Rocketlane does not currently expose a native Last comment date or Last activity date field for tasks in reporting views. If tracking stale tasks is required (for example, investigations or action items that have not been updated recently), this can be replicated using a custom Date field and an automation that updates the field whenever a comment or message is added.

This article explains how to set up the field and automation so stale tasks can be filtered in task views, dashboards, and custom reports.

When to Use

Use this approach when there is a need to:

• Identify tasks where no one has commented recently (for example, inactive investigations)
• Build a report for tasks with no activity in the last 7, 14, or 30 days
• Sort and filter tasks using a queryable “last activity” date
• Track comment or message-based task activity without relying on non-reportable system metadata

How It Works

This setup uses:

• A custom task field (for example Last Activity Date) that can be used in filters and reports
• A trigger-based automation that stamps that field with Today whenever a new message or comment is added to a task

After setup:

• Tasks with recent activity always have a recent Last Activity Date
• Tasks with no recent comments retain an older date (or remain blank if never updated since automation was enabled)

Prerequisites

• Access to Settings to create custom fields
• Access to Automations to create and enable an automation
• A task comment or message trigger available in the automation builder

Step 1: Create a Custom Date Field on Tasks

1. Go to Settings.
2. Open Custom Fields.
3. Select the Tasks object.
4. Click Add Field.
5. Select Date as the field type.
6. Name the field Last Activity Date (or another clear name).
7. Click Save.

This field is now available on tasks and can be used in views and reporting.

Step 2: Create an Automation to Update the Field on Task Comments

1. Go to Automations (or Settings → Automations).
2. Click Create Automation (or New Automation).
3. Set the trigger and action as described below.
4. Click Save, then enable the automation.

Trigger

Set the trigger to the event that runs whenever a comment or message is posted on a task.

• Trigger: When a new message/comment is added to a task

This should fire whenever anyone posts in the task’s activity feed.

Action

Set the action to update the custom date field.

• Action: Update task fields
• Field to update: Last Activity Date
• Update value: Today (current date at the time the automation runs)

Optional: Add conditions

Add conditions to scope the automation if needed, for example:

• Only for tasks in specific projects
• Only for tasks in specific statuses
• Only for a particular task type (investigations, escalations, action items)

Once the automation is enabled, the Last Activity Date field can be used across Rocketlane as a normal Date field.