=head1 Introduction

This document describes the metadata fields on RT tickets. These fields
appear on the ticket display page and store information about each ticket.
Understanding these fields helps you use RT effectively.

=head1 The Basics

The Basics section contains the core identifying information for a ticket.

=head2 id

A unique number assigned to each ticket when it is created. Ticket IDs
are assigned sequentially and never reused.

=head2 Subject

The title of the ticket. This appears in search results, email subject
lines, and at the top of the ticket display page.

=head2 Description

An optional field for recording the main purpose or summary of the ticket.
This is useful for project management workflows where tickets represent
tasks or work items that benefit from a longer description beyond the
subject line.

=head2 Queue

The queue the ticket belongs to. Queues organize tickets by team,
department, or workflow. Moving a ticket to a different queue may change
the available statuses, custom fields, and staff who can access it.

=head2 Status

The current state of the ticket in its workflow. Common statuses include
new, open, stalled, resolved, and rejected. The available statuses depend
on the queue's lifecycle configuration.

=head2 Owner

The user responsible for working on the ticket. A ticket can have only
one owner, and it must be a user (not a group). Unassigned tickets show
"Nobody" as the owner.

=head2 Priority

The ticket's importance level. By default, RT displays priority as Low,
Medium, or High. Internally, priorities are stored as numbers (0-99),
which allows for automatic escalation over time, but most users only
see the text labels.

=head2 InitialPriority

The priority assigned when the ticket was created. This value is preserved
even if the current priority changes.

=head2 FinalPriority

The target priority for the ticket when it reaches its due date. Some RT
configurations automatically escalate priority from InitialPriority toward
FinalPriority as the due date approaches.

=head2 SLA

The Service Level Agreement assigned to the ticket. SLAs define response
and resolution time targets. When an SLA is set, RT can automatically
calculate the Due date and track whether targets are being met. See
L<SLA Configuration|docs/customizing/sla.pod> for more information.

=head1 Time

The Time section tracks time spent on a ticket.

=head2 TimeEstimated

The estimated time to complete the ticket. This is set manually and helps
with planning and workload management.

=head2 TimeWorked

The total time spent working on the ticket. When adding time, use the
"Add to time worked" field rather than setting TimeWorked directly. Time
can be added in the Time widget on the ticket display page, on the update
page when making a comment or reply, or by using the ticket timer.

=head2 TimeLeft

The remaining time to complete the ticket. This is typically calculated
as TimeEstimated minus TimeWorked, but can also be set manually.

=head2 Total Time Worked

A calculated value showing the sum of TimeWorked for the ticket and all
its child tickets. This value updates automatically when child tickets
are added or removed. Only parent/child relationships are included;
tickets linked with depends-on or refers-to are not counted. Total Time
Worked is also available as a column in Query Builder reports.

=head1 People

The People section shows all users associated with the ticket through
roles. Roles determine who receives notifications and who can perform
certain actions.

All roles except Owner can accept both users and groups as values. When
using the autocomplete to add someone to a role, matching users appear
first, then groups. To see only groups, type "group:" in the search box.

=head2 Requestor

The person who submitted the ticket or on whose behalf it was created.
A ticket can have multiple requestors. Correspondence sent from the
ticket goes to all requestors.

=head2 Cc

Additional parties who receive copies of all correspondence on the
ticket. Cc recipients are visible in email headers to requestors and
other external users.

=head2 AdminCc

Administrative recipients who receive all ticket updates, including
internal comments. AdminCc recipients are typically internal staff
and are not visible to requestors.

=head2 Custom Roles

Additional roles defined by your organization. Like the core roles,
custom roles track people associated with tickets. Examples include
Approver, Manager, or Technical Contact. Custom roles can allow a
single user (like Owner) or multiple users (like Cc).

=head1 Dates

The Dates section tracks important timestamps in the ticket's lifecycle.
Some dates are set automatically by RT, while others can be set manually.

=head2 Created

The date and time the ticket was created. Set automatically and cannot
be changed.

=head2 Starts

The date when work on the ticket should begin. Set manually to help
with scheduling and planning.

=head2 Started

The date when work on the ticket actually began. Set automatically when
the ticket transitions from an initial status to an active status. In
the default lifecycle, this happens when a ticket moves from new to open.
This is often used to measure response time - how long between ticket
creation and when staff began working on it.

=head2 Due

The deadline for completing the ticket. Set manually or automatically
based on SLA rules. Overdue tickets can be highlighted in search results.

=head2 Told (Last Contact)

The date staff last replied to the ticket. Updated automatically when
correspondence is sent by someone other than a requestor. This is used
to track when customers were last contacted, which is useful for response
SLAs that require staff to reply within a certain time frame. Displayed
as "Last Contact" in the interface.

=head2 Resolved

The date the ticket was closed. Set automatically when the ticket moves
to an inactive status like resolved or rejected.

=head2 LastUpdated

The date and time of the most recent change to the ticket. Any
modification updates this field, including replies, comments, status
changes, or metadata updates.

=head1 Links

Links create relationships between tickets and other objects. While
links are commonly used between RT tickets, you can link to any URL
including external wikis, documentation, or other ticketing systems.
Links help organize related work and can enforce workflow constraints.

=head2 Parents and Children

A hierarchical relationship for organizing tickets. Parent tickets
contain child tickets, useful for breaking large tasks into subtasks.
This relationship does not enforce any resolution order. Time worked
on child tickets is automatically summed and displayed as Total Time
Worked on the parent ticket.

=head2 Depends On and Depended On By

A dependency relationship that enforces resolution order. A ticket
cannot be resolved while it still depends on unresolved tickets. Use
this for tasks that must be completed in a specific sequence.

=head2 Refers To and Referred To By

A simple reference relationship indicating related tickets. This is
informational only and does not affect resolution. Use this to note
related discussions or similar issues.

=head1 Custom Fields

Custom fields allow your organization to track additional information
specific to your needs. Each queue can have different custom fields
configured. Common types include:

=over

=item Text - Free-form text entry

=item Select - Choose from a predefined list

=item Date - Calendar date values

=item Multiple values - Select more than one value from a list

=back

Your RT administrator configures which custom fields are available
for each queue.

=head1 Attachments

Attachments are files and email content associated with ticket
correspondence. Each reply, comment, or incoming email can include
attachments. The following fields are available for searching attachments
in the Query Builder:

=head2 Content

The text content of ticket correspondence and attachments. Use this
to search for specific words or phrases within the ticket history.

=head2 ContentType

The MIME type of an attachment, such as application/pdf, image/jpeg,
or text/plain. Use this to find tickets with specific types of files.

=head2 Filename

The name of an attached file. Use this to find tickets with attachments
matching a specific filename or pattern.

=head1 History

The History section displays the complete audit trail of the ticket,
showing all changes since the ticket was created. This includes
correspondence (replies sent to requestors), comments (internal notes),
status changes, ownership changes, link changes, custom field updates,
and any other modifications.

Each history entry shows the type (such as "Comment" or "Correspond"),
who made the change, when it occurred, and the details. The entries
visible depend on the user's rights - for example, users without the
ShowTicketComments right will not see comments.

Attachments are shown with their associated history entry. Images may
be displayed inline, while other file types like PDFs can be viewed
in the browser or downloaded.

History can be filtered and searched to find specific entries.

=head1 Reminders

Reminders are small sub-tickets attached to a main ticket. They help
track follow-up tasks or deadlines associated with the ticket. Each
reminder has its own subject, owner, and due date.

=cut
