--- title: Parent records and task numbers description: "A task links to the order, contact, item, location or task it is about, and its T-number copies when you select it." lastUpdated: 2026-09-30 order: 70 --- ## What it does Parent Record ties a task to the thing it is about. The picker searches across orders, contacts, items, variants, locations and other tasks, and it groups what it finds by kind. An order is grouped as a quote, a sales order or a purchase order according to its number. Once linked, the parent appears on the task page as a link with its icon, and it opens in a new tab. The Tasks tab shows the same parent in its Parent column. A task also has a number of its own, the T-number. It is the first thing in the task heading, and selecting it copies it to the clipboard. ## Before you start A task has one parent record. Picking another replaces it. The parent is a link - the order or contact behind it is untouched when the task moves. Task Reference is a separate field for a number of your own, such as a ticket in another system. It is free text, and the parent picker does not search it. ## How to use it 1. Open a task, or start a new one. 2. Select the Parent Record field. 3. Search by name, number or label, and pick the record from the group it appears under. 4. Select the parent on the task page to open that record. 5. Select the task number in the heading to copy it, for pasting into a message or the board's search box. ## Related - [Creating and editing a task](/docs/boards/tasks-create.md): A task takes a title, description, due date, priority, board placement, reference and parent record, and the same form edits it later. - [Assignees, watchers and status](/docs/boards/tasks-assign-watch.md): A task page sets who the work belongs to, who follows it, and drives it from assigned through in progress, on hold and completed. - [Columns and cards](/docs/boards/columns.md): A board is columns of cards, added, renamed, mapped to a status, sorted, cleared, collapsed and reordered, with tasks dragged between them. ## Changes - [Guided quests and help for every feature](/changelog/2026-09-30-guided-quests-and-product-help) - 2026-09-30