time. Ideal for names, email addresses, dates, client information, and anything that changes per project.
• Custom placeholders
  Globally managed reusable values. Perfect for company-wide patterns like signatures, product names, or standard text blocks.
• Object placeholders
  Dynamic values pulled directly from Jira: issue fields, project fields, current user, and current time.
• Functions and Helpers
  Advanced tools that transform values (format dates, uppercase text, join lists) and add logic for smarter templates.

In the next sections, we’ll explore each type in detail with examples and best practices.