How to Retrieve Dropdown Field Options Using the Field Collection API
Ticket fields such as Category, Type, Priority, Status, and custom dropdown fields use predefined option values in BoldDesk. When working with the BoldDesk API, you typically need the option ID rather than the displayed option name when creating or updating tickets.
Use the Field Collection API to retrieve the available options for a dropdown field. The API returns a list of option IDs and names, allowing you to display user-friendly values while submitting the corresponding IDs in your API requests.
When to Use This API
This API is useful when you need to:
- Retrieve available values for system dropdown fields such as Category, Type, Priority, and Status.
- Populate dropdown controls in custom applications or integrations.
- Obtain option IDs required for Create Ticket and Update Ticket API requests.
- Dynamically load values for dependent (cascading) dropdown fields.
- Validate available field values before submitting data through the API.
Prerequisites
Before calling the Field Collection API, ensure you have:
- A valid BoldDesk API key
- API permissions that allow access to Fields
- The API name of the target dropdown field (for example,
categoryIdortypeId)
API endpoint
Request (HTTP)
GET /api/v1/fields/collection/{apiName}/options
Path parameter
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
apiName |
API name of the dropdown field whose option values you want to retrieve |
Optional query parameters
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
filter |
Filters the returned option values |
parentOptionId |
Returns child options for dependent dropdown fields |
Common ticket field API names
| Field | API Name |
|---|---|
| Category | categoryId |
| Type | typeId |
| Priority | priorityId |
| Status | statusId |
Custom dropdown fields have their own unique API names.
Example: Retrieve Category options
Request
GET /api/v1/fields/collection/categoryId/options
Sample response
[
{ "id": 101, "name": "Technical Support" },
{ "id": 102, "name": "Billing" },
{ "id": 103, "name": "Sales" }
]
Response fields
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
id |
Unique identifier for the option (use this value in create/update ticket APIs) |
name |
Display label shown in the BoldDesk dropdown |
Example: Retrieve Type options
Request
GET /api/v1/fields/collection/typeId/options
Sample response
[
{ "id": 201, "name": "Question" },
{ "id": 202, "name": "Incident" },
{ "id": 203, "name": "Problem" }
]
Retrieve Child Options for Dependent Dropdown Fields
Use parentOptionId
If a dropdown field is dependent on another field, retrieve only the valid child options by providing the parent option’s ID.
Request
GET /api/v1/fields/collection/{apiName}/options?parentOptionId=101
Behavior
The API returns only the options associated with the specified parent option value.
