How to Map Fields

Unito syncs work items between tools and fields between work items. Did you know you can also customize field mappings to your use case? Here's how.

What does this article cover?

• What is a field mapping in Unito?
• How to create a new mapping
• How do I delete a field mapping in Unito?
• How to change field sync direction
• Why can't I change flow direction for some mappings?
• Adjusting field values (the gear symbol)
• Why can't I map users?

What is a field mapping in Unito?

Fields represent the details of each item in sync in your connected tools: title, description, assignee, attachment, etc. Those are all fields.

Unito lets you sync fields between work items (e.g., tickets, spreadsheet rows, contacts, etc.) so that information in one tool is always up-to-date with information in your other connected tool(s). 

The field mapping table is found in the fourth step of the flow builder:

Here's an example of a table of field mappings in Unito:

Many fields are similar enough — such as comments or due dates — that you can tell Unito to map them automatically before selecting your fields manually. Once you reach the screen pictured above though, you'll have to choose individual field mappings. 

Here's how it works:

How to create a new field mapping

Find the + Add mapping button at the top of your field mappings and click on it. Scroll all the way to the bottom of your field mappings, and you'll see two dropdown menus allowing you to select a new field.

Pick your first field, and Unito will automatically narrow the list down to the fields it can actually be mapped to. Once you've chosen your two fields, you can change the sync direction for that mapping.

Some fields — like the description footer — can be mapped to multiple fields, while others can only be mapped once.

How do I delete a field mapping in Unito?

To delete a field mapping in Unito, simply move your cursor over the mapping you want to remove and select the trash can icon on the right. 

How to change field sync direction

Each field has its own flow direction controls, similar to the main flow direction between tools. which way information moves. In one-way field mappings, data will only update automatically from one tool to the other as manual changes occur in the source. 

With two-way mappings, manual changes in either tool will update the other automatically.

Why can't I change flow direction for some mappings?

When you set up flow direction for your field mappings, you'll find that some of them are greyed out.

That's because they can only go one way.  Sometimes, this is due to technical limitation in the tools themselves. Other times it may be because there simply is no native field in the destination tool that matches the source. In those cases, a workaround is to sync those fields to the description footer.

In the example above Attachment → Description footer occurs because the destination tool has nowhere to put the attachment other than the footer. 

Since there aren't really any changes you can make in the description footer that would affect the original attachment, it doesn't make sense to have two-way updates here.

The exact mappings affected by this will depend on the tool pairing you're syncing. To test this out, just add a new mapping.

How to customize an existing mapping

You can change one of the synced fields by clicking on one of the drop-down for an existing field mapping. Once you save your flow, Unito will simply update your flow according to the rules you've set.

Adjusting field values (the gear symbol)

You can customize field mappings with labels, tags, or other types of statuses and drop-down fields with more precision.

Click on the cog (or gear) icon beside the fields with a drop-down list associated to them. You'll then see values within that field mapping. This is where you can decide how a drop-down field in one tool corresponds to a drop-down field in another. 

In the example above, I've built a flow between two Trello boards and told Unito that my red label in one board should match with the red label in another.

Here's another example with a custom field that includes a drop-down menu:

There are a few things you can do here to customize this kind of mapping further:

• Add a new pair: When you click on + Add more labels & labels you can add a new pair of mappings, and choose labels from both drop-downs, just like when you add a regular mapping.

• Delete a pair: When you hover over a pair of mappings, a trash can will appear on the right, similar to main field mappings. Click on it to delete a mapping.

• Build a group pairing: Did you know you can map multiple labels from one board to a single label on another? All you need to do is click on the plus sign on either side and add the label you want to map under the right group.

Why can't I map users?

Users and assignees can't be mapped at the field mapping stage. To map users, you need to go to your workspace settings. All you need to do is click on the profile icon in the top-right of the screen and click on Members & active users.