Update Dependent Custom Field name and order

This example shows how to update the display name and order of a dependent custom field in Cutover using the Public API. This is useful when you want to refine how custom fields appear in runbooks and templates, without recreating fields or manually reordering them in the UI. Dependent custom fields are commonly used in Cutover to capture additional data based on a parent field selection—for example, showing different RTO or ownership fields depending on application type or recovery tier.

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1.Retrieve the parent custom field

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Start by retrieving the parent custom field to identify its dependent fields. This uses the Get a custom field endpoint: Get a Custom Field

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GET /custom_fields/647
Authorization: Bearer <your_api_token>

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The response will include the custom field’s relationships, including the IDs of any dependent custom fields.

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{
  "data": {
    "id": "647",
    "type": "custom_field",
    "attributes": {
      "display_name": "Application Recovery Tier",
      "field_type": "select"
    },
    "relationships": {
      "dependent_custom_fields": {
        "data": [
          {
            "id": "648",
            "type": "custom_field"
          },
          {
            "id": "649",
            "type": "custom_field"
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

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In this example, the Application Recovery Tier field controls two dependent fields that appear conditionally in runbooks and templates.

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2.Choose the dependent custom field ID to update

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From the response above, identify the dependent custom field you want to update. For this example, we’ll update the field with ID 649.

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3.Update the dependent field's name and order

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With the dependent field ID from the previous step, send a request to this endpoint (Update a Custom Field) to update the ^display_name and/or ^order attributes. The ^order determines the position of the field relative to its siblings (higher numbers appear later).

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{
  "display_name": "Target RTO (Hours)",
  "order": 2
}

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• display_name: updates the label shown to users in runbooks and templates.
  
• order:  controls the position of this field relative to other dependent fields when displayed in the UI.

This change applies anywhere the custom field is used, including existing templates and runbooks.

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The Response would be: 

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{
  "data": {
    "id": "649",
    "type": "custom_field",
    "attributes": {
      "display_name": "Target RTO (Hours)",
      "order": 2,
      "field_type": "number"
    }
  }
}

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4.Verify the change

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After updating the field:

• Open a template or runbook that includes the parent custom field
• Select the relevant parent field value
• Confirm the dependent field appears with the updated name and in the correct order

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Best practices

• Always retrieve the parent custom field first to ensure you have the correct dependent field IDs before making updates.
• Test your changes in a staging environment before applying them in production.