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Per-assignment behaviour

When you assign a keyword to a document type, you also control how it behaves on that type’s indexing form. The same keyword type can behave differently on different document types — required on one, hidden on another — because behaviour is set on the assignment, not on the keyword type itself. You set these on each keyword in the assignment editor under Admin settings → Keywords → Keyword assignments. To change one setting across many keywords at once, use bulk edit.
Keyword assignment editor showing each assigned keyword's required, hidden, read-only, unique, required-for-retrieval, and default value controls

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The behaviour flags

BehaviourEffect
RequiredThe keyword must have a value before a document can be stored. Use it for the fields a document can’t be filed without.
Required for retrievalThe keyword must be supplied when searching for documents of this type — useful for narrowing large result sets.
Read-onlyThe keyword is shown but can’t be edited on the form. Use it for values set by the system or by automation.
HiddenThe keyword isn’t shown on the indexing form at all, while still existing on the document. Use it for values managed behind the scenes.
UniqueThe keyword’s value must be unique across documents of this type — no two documents can share it. Use it for identifiers like an invoice number.
Default valueA value pre-filled when a new document of this type is created. Users can change it unless the keyword is also read-only.
Read-only and hidden are different: a read-only keyword is visible but locked, a hidden keyword is not shown at all. Combine default value with read-only to stamp a fixed value users can see but not change.
Be deliberate with required and unique on document types that already hold documents. Existing documents that don’t satisfy a newly required or unique keyword can cause validation to fail the next time they’re edited.

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Conditional keyword rules

Beyond per-keyword flags, you can define conditional rules that change keyword behaviour based on other values — for example, show a keyword only when another keyword has a particular value, or set a default conditionally. Manage these under Admin settings → Keywords → Keyword behavior. Conditional rules are scoped per document type and are evaluated live on the indexing form as users enter values. They’re the tool to reach for when a static required or hidden flag isn’t enough and the behaviour needs to depend on context.
The Keyword behavior settings page showing global keyword behaviour options and keyword conditional rules

Keyword assignment models

Add the keywords whose behaviour you’re configuring, as standalone fields or groups.

Document types

The document types these keyword behaviours apply to.