BoldDesk allows you to prefill dropdown-type fields on the Ticket Creation page by passing values as URL query parameters. Each query parameter uses the field API name as the key and the dropdown option value ID as the value—so you can open the ticket form with specific dropdown selections already applied.

For example, the following URL preselects two custom dropdown fields and the system Category field (IDs shown are dropdown option value IDs):

https://{your-domain}/support/tickets/?cf_custom_dropdown=98&cf_sub_category=104&categoryId=336

• cf_custom_dropdown=98 → custom dropdown field (cf_<custom_field_api_name>) set to option value ID 98
• cf_sub_category=104 → custom dropdown field (cf_<custom_field_api_name>) set to option value ID 104
• categoryId=336 → system Category dropdown (categoryId) set to option value ID 336

Prefill values in the Ticket Creation form (URL query parameters)

BoldDesk supports prefilling fields in the Ticket Creation page by passing field values as URL query parameters.

Each query parameter uses the field API name as the key and the option value ID as the value.

URL format

Base URL

https://{your-domain}/support/tickets/

Query parameters

• cf_<custom_field_api_name>=<dropdown_value_id> for custom fields
• <system_field_api_name>=<dropdown_value_id> for system fields

Example

cURL-style URL (for reference)

https://{your-domain}/support/tickets/?cf_custom_dropdown=98&cf_sub_category=104&categoryId=336

What each parameter means

• cf_custom_dropdown=98

  • Field type: Custom field (dropdown)
  • Field API name: custom_dropdown
  • Value: dropdown option value ID 98

• cf_sub_category=104

  • Field type: Custom field (dropdown)
  • Field API name: sub_category
  • Value: dropdown option value ID 104

• categoryId=336

  • Field type: System field (Category dropdown)
  • System field API name: categoryId
  • Value: dropdown option value ID 336

How to find the dropdown value ID

In the field configuration for the dropdown field (for example, Category or a custom dropdown), open the dropdown options list and use the option value ID associated with the required option.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Which URL should I use to prefill dropdown fields in the ticket creation form?
Use the Customer Portal ticket creation URL, then append query parameters for the dropdown fields you want to preselect (for example: https://{your-domain}/support/tickets/?...).

2. In the ticket creation URL query parameters, do I use the dropdown label (text) or the dropdown option ID?
In the ticket creation URL, you must use the dropdown option value ID — not the option label/text. BoldDesk expects the value to be the dropdown option’s numeric ID for both system and custom dropdown fields.

3. How do I format query parameters for custom dropdown fields vs system dropdown fields?

• For custom dropdown fields, use:
  cf_<custom_field_api_name>=<dropdown_value_id>
• For system dropdown fields, use:
  <system_field_api_name>=<dropdown_value_id> (for example, categoryId=<id>)

4. What field types can be prefilled using the ticket creation URL?

The following field types are supported for prefilling via the ticket creation URL:

• Textbox
• Numeric
• Decimal
• Dropdown
• URL

The following field types are not supported for prefilling:

• Checkbox
• Yes/No
• Date
• DateTime
• Regex
• Lookup

5. Can I preselect a specific Ticket Form (not just field values) using a query parameter?
Yes. If you want the Create Ticket page to open with a specific form already selected, you can use the ticketFormId query parameter (for example: .../support/tickets/create?ticketFormId=45).

6. How do I prefill text fields in the ticket creation form?
Use a query parameter in the ticket creation URL in this format: <textbox field api name>=<value>
Example
.../support/tickets/create?cf_company=Syncfusion