API: Allow setting timestamps when creating issues and comments

[argv-minus-one]

• Gitea version: 1.9.0
• Git version: 2.20.1
• Operating system: Debian Linux amd64
• Database (use [x]):
  • PostgreSQL
  • MySQL
  • MSSQL
  • SQLite
• Can you reproduce the bug at https://try.gitea.io:
  • Yes (provide example URL)
  • No
  • Not relevant

Description

Please consider allowing repository owners to create back-dated issues and issue comments (that is, issues/comments with specific timestamps that are in the past) via the API. As with #7790, this is needed to import issues from other issue trackers using an external tool.

API fields affected

According to Swagger, the API endpoints and fields in question are:

• POST /api/v1/repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues
  • closed_at
  • created_at
• POST /api/v1/repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues/{index}/comments
  • created_at
  • updated_at

Workaround

As with #7790, the desired timestamps can be set directly in the database instead.

[argv-minus-one]

/api/v1/repos/{owner}/{repo}/milestones also has the read-only timestamp field closed_at.

[r10r]

Hi there, I've the same issue. We want to migrate from redmine to gitea and don't want to loose the original dates for issues and comments.

@lunny Is it possible to make the timestamp files read-write for the API (at least for the time of the migration) ?

[hakito]

I am also working on a migration from JIRA using the API. But it is currently not possible to preserve the timestamps via the API. (My workaround is to set the timestamps via a shell script which is quite tricky for docker containers)

But I'd suggest to add a parameter like sudo to override the current time. So it would be available for ALL api calls.