This article contains the following topics
- About shared fields
- Create a new shared field
- Pre-populate custom and shared fields data in service item forms
- Archive or delete custom and shared fields
- Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
About shared fields
You can now create and manage shared fields for service categories and items within the Service Catalog for various workspaces. This allows for the reuse of fields across multiple service items or categories in a workspace, eliminating the need for recreation.
Shared fields offer reusability for service items, so that they can be applied within a specific service item, or across all service items. Shared fields also streamline the process of creating service items by eliminating the need to repeatedly define identical fields across various items.
You can create shared fields using the following field types.
Create a new shared field
To create a new shared field in Service Catalog:
Log in to your Freshservice account.
Go to Admin > {Workspace Name} > Service Management > Service Catalog.
Click the ellipses icon next to Add New dropdown. Then, select Manage shared fields.
Click Create field, and select the required field type.
The Properties section opens on the right pane.
Enter or configure the relevant properties.
Note: For information on configuring placeholder values, see Pre-populate field data in service item forms.
Click Create.
Note: For each shared field you create, you can set the approver and requester permissions, such as Display to approver, Display to requester, Requester can edit, and so on.
The Link shared field to service items dialog opens.
Click Skip or Link now. If you select Link now, the Link shared field to service items - {Field Name} section opens on the right pane.
To link this shared field to specific service items in a service category, select the relevant service category from the All categories dropdown. Then, select the relevant service items under Select service items.
Note: You can search for specific service items using the Search for a service item option.
Or, select Link all service items to link this field with all the service items irrespective of the service category.
Click Link after selecting the relevant service item(s) and category(s).
Update or manage linked service items for shared fields
To update or manage linked service items for a shared field:
Log in to your Freshservice account.
Go to Admin > {Worskpace Name} > Service Management > Service Catalog.
Click the ellipses icon next to Add New dropdown, and select Manage shared fields.
To update a shared field, click the field name.
The Properties section opens on the right pane.
Make the required changes and click Update.
To manage the linked service items for a shared field, hover over the relevant field row and select the link icon.
The Linked service items section opens on the right pane.
If you want to unlink a service item that is already linked, select the item and click Unlink.
Or, click Link service items to link the field with other service items.
The Link shared field to service items - {Field Name} section opens.
Refer steps 8 to 10 in the instructions to Create a new shared field section for more information on linking.
Add shared fields to service item forms
You can also add the shared fields to service item forms after you’ve created these fields.
To add shared fields to service item forms:
Log in to your Freshservice account.
Go to Admin > {Worskpace Name} > Service Management > Service Catalog.
Select the required service category on the left pane.
Note: By default, the All Service Items category is selected.
Click the service item name for which you want to add shared fields.
The {Service Item} > General Details page opens.
Click Custom Fields on the left pane.
Then, click Add shared field and select the required field.
The Field Properties dialog opens.
Specify the relevant behavior properties for this field and click Done.
Note:
All field properties for shared fields except Behavior are not available for update through service item forms. However, you can update these field properties from the Manage shared fields page.
For more information on adding custom fields, see Add a Lookup Field to a Service Item Form.
The selected shared field is added to the Custom Fields section.
Note: If you want to archive or delete a shared field from the Custom Fields section, hover over the field and select the relevant option.
Ensure to save all the necessary updates made to the service item form.
Pre-populate custom and shared fields data in service item forms
You can configure placeholder values to pre-populate/auto-populate placeholder text for custom fields and shared fields in service item forms based on the matching placeholder value.
To configure placeholder values for fields:
Log in to your Freshservice account.
Go to Admin > {Worskpace Name} > Service Management > Service Catalog.
To configure placeholder values for custom fields:
Select the required service category on the left pane.
Note: By default, the All Service Items category is selected.
Or, click the relevant service item name. The {Service Item} > General Details page opens.
Click Custom Fields on the left pane.
Then, click the custom field for which you want to configure placeholders. The Field Properties dialog opens.
Click Insert Placeholders and select the required placeholder. Then, click Done.
Ensure to save all the necessary updates made to the service item form.
To configure placeholder values for shared fields:
(On the Service Catalog page) Click the ellipses icon next to Add New dropdown, and select Manage shared fields.
Click Create field, and select the required field type for which you want to configure placeholder values.
Or, click the field name to update an existing shared field.
Then, click Insert placeholder and select the required placeholder.
Note: This configuration is applicable only for ‘Requester’ fields.
Click Create or Update.
The placeholder text will be automatically populated in service item forms based on the matching placeholder value.
Archive or delete custom and shared fields
If certain service item custom fields or shared fields are no longer in use due to specific business requirements or temporary time periods, they can be archived instead of being deleted.
To archive or delete fields:
Log in to your Freshservice account.
Go to Admin > {Worskpace Name} > Service Management > Service Catalog.
To archive or delete custom fields:
Select the required service category on the left pane.
Note: By default, the All Service Items category is selected.
Or, click the relevant service item name. The {Service Item} > General Details page opens.
Click Custom Fields on the left pane.
Hover over the relevant custom field row and select the archive icon.
The Archive field dialog opens.
Click Archive. The selected custom field will be archived.
To delete a custom field, hover over the relevant field row and select the delete icon. Then, click Delete permanently.
To archive or delete shared fields:
(On the Service Catalog page) Click the ellipses icon next to Add New dropdown, and select Manage shared fields.
Hover over the relevant shared field row and select the archive icon.
The Archive field dialog opens.
Click Archive. The selected shared field will be archived.
To delete a shared field, hover over the relevant field row and select the delete icon. Then, click Delete permanently.
To archive, unarchive, or delete multiple shared fields, select the required fields, then select the relevant option (Delete, Archive, Unarchive).
Note:
Archived fields will not be available in service item forms for end users, however you can still generate reports on the archived fields for past tickets.
To restore an archived field, hover over the field and use the Unarchive option.
You can also archive, unarchive, or delete shared fields on the service item form page.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
1. Is pre-population of fields supported for assumed identity cases?
No, pre-population of fields in new service item forms is not supported when an agent assumes the identity of both a requester and an agent.
2. Is pre-population of fields supported in case of requester email change?
Pre-population option will be removed for applicable fields when:
The requester email id is changed
The requester email id is removed and added again
To retrieve the pre-population option, the respective new service item form must be refreshed.
3. Which fields are allowed for pre-population?
Only the following custom user fields are allowed for pre-population:
Text
Paragraph
Dropdown
Phone Number
4. Are dependent fields, dynamic section fields, and lookup fields supported in Shared Fields public API?
Currently, dependent fields, dynamic section fields, and lookup fields cannot be created via Shared Fields public API.
5. Are the Shared Fields updates made in service item forms applicable to the corresponding primary/master shared fields created in the ‘Manage shared fields’ page?
Updates made to a shared field at the service item level will not update the corresponding primary/master shared field.
Once a shared field is overridden at the service item level, any future updates will not be applicable to the primary/master shared field.
