Basic properties determine what type of value can be entered into a field, how the value is populated, and what restrictions apply to it. The selection of a basic property directly affects the field’s behavior throughout the record’s entire lifecycle—from creation and editing, through searching and filtering, to export and further processing.
Through their basic properties, custom fields are linked to specific data types, drop-down lists, and validation rules. Their proper configuration directly impacts the quality of the data entered and the system’s ability to process that data further.
CDESK supports the following data types:
- Time – a field for selecting a time in hours and minutes
- Date and time – a field for selecting both a date and a time in hours and minutes
- Checkbox – a checkbox
- Number – an integer. Supports only characters 0-9, e
- Number with two decimal places – number with a decimal place. Supports characters 0-9, e, and the decimal point
- Date – date selection field
- Decimal number – number with a decimal place. Supports characters 0-9, e, and the decimal point
- Hyperlink – field for recording a hypertext link. After entering an address, it changes to a clickable link
- IP address – field for recording an IPv4 address. Checks the validity of entered digits in the range 0-255
- IP range – same as the IP address above, with the option to enter two IPv4 addresses defining an IP range
- Counter – property type for recording a numerical status as of a specific date. Used when generating periodic requests based on a parameter.
- File – allows you to upload attachments, e.g., photos and documents
- Text field (255 characters) – single-line text
- Text field (65535 characters) – text field with line breaks, no formatting
- Text field with formatting (65,526 characters) – text field with line breaks and formatting
- Three-state checkbox – switch with 3 states: OFF – NULL – ON
- Link – dynamic dropdown menu that retrieves values from records stored in CDESK, such as items (CI), users, companies, requests, etc. For the first three items listed, it is also possible to create links to CI when using a property in the item type.
- Creating a link: you must select the record type for which the link will be created. Based on the selected record type, a general API path is pre-filled, returning a list of all records of the selected type. The set of records can be narrowed down to a smaller group of records by supplementing this path according to the API documentation.
- Example: link to the CMDB, pre-fills the API path “cmdb/ci”, which returns a list of all CIs. By extending the path to “cmdb/maingroups/ID/ci”, where ID is the group’s identification number, the list of CIs is narrowed down to only the items (CIs) in the selected group. Similarly, “cmdb/type/ID/ci”, where in this case ID represents the item type’s identification number.
- TIP: Instead of ID, you can use a slug if an alias is specified for the group and item type
- Custom Code List – a user-created code list; requires specifying the code list to be used in the base property of this type
Creating a basic property
There are two ways to create a basic property:
- From the list of basic properties – located at Configuration database → User-defined fields → Basic properties, by clicking the button + Add basic property.
- Quickly add a property for various record types – e.g., item type, request template – in which case a basic property with the same name is also created along with the property. Detailed instructions for adding fields to a specific record are provided in the individual sections of the documentation, e.g., Custom fields on a request template.
After clicking the button to create a basic property, a form will appear for you to fill in the required information. The purpose of each field is described in the following text Description of the fields in the basic property form. After filling in the information, you must save the property by clicking the button Create.
Meaning of the fields in the basic property form
The form for creating a basic property varies slightly depending on the value selected in the Type field. In general, the form contains the following fields:
- Type – the type of basic property, which determines its main characteristic. An explanation of the individual types is provided above in the text Basic Properties.
- Name – the main characteristic of the basic property. A translation can also be added for the name. Without a translation, the name of the source language will be used in all languages.
- Description – brief description of the basic property; displayed as a tooltip for the user field in the form. A translation can also be added for the description; without a translation, the description of the source language will be used in all languages.
- Note – additional information about the basic property; the note is displayed in the list of user fields.
- Slug (alias) – represents an alias for the item in a human-readable format, which is used in API calls instead of the ID. The term used must not contain diacritics or spaces and is case-sensitive (distinguishes between uppercase and lowercase letters).
List of key features
A list of all created basic properties is available in the main menu under Configuration database → User defined fields → Basic properties. The header of the basic properties list window displays the number of records shown out of the total, and also contains controls for creating a new basic property and searching using an advanced filter, along with the option to save it. This is followed by a list of properties based on the currently set filter or search results. The list currently displays the following columns:
- ID
- Name
- Note
- Type
You can edit a created property by double-clicking the corresponding property row, or by clicking the hamburger menu at the end of the row and selecting Edit. Some basic properties are marked with the 
flag. These basic properties are system properties; they cannot be deleted or edited.
Searching and filtering in the list of basic properties
For effective searching, you can use the Search field located above the list of basic properties to enter the desired term. This so-called full-text search searches in the following columns:
- ID
- Name
If you need to search for properties based on multiple criteria, you can use the advanced search filter, which you can apply by clicking the 
button next to the Search field. In this filter, you can specify specific search conditions for the following columns:
- Any column
- Name
- Description
- Slug (alias)
- Type
Depending on the column type, you can choose between “contains” or “does not contain” conditions for the search term or part of it; for dropdown lists, select one of the available values. You can freely combine and expand search conditions using the logical operators AND (and) and OR (or). You can save frequently used or otherwise specific filtering conditions under a name of your choice, and they will be available with a single click above the list of basic properties for future use.
For more information on how to use filters effectively in CDESK, see the articles “Searching and Advanced Filters” at and “Searching and Advanced Filters” at.