Creating new custom ticket fields
When you create new custom ticket fields, you are adding the option to capture additional information in each ticket.
Agent interface
For all tickets, regardless of status, the new ticket field appears on the ticket form in the agent interface. It displays a null '-' or empty value depending on the type of custom field.
API
The newly created ticket field alters all tickets with a status less than closed when a value is added to the field. If the new field is added to a ticket form, but data is never added to the field, it won't appear in the ticket audit endpoint. This is true for all tickets with custom fields but no data added, regardless of when the fields are created.
Altering drop-down field options
Drop-down fields display the same behavior as other custom ticket fields in tickets, reporting, and the API. However, drop-down field options can be changed and deleted. It is important to note drop-down field options are directly connected to their assigned tag. For example, in the image below, the drop-down field value redhas the tag color_red.
Changing drop-down field options
Changing the field value but not its tag effectively replaces the old field option. Reusing tags for new fields isn't recommended because it replaces the existing value on all tickets, including closed and archived tickets, and can skew reporting.
The inverse is also true. If you want to edit an existing drop-down field value, you can ensure the same is replaced in all instances by keeping the same tag. This is useful for reporting if you only want to report on a new value, not a new tag.
- Macros
- Views
- Triggers
- Automations
If you have any of these objects that use the custom field being edited, the tag must remain the same for the object to continue functioning. If the tag no longer exists for a given field value, the object will return an error.
Deleting drop-down field options
-
Closed and archived tickets display a yellow caution icon with a
Missing field value warning next to a deleted value selected
in a drop-down field.
- Unclosed tickets (including solved) replace the deleted value with a null '-' value. No error is displayed in the ticket.
The tag from the drop-down field isn't deleted from the ticket tag field, so you can still use the tag in your reports. This also means that if you create a new drop-down field option with an identical tag, the ticket field will change back to the selected value. See Reporting with custom fields.
Deactivating custom ticket fields
Any data lost from a deactivated field can be recovered again by reactivating the field. After reactivation, the field is available in the ticket view of the agent interface again.
Agent interface
For all tickets, regardless of status, deactivating a ticket field removes it from the agent interface.
API
The data in a deactivated ticket field remains stored in the ticket audits endpoint.
Deleting custom ticket fields
If you delete a custom ticket field, you won't be able to recreate or recover the field or its data. If you'd like to preserve the field data, deactivate the field instead.
Agent interface
For all tickets, regardless of status, deleting a ticket field removes it from the agent interface permanently.
API
When a custom field is deleted, its data (including the field ID), is saved in the API. The ticket audits endpoint tracks and stores every change to a ticket, including custom ticket field data after the field itself is deleted. This is the only location deleted custom ticket field data is stored.
11 Comments
Is it possible to link specific Closing Codes to show only for specific Topics?
Currently, all of the closing codes available for all Topics and this can get very messy.
Hi is it possible to automate the drop-down field to be field by tags?
This looks like a pretty old thread, but I'll give it a shot...
The previous administrator/ creator made a custom field for tracking customer reported income (for statistical purposes and not a required field if the customer wanted to remain private).
However they built the field as text meaning I can't use it as a metric. (Or, at least, I can't figure out how to use it.)
Is there any way to wrangle the "text" (which is actually all numbers) into a format that I could use it as a metric? I want to lay out an income trend line over an existing chart.
Further, am I correct that to convert this to a numerical field going forward, I'll have to make a new field, and replace the old one on the ticket?
Edit to add: if I do replace this text field with a numerical field AND there is some way to use the text field data as a metric, in the future, would I be able to merge the two data sets to one unified metric?
Hi,
We have a custom field (textbox). Is there a way that i can merge the data that has been entered in that field. E.g: In the custom field i have entered 10 values
ABC
ABCC
AABC
AABBC
ACB
Now i want all 5 of them to be merged as they were mistypes. The actual value should be ABC but the user has mistypes due to which i need to correct it. So is there a way i can do that ?
Hi there, I think this was posted some years ago as welll, and i am hoping things have changed or that there may be a silver bullet out there. Is there a way to delete option "-" from the drop down?
I am dealing with agents who don't chose one of the available options from the drop down, instead opting for "-"and this is impacting my reporting accuravcy quite heavily.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts you might have! Kind regards, Christianne
Hi,
We are trying to populate the submitter_id or requester_id into the ticket filed. How can this be done either in the system fields or custom fields?
Can we do using a trigger or with a placeholder?
Your help is appreciated.
We need the user.id to delete the tickets.
I think you can use Notify Target for this and update a custom field that way. I'm not sure how to do a lookup and then put it on the ticket though....
Admin -> Settings -> Extensions -> Add target. URL or HTTP target.
Something like https://YOURDOMAIN.zendesk.com/api/v2/tickets/{{ticket.id}}.json
on a new account, i dont show the priority field when I go to create a new ticket. I've seen demo videos and images that show the priority field in the left, it also shows in my system fields for a ticket. It is not deactivated, and I have an SLA setup with the simple rule that any new ticket created after 12/10 has that SLA assigned and that priority is mandatory. Any help?
Greetz.com (Agent Months provisioning acc.) - can't you just make it a required field?
Marco Valle You are talking about when looking at it as an end user or as an agent? If an end user - then I don't think it defaults to visible for them. You'll need to edit the ticket field settings and make it either visible or editable for end users.
This is extremely useful information, but one thing that is not covered here is Removing fields from a form (not delete, not deactivate, simply removed):
If we remove a ticket field from a form and add a new Required field at the same time, will all existing tickets currently in Solved status be set to re-opened and require the new field, or will the Solved tickets remain as they are, and only require the newly added field if they're re-opened?
We'd rather not have <1,000 tickets send a re-open notification to customers.
Clarification would be most welcome, thank you!
You don't need to worry. Any field that was added or removed on a form will not have any effect on its status. Hence, it will not reopen it.
Hope this helps!
Please sign in to leave a comment.