Moving assigned issues on project boards

Introduction

This tutorial demonstrates how to use the alex-page/github-project-automation-plus action to automatically move an issue to a specific column on a project board when the issue is assigned. For example, when an issue is assigned, you can move it into the In Progress column your project board.

In the tutorial, you will first make a workflow file that uses the alex-page/github-project-automation-plus action. Then, you will customize the workflow to suit your needs.

Creating the workflow

1. Choose a repository where you want to apply this project management workflow. You can use an existing repository that you have write access to, or you can create a new repository. For more information about creating a repository, see "Creating a new repository."

2. In your repository, choose a project board. You can use an existing project, or you can create a new project. For more information about creating a project, see "Creating a project board."

3. In your repository, create a file called .github/workflows/YOUR_WORKFLOW.yml, replacing YOUR_WORKFLOW with a name of your choice. This is a workflow file. For more information about creating new files on GitHub, see "Creating new files."

4. Copy the following YAML contents into your workflow file.

   YAML

   # This workflow uses actions that are not certified by GitHub.
   # They are provided by a third-party and are governed by
   # separate terms of service, privacy policy, and support
   # documentation.
   
   # GitHub recommends pinning actions to a commit SHA.
   # To get a newer version, you will need to update the SHA.
   # You can also reference a tag or branch, but the action may change without warning.
   
   name: Move assigned card
   on:
     issues:
       types:
         - assigned
   jobs:
     move-assigned-card:
       runs-on: ubuntu-latest
       steps:
         - uses: alex-page/github-project-automation-plus@7ffb872c64bd809d23563a130a0a97d01dfa8f43
           with:
             project: Docs Work
             column: In Progress
             repo-token: ${{ secrets.PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN }}
   

5. Customize the parameters in your workflow file:

   • Change the value for project to the name of your project board. If you have multiple project boards with the same name, the alex-page/github-project-automation-plus action will act on all projects with the specified name.
   • Change the value for column to the name of the column where you want issues to move when they are assigned.
   • Change the value for repo-token:
     1. Create a personal access token with the repo scope. For more information, see "Managing your personal access tokens."
     2. Store this personal access token as a secret in your repository. For more information about storing secrets, see "Using secrets in GitHub Actions."
     3. In your workflow file, replace PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN with the name of your secret.

6. Commit your workflow file to the default branch of your repository. For more information, see "Creating new files."

Testing the workflow

Whenever an issue in your repository is assigned, the issue will be moved to the specified project board column. If the issue is not already on the project board, it will be added to the project board.

If your repository is user-owned, the alex-page/github-project-automation-plus action will act on all projects in your repository or personal account that have the specified project name and column. Likewise, if your repository is organization-owned, the action will act on all projects in your repository or organization that have the specified project name and column.

Test your workflow by assigning an issue in your repository.

1. Open an issue in your repository. For more information, see "Creating an issue."
2. Assign the issue. For more information, see "Assigning issues and pull requests to other GitHub users."
3. To see the workflow run that assigning the issue triggered, view the history of your workflow runs. For more information, see "Viewing workflow run history."
4. When the workflow completes, the issue that you assigned should be added to the specified project board column.

Next steps

• To learn more about additional things you can do with the alex-page/github-project-automation-plus action, like deleting or archiving project cards, visit the alex-page/github-project-automation-plus action documentation.