Functions and Helpers (Advanced Placeholder Tools)

What Functions and Helpers Allow You to Do

Most placeholders insert a value (for example, {{ClientName}} becomes “Acme Corp”).
Functions and helpers extend this idea much further. They let you:

Generate dynamic content

  • insert today’s date
  • calculate dates relative to another date
  • build lists based on the original issue
  • extract or transform specific fields

Add logic inside templates

  • display text only if a condition is true (if / unless)
  • repeat blocks for multiple items (each)

Format content automatically

  • uppercase/lowercase text
  • trim or clean descriptions
  • apply number formatting
  • create readable outputs from rich-text fields

Avoid manual edits

The main value: templates can update themselves based on rules, without you touching anything.

These tools are especially helpful when you build complex or reusable structures: onboarding workflows, multi-client implementations, release notes, SLAs, integration steps, audits, etc.

You don’t need to know how to program to use them, but if your template becomes more advanced, you may need support from your Jira administrator.
They work similarly to smart values used in Jira Automation.

Practical examples (real workflows)

Automatically insert a date or calculate one
Useful for SLAs, reports, onboarding tasks, or tracking deadlines.

Report generated on:

{{date "YYYY-MM-DD"}}

Start before:

{{date "5 days from now" "YYYY-MM-DD"}}

Year:

{{date "5 years ago" "YYYY"}}

No more manual date updates.

Build lists dynamically
For example, list all versions associated with the original issue.

{{#each originalIssue.fixVersions}}
- {{this.name}}: {{this.description}}
{{/each}}

This updates automatically even if the template changes in the future.

Transform text

Example: clean the original description into plain text.

 {{adfToWikimarkup originalIssue.description}}

Conditional logic
Display something only when needed.

{{#if ManagerName}}
Manager: {{ManagerName}}
{{/if}}

Types of Helpers Supported

Native Handlebars Helpers
Useful for logic and text handling:

  • if, unless
  • each
  • string manipulation
  • number formatting

Extended Helpers (over 130 additional utilities)
From the handlebars-helpers library:

  • math
  • comparisons
  • array operations
  • conditional helpers
  • more date handling

Date Helper
Allows natural-language date operations:

  • “yesterday”
  • “now”
  • “next Monday”
  • “5 years ago”

ADF Helper (Special Case)
Turns rich-text (Atlassian Document Format) into plain text.
Useful when referencing Description inside another field.

 Description: {{adfToWikimarkup originalIssue.description}}

When to Use Helpers

Helpers are optional. You don’t need them for simple templates.

They become useful when you want to:

  • avoid manual date updates
  • repeat information across many fields automatically
  • extract details from the original issue
  • build dynamic lists
  • make templates smarter without additional apps or scripts

If your team uses Jira Automation, these concepts will feel familiar because they follow the same philosophy as smart values.
If not, your Jira administrator may be able to help you design advanced templates.

Learn More (Recommended Resources)

These resources from Atlassian describe the underlying logic used by both Jira Automation and Clone Expert:

These will help you design more powerful, automated template content when needed.