⚡ Trigger multiple rules with one manual rule trigger.

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1

Working on a workaround for modular templates (more on that later) I had a some challenges:

  • I wanted to trigger more than 20 actions. (see: 🔢 List of technical and data limitations in Asana)
  • A manual rule trigger is only connected to one rule.
  • The triggers were only relevant for a limited group of tasks, so triggering this using a custom field would waste a lot of screen real-estate.
  • Hiding the field would make it a hassle to trigger the rules.

The solution I found was a three-step process, using the benefits of both manual rule triggers and custom field changes to trigger rules.

  1. Create one rule with a manual rule trigger ⚡ do the thing, and have it flip a custom field thing to to be done.
  2. Set the various rules with the many actions all to be triggered by flipping thing field to to be done.
  3. One last rule (also triggered by changing a custom field thing to to be done) to tidy everything up would change the thing field to done, and allowing the same rule action to be executed again. (I chose a separate rule as I’d otherwise have to add this to all the rule actions.)

To clean everything up I hid the thing field from the project view.

Now the process was:

  • Right-click on task > :high_voltage: Run a Rule > :high_voltage: Do the thing
    OR
  • Select multiple tasks > :high_voltage: Run a rule (on toolbar at bottom of screen) > :high_voltage: Do the thing

a cartoon character says zhu li do the thing while holding a camera

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2

For example, something like this?
Step 1: Trigger = Add to Project, Action = Process 1 + Custom Field (Rule Number) = 1
Step 2: Trigger = Change Rule Number, Condition = Rule Number = 1, Action = Process 2 + Rule Number = 2
Step 3: Trigger = Change Rule Number, Condition = Rule Number = 2, Action = Process 3 + Rule Number = 3
Repeat the above

3

Sure, that could work if you’d want to execute them in sequence.

In my case all tasks also had a custom field that indicated which rule should be triggered. Let’s say a category field.

So more like:

  • Task 1 with category = x
  • Task 2 with category = y

Each rule - although triggered by the same custom field change - had a condition to check for a specific category.

Rule manually triggered:

  • when: ⚡ do the thing is manually triggered
  • set: thing to to be done

Rule for category x:

  • when: thing is set to to be done
  • check if: category == x
  • do these things

Rule for category y:

  • when: thing is set to to be done
  • check if: category == y
  • do those things

Rule for cleanup:

  • when: thing is set to to be done
  • do: set thing to done

PS: I’m ignoring my autistic urge to make it right by adding the cleanup step at the end of each category rule. So yes the thing might be set to done when it’s still doing things. If that bothers you an alternative would be to clear the field instead of marking it done.

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4

Thank you, that’s what I wanted to say.

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