Convert Custom Field Values to Date-Time in Automation Rules

When an automation rule retrieves the value of a custom field, this value is always considered to be a string (i.e. just text).  To be able to use the values entered in custom date-time fields in calculations, the to_date_time operator has been introduced for automation rules.

The following example demonstrates how the to_date_time operator can be used to calculate and set the start date for a change task using the date and time specified by a requester in a custom field called ‘Planned arrival’.  The UI extension in this example looks as follows for the requester:

The automation rule below shows how the value in the Planned arrival field can be used to set the start date of a change task to 30 minutes before the planned arrival.  The action of the automation rule then enters the calculated value in the Start no earlier than field of the task.