Tags and custom fields

Label work with organization-wide tags, add custom fields to every work item, and manage both from Settings.

Tags and custom fields add your own structure to work items. A tag is a short label, like “regression”, “needs-design” or “q3”, that any item in any project can carry. A custom field holds a value, like a number, date, URL or checkbox, on every work item. Both are shared by the whole organization and managed in Settings.

Tag or custom field?#

Use a tag for a label an item either has or doesn’t have, that you want to filter and group by. Items can have any number of tags, and tags cost nothing to add or remove.
Use a custom field when you need a value, such as a number, a date or a link, or when the information must be filled in.

Who can use it#

Permissions

tag.viewtag.managecustom_field.viewcustom_field.manage

tag.view shows the Tags tab. tag.manage lets you put tags on items and create, rename, recolour and delete tags. Anyone who can tag an item can also create a new tag. custom_field.view shows the Custom fields tab and custom_field.manage lets you create, change and delete fields. By default Members can manage tags, and custom fields are managed by Owners and Admins.

Tags#

Tag a work item#

Open the work item
Next to the key, select Add tag, or Tag if the item already has tags.
Find the tag
Type into Find or create a tag… to narrow the list. Each tag shows how many items use it. Select a tag to attach it. Enter attaches a tag only when exactly one matches.
Or create it on the spot
If nothing matches, select Create “name”. The tag is created and attached in one go, with a colour picked from its name. The same name always gets the same colour.

To take a tag off, select the × on its chip. The tag itself isn’t affected and stays on other items. You can also tag cards by dragging them into a tag lane on the board. See Swimlanes.

Manage tags in Settings#

Go to SettingsTags. Every tag is listed with its colour and usage, such as “On 12 work items” or “On no work items”.

Create: enter a Name (up to 50 characters), optionally pick a Colour from eight swatches, and select Create tag.
Rename or recolour: edit Rename … or choose a new colour on the tag’s row, then select Save. The change applies everywhere at once, including saved views that filter on the tag.
Delete: select Delete and confirm. The dialog tells you how many work items will lose the tag. The items themselves aren’t affected, but saved views filtered on that tag will stop matching them.

Tag names are unique across the organization, so two tags can’t read the same.

Tags in views#

Filter any List, Board, Table, Calendar, Timeline or Gantt with Tag.
Group the Table by Tag, or set board Swimlanes to Tag.
Show the Tags column in a List or Table, or use Detailed card density on the board.

Custom fields#

Create a custom field#

Go to Settings → Custom fields
The create form is below the list.
Enter a key
Key: lowercase letters, digits and underscores, starting with a letter, up to 50 characters, for example team_size. It must be unique in your organization.
Enter a label and choose a type
Label (up to 100 characters) is what people see. Pick a Type from the table below.
Decide whether it’s required
Tick Required only if every work item must have a value. See the warning below.
Select Create field
The field becomes available on every work item in every project.

Type	How you edit it
`text`, `url`, `email`	A text box
`number`, `currency`	A number box
`date`	A date picker
`datetime`	A date and time picker
`checkbox`	A checkbox

Fields that point to people, teams or other records aren’t available.

Fill in custom fields#

Each custom field is available as a column in the project’s List and Table views. Turn it on under Columns, then edit the value directly in the row. Values are checked against the field’s type when you save.

Change or delete a field#

On the field’s row you can change the Label and the Required setting, then select Save.
The key and type can’t be changed. To change a field’s type, delete it and create a new one.
Delete asks for confirmation. Values already stored on work items no longer have a field to belong to, and the column disappears from views.

Be careful with Required

A required custom field must have a value whenever a work item is created. The New item dialog, board quick add, the Subtasks panel and recurring rules don’t ask for custom field values, so they’ll be refused with “Custom field “key” is required” while a required field exists. In most organizations it’s safer to leave fields optional and use a saved view filter to find items that are missing a value.

FAQ#

What happens when I rename a tag?

It changes everywhere at once: on every work item and in every view that filters on it. It’s still the same tag.

Why can’t I create two tags with the same name?

Names are unique across the organization. Two identical tags would split your work between them and make every filter find only half of it.

Can a custom field apply to only one project or type?

No. Custom fields apply to every work item in the organization.

A column I chose has disappeared from my view.

It was probably a custom field that has since been deleted.

Still stuck? Search the docs with ⌘K, open Help inside UnitX, or contact support.