Smart rules & by-name automations

Smart rules & by-name automations

TL;DR: Apply automation logic only when specific conditions are met — when a subitem has a specific name, when a status filter matches, or when a column value passes a check. The biggest category in the library — use it to build precise, targeted automations.

When to use these automations

  • Different subitem names need different behaviour (e.g. "Triage" tasks behave differently from "Review" tasks)
  • Only a subset of subitems should be affected when the parent changes (filter by status)
  • An update or value change should only fire automations under specific conditions
  • You need fine-grained control beyond what a generic recipe provides

Common by-name patterns

"Automations by Specific Name" lets you target only subitems with a specific name. Useful for SLA-style workflows where each task type has its own rules.
Recipe (exact text from automation center)
Use when
Deep-dive
"When subitem is created and if the name is this name, set the value of its column to match the value of column in its parent item."
Per-name inheritance from the parent.
 Sync parent values to named subitems on creation⁠ 
"When subitem is created and if the name is this name, set due date to creation date + X days/weeks."
Different SLAs per task type.
 Set due dates by task name (from creation)⁠ 
"When subitem is created and if the name is this name, set due date to match parent item due date + X days/weeks."
Per-name offset from a project anchor.
 Set due dates by task name (from parent date)⁠ 
"When subitem is created and if the name is this name, set status to something."
Auto-set status based on the task name.
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"When subitem is created and if the name is this name, set owner to value."
Per-name owner assignment.
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"When subitem column changes and if the subitem's name is this name, copy that value to this column on its parent item."
Only the named subitem feeds back to the parent.
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"When subitem's date changes and if the subitem's name is name, then change the date of all subitems with this value in name/text to the same date + X days/weeks/months."
Sync dates across all subitems sharing a name.
 Sync dates across same-named subitems⁠ 

Common smart-rule patterns

Filter by status, label, or column state before any automation runs.
Recipe (exact text from automation center)
Use when
Deep-dive
"When item's status changes to something, change all subitems status to something."
Sync status from parent to all subitems.
 Keep parent and subitem status in sync⁠ 
"When item's status changes to something and this status is something, change its subitems status to something."
Two-condition trigger before syncing status.
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"When the status of all subitems is something, change the parent item's status column to something."
Parent rolls up to "Done" only when every subitem is done.
 Keep parent and subitem status in sync⁠ 
"When subitem column changes and only if this label/status is/is not this label, copy that value to this column of the parent item."
Conditional sync to parent — guarded by a label check.
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"When parent item column changes, and only if subitem status/label is something, copy that value to this subitem column."
Filter which subitems receive the parent's value.
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"When subitem is created, set the value of its column to match the value of column in its parent item, only when the subitem column is empty."
Respect manual values — only fill the gap.
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"When subitem's status changes to something, set next subitem status to something."
Stepwise workflow — completing one stage advances the next.
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"When item's status changes to something, change the first subitem status column to something."
Kick off a workflow — only the first subitem activates.
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This category has 30+ canonical recipes. Browse the  full recipe library⁠  for the complete list — search the "Specific & Conditional Logic" and "Automations by Specific Name" sections.

Deep-dives

Related

  •  Sync values between parent & subitem⁠ 
  •  Date & timeline automations⁠ 
  •  Full recipe library⁠ 

Still stuck?

Email  hello@fantasymedia.io  and we'll help you find the right rule.