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Learn how creating, deactivating, or deleting custom ticket fields impacts your tickets and the API. Creating fields adds new data options, while deactivating retains data for future use. Altering drop-down options affects tags and reporting. Deleting fields permanently removes them from the interface, but data remains in the ticket audits endpoint. Manage fields carefully to maintain data integrity and reporting accuracy.
When using custom ticket fields, there are different actions available. Each of these actions affect tickets and the API differently.
Creating new custom ticket fields
When you create 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 red has the tag color_red.
Changing drop-down field options and tags
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. If you want to edit an existing drop-down field value, you can ensure the value 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.
Deleting a field option will change the ticket field to a null value in all tickets with the field option. If you re-add the option, along with the same associated tag, then the ticket field will be selected again automatically.
- Existing tickets, including closed and archived tickets, aren't updated and retain the original tag.
- The option associated with the tag is deselected from all tickets where it is selected, which effectively removes historic field values from tickets and can skew reporting.
- If the field option tag does not exist on a ticket, the field reverts to a 'null' value.
- If the field option tag does exist on a ticket, the field reverts to a 'null' value until an update occurs. After an update, Zendesk re-reads the tags and selects the correct field option.
If you have any macros, views, triggers, or automations that use the custom field that you're editing, the tag must remain the same for the business rule to continue functioning. If the tag no longer exists for a given field value, the business rule 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.