How to Export Field Options in BoldDesk

BoldDesk allows administrators to export option values from fields that use configurable dropdown lists. This includes both Single-select and Multi-select dropdown fields.

Exporting field option values helps administrators review configurations, maintain backups, support migrations, and validate data used in integrations.

Why Export Field Options?

Exporting option values can help you:

Review configured values for consistency and duplicates.
Maintain a backup of field configurations.
Prepare dropdown values for migration projects.
Validate option values before import or synchronization processes.
Audit field configurations across your BoldDesk account.

Prerequisites

Before exporting field option values, ensure that:

You have Administrator access in BoldDesk.
You have permission to manage fields.
The selected field contains configurable dropdown option values.

Supported Fields for Export

Option value export is supported only for fields that contain configurable dropdown options.

System fields that contain configurable dropdown values.
Custom fields configured as:
- Dropdown (Single-select)
- Dropdown (Multi-select)

Export Dropdown Option Values

Option values can be exported from:

Ticket Fields
Chat Fields
User Fields
Activity Fields

The Export option is available only when the selected field contains configured dropdown values.

Steps to Export Option Values

Navigate to the field type you want to export (for example, Ticket Fields, Chat Fields, User Fields, or Activity Fields).
Open the field that contains the dropdown values you want to export.
Scroll to the Dropdown Option Values section.
Click Export.

Check the GIF below for more insights.

What the Export Includes

The exported file contains all option values configured for the selected field at the time of export.

Exports are not filtered by brand. All configured option values for the selected field are included regardless of brand association.
Option values are exported one field at a time.
Each export file contains option values for only the selected field.
Visitor fields are an exception and cannot be exported individually.

Exporting Fields with Parent-Child Dependencies

Some dropdown fields use parent-child dependencies, where the available values in a child field depend on the selected value of a parent field.

Examples

Product → Version
Region → Country
Category → Subcategory
Custom Parent → Child relationships

What You Can Export

You can export:

The option values of the parent field.
The option values of the child field.

What Is Not Included

The export file does not include dependency mappings between parent and child values.

For example:

Exporting Product returns only Product values.
Exporting Version returns only Version values.
The relationship between Product and Version values is not included in either export.

Exporting both fields separately provides two independent option lists. Dependency relationships are not included in the exported files.

Retrieving Dependency Mappings (Developer API)

If you need to retrieve parent-child dependency mappings, use the BoldDesk Developer API.

Get Field Dependency API

GET /api/v1/field_dependencies/{fieldDependencyId}

Example request:

curl -X GET "https://{yourdomain}/api/v1/field_dependencies/1" \
  -H "x-api-key: {yourapikey}"

Result

The API response includes the configured mappings between parent and child option values.

Dependency mappings cannot be exported from the field export interface. Use the Field Dependency API to retrieve dependency relationships programmatically.

Explore BoldDesk Developer API.

Option value export is available only for fields with configurable dropdown options.
Free-form field types such as text, number, date, and email fields do not support option value export.
Option values must be exported individually for each field.
Exported files contain all configured option values for the selected field.
Brand-based filtering is not applied during export.
Dependency mappings are not included in the exported file.
Use the Field Dependency API to retrieve dependency relationships.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which fields support option value export?
Only fields with configurable dropdown option lists support export, including:
- Dropdown (Single-select)
- Dropdown (Multi-select)
- Supported system fields with configurable dropdown values
Why don’t I see the Export option for a field?
The Export option appears only when the selected field contains configured values in the Dropdown Option Values section.
Can I export values from text, date, or number fields?
No. These field types accept free-form input and do not contain configurable option lists.
Can I export option values from custom fields?
Yes. Custom fields can be exported if the custom field type supports configurable selectable options (Dropdown-based).
Can I export dependency mappings together with option values?
No. The export includes only the option values. Use the Get Field Dependency API to retrieve the mapping.
Can I export all option values across multiple fields into one file?
No. BoldDesk exports option values one field at a time. Each export file contains values only for the selected field.
Is the export limited to a specific brand?
No. The export is not filtered by brand and includes all configured option values for the selected field.
Can I retrieve dependency mappings programmatically?
Yes. Use GET /api/v1/field_dependencies/{fieldDependencyId} from the BoldDesk Developer API.

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