How to search or filter tickets by custom fields?

BoldDesk supports filtering tickets by custom field values in two ways:

UI (Advanced Filters): Filter tickets from the ticket list using Advanced Filters and optionally save the filter as a Ticket View.
API (Get Tickets): Filter tickets by custom fields using the Get Tickets API Q query parameter.

Filter tickets by custom fields (UI)

Where to filter

Use Advanced Filters in the ticket list.

What you can do

Filter tickets using dropdown custom field values.
Save the applied advanced filters as a Ticket View for reuse.

UI limitation (text custom fields)

Advanced filtering in the UI is not supported for custom fields of type Text due to performance considerations.

Supported in UI advanced filters: depends on field type (for example, dropdown fields).
Not supported in UI advanced filters: Text custom field type.

Filter tickets by custom fields using the Get Tickets API

When to use the API method

Use the API method when you need:

Filtering by dropdown custom field options (using option IDs).
Filtering by text field type, which is not supported in UI advanced filters.

Endpoint

GET api/v1/tickets

Query parameter

Use the Q parameter to filter by custom fields.

API example: filter by a dropdown custom field (option IDs)

To filter tickets by a dropdown custom field, include the dropdown option ID(s) in the Q parameter.

Example

GET api/v1/tickets?Q=cf_tier_1%3A%5B787%2C789%5D

What the example represents

cf_tier_1 = the custom field key
[787,789] = allowed dropdown option IDs (tickets matching either option are returned)

API example: filter by a text custom field

Unlike UI advanced filters, the Get Tickets API supports filtering for text custom field type.

Example

GET api/v1/tickets?Q=cf_validuser%3A%5BYes%5D

What the example represents

cf_validuser = the custom field key
[Yes] = the text value being matched

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I filter tickets by a custom field in the UI?
Use Advanced Filters and add a condition for the relevant custom field, then apply the filter to the ticket list.
Can I save a custom-field filter for later use?
Yes. After applying Advanced Filters, save the filter as a Ticket View.
Why can’t I filter by a Text custom field in Advanced Filters?
UI advanced filtering is not supported for Text custom field type due to performance considerations.
Can I still filter by a Text custom field at all?
Yes. Use the Get Tickets API with the Q parameter to filter by Text custom field values.

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