"Update Task Name" Action (ex: Bulk Rename Tasks based on Custom Fields) | Voters

"Update Task Name" Action (ex: Bulk Rename Tasks based on Custom Fields)

Zoran Jablanovic

There are always a bunch of tasks/subtasks across different projects in the workspace that have the same name, for that reason usually it's wise to have the project name or an acronym as a part of each task name.
Let's say I have a list template with many different tasks that I use in every project. Starting a new project, I'd load the list template, but then I'd have to rename each task manually adding some small text to each task name.
We need an automation, to bulk rename tasks, adding a value from a certain custom field.
It would be something like.
Trigger could be anything
Action:
rename task: 
custom field value + existing task name
For example, a Task called "Website", containing a custom field "customer" set to a value "Ikea" would be renamed to "Ikea Website".
Similar functions exist when setting up an automation to duplicate or create a new task.
Or add a rename function in the bulk action toolbar, to be able to modify task names all at once.

June 2, 2023

Jussimir Saul Pasold

Yeah!

Zach - ClickUp

Merged in a post:

Rename Automation

Brasil Criações - ADM

Would be great to have an automation with the ability to rename the task.

Example: When a task is added to a list, the automation renames it by the rules you inserted (like you can already do with the create task automation)

June 27, 2023

Christian Langlois

Great request!

Kevin Hennessy

First, I agree and think this feature would be great!
However, I feel like renaming a Task based on a Custom Field value + Existing Task Name could be problematic. For example:
ORIGINAL TASK = [Task_Name]
TRIGGER ---> Activates Automation
ACTION ---> [Custom_Field_Value] + [Task_Name]
RESULT = [Custom_Field_Value] [Task_Name]
Each subsequent iteration, pending the appropriate TRIGGER (It.2--->It.3--->It.4--->It.5--->and so on...) then has the possibility to do the following to the original [Task_Name]:
[Task_Name]
It.1---> [Custom_Field_Value] [Task_Name]
It.2---> [Custom_Field_Value] [Custom_Field_Value] [Task_Name]
It.3---> [Custom_Field_Value] [Custom_Field_Value] [Custom_Field_Value] [Task Name]
It.4---> [Custom_Field_Value] [Custom_Field_Value] [Custom_Field_Value] [Custom_Field_Value] [Task_Name]
It.5---> [Custom_Field_Value] [Custom_Field_Value] [Custom_Field_Value] [Custom_Field_Value] [Custom_Field_Value] [Task_Name]
....

Zoran Jablanovic

Kevin Hennessy: Dear Kevin. Thx and you are absolutely right about that.
Still, you could build a trigger that prevents that by using conditions.
If a certain custom field is changed from.../to.... and as a condition, a value of another custom field is set or set to whatever, then... rename.
In fact, this is exactly the case, how I would use it with an automation.
Besides you wouldn't usually build that automation using a value of a custom field, that is constantly changing. It would be usually a field you only touch once at some point in the beginning of a project, like setting a customers name, that would be used as a prefix. 
By the way, you can already create such funny dead-end automations, that go on endlessly, like creating a subtask, when a certain value is set. Try that, it would create subtask to a subtask to a subtask endlessly until you stop the automation.
So at the end of the day, it's about using it the right way.
However, in some cases, if you wanna rename hundreds of tasks/subtaks without a condition, you'd probably rather want do that using the bulk action tool where you could set a custom or field value prefix or suffix.  
I made a feature request for that as well.
https://feedback.clickup.com/feature-requests/p/rename-function-in-the-bulk-action-toolbar-to-be-able-to-modify-task-names-all-a
Thx for the input, much appreciated!

Renee Roberts

Yes this is very much needed!!! We like to put our client initials/code in the front of subtasks. This would be awesome to bulk rename a whole template!

Melissa Boogaart

I would like something very similar to this to update the task name when a form is submitted and think the described solution will work for my situation too.

We have a form that collects information, but the task name is a generic Form Submission XXXXXXXX. I would like to rename it based on custom field info to something like Rep Name - Keyword - Client Name. All of this info is collected in the form, but the tutorials I have found to accomplish something similar all require creating a new task then archiving the old one, but we don't want duplicate tasks to mess up our numbers when using the data later.

Amel Toric

That is a good idea, Zoran.

Megan Justice

Just another fan of this possibility!

As much as the Zapier work-around does work, I'd rather do the thing within the system as much as possible than from outside the system. And, if something changes on the task within those custom fields, the task name change is incredibly helpful.

Tiffany Richardson

Megan Justice: what's the zapier work around?

Megan Justice

Tiffany Richardson: trigger a Zap to name or rename a task based on actions. It's really not efficient if you need to do this often.

Claire Cockle

Absolutely! I have dev cycles running with +100 tasks per milestone and have to individually name every task and subtask with a prefix. This would be such a time saver (not to mention sanity saver!)

Nick Black

I use Zapier to do this by sending a webhook out based on a tick box of custom field i made update task name. This collects all the custom fields that you want the name based on and returns them. Was pretty easy to setup. Integromat/make can do the same as well.

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