Setting creator_id with create_update mutation

Is possible to set the creator_id when using the create_update mutation? I’m using python to create a new update on a new item and it the update is always created with my name as the owner of the update - but I need to be able to set the owner to someone else in my team at the time of creation of the update.

The example in the API docs reads as follows:
mutation {
create_update (item_id: 20178755, body: “This update will be added to the item”) {
id
}
}

I’ve tried to add creator_id to the arguments on the off chance that it wasn’t documented but that returned an error in GraphQL.

Hey! Just to clarify, are you looking to create updates by impersonating another user? For example, using my API key but posting as my colleague Lucy?

Would love to know more!

Hi Dipro,

Oh yes - right - that’s exactly what I was looking to do but I can see why that would be a bad idea!

I’ll explain my situation and maybe we can find a workaround.

I run a small business with a business partner and a small number of casual staff - we do consulting engineering but I also write code and am responsible for developing our business systems. Part of our workflow includes the automatic creation of new tasks for our staff to accept and work on, these tasks/items are created automatically by me using python scripts and the API. Each time a task is created I want to provide some instructions relating to the task and that information is best placed as the first conversation update for others to then respond to. There are only two people creating tasks, either myself of my business partner, Paul, so the first update comes from one of us. So the issue with impersonating another person in this specific case is not an issue (i.e. Paul trust me and it is only the first update for the whole task/item) - but I can see how it could be an issue in the general case.

The problem is that Paul and I share the tasks (i.e. we tend to split the project management roles) but all of the responses to the initial update are coming to me and they need to go to him instead - at the moment I am receiving lots of responses that I don’t need to see and Paul is missing responses that he does need to see.

One workaround that I looked for was to create an information box rather than an update but I couldn’t see how to do this in the API. The information to be provided with a new task/item is likely to be about 100-200 words plus some hyperlinks but I can work with whatever is available.

I hope this makes some sense and that you can understand what I’m trying to do.

Kind regards,

Jon

1 Like

I’d also be interested in giving support for a creator_id as part of the create_update mutation. I don’t necessarily want to be the owner of every update that is created using my API key and might be a bit of a job to ask for everyone to provide their API key to use our integration.

This is definitely needed.

Hi Dipro,

Is there any progress about setting the creator {name, id} for the updates ? It is definitely needed in our business also.

My solution in the end was to generate two API keys, one for each person from whom I wanted to create an update. I then created the update using the appropriate API key. It works fine for us where we only need two people and is easy to keep track of the keys but could be an issue if you wanted a general solution to post from anyone on your team.

Yes, we are a big company, we want to show everyone who gets involved to show their names.

Hi @dipro,
Does this feature request still relevant? it would be very helpful for an app that my team and I are developing
Thanks!

Id also really like this. I want an automation that copies a richtext template into an update, and i want that user to be the user than clicked the button. Currently i can make the update, but the end user that owns the task cannot edit the update i made because its under a different name.

This could also all be avoided if there was a rich text column option, but for not Updates are the only things that allow rich text.

Hello there @irfan!

I will share your feedback with the team!

You should also upvote this here in the topic :slightly_smiling_face:

Hello @Matias.Monday - any updates on being able to specify a userId (creator_id) when posting an update to an item? In my case, I have users updating a text column on one board, and I would like to be able to use the API to write that as an update to an item on another board with that user as the author. Thanks!

Hello there @EBashkoff,

I do not have any ETAs at the moment but I will add your vote for this request :slightly_smiling_face:

Cheers,
Matias

Thank you, Matias. I think this would be a useful addition to the API as the ability to add an update programmatically will always be posted by one person, or perhaps a dedicated “service user” with the current implementation. Being able to post programmatically on behalf of a user would cover a much greater number of use cases.

This would simply require the addition of another parameter in the mutation query (user_id or reporter_id) which would be the ID of the user we are making the post for.

Best,

Eric

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Hello @EBashkoff,

I see the possible uses this could have. It sounds interesting!

The request was shared with the team :slightly_smiling_face:

Cheers,
Matias

Hi @Matias.Monday ! I hope you are doing well. Any chance that the team might consider implementing this feature! Thanks!
-Eric

Hello @EBashkoff,

I checked this request and there is no ETA for it at the moment.

If it gets implemented, we will for sure announce it :grin:

Cheers,
Matias

Thank you, Matias!

Best,

Eric

For sure @EBashkoff !

Just an anecdote, we had a customer abandon a feature of our app because they were being inundated by notifications from replies to updates created by the app. Plus, it meant that the person who performed the action wasn’t getting notified to replies.