---
title: Parent records and task numbers
id: boards.tasks.parent-links
description: "Link a task to the order, contact, item, location or task it is about, and copy its T-number from the header."
lastUpdated: 2026-10-16
order: 70
---

## What it does

Parent Record ties a task to the thing it is about. The picker searches orders, contacts, items, variants, locations and other tasks, and groups what it finds by kind. It groups an order as a quote, a sales order or a purchase order by its number. Picking a variant links the task to its item.

The task page shows the parent as a link with its icon, and it opens in a new tab. The Parent column on the Tasks tab shows it too.

The T-number is the task's number. It is the first thing in the task header. Select it to copy it to the clipboard.

## Before you start

A task has one parent record. Picking another replaces it.

The parent is a link. Moving the task leaves the order or contact behind it untouched.

Task Reference is a separate field for a number of your own, such as a ticket in another system. It is free text. The parent picker finds a task by its Task Reference, its T-number or its title.

## How to use it

1. Open a task and select Edit, or start a new one with Create Task.
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 Save, or Create on a new task.
5. On the task page, select the parent to open that record.
6. Select the T-number in the header to copy it, for pasting into a message or a board's search box.

New task on a board also takes a parent record.

## Related

- [Creating and editing a task](/docs/boards/tasks-create.md): Create a task with a title, a due date, a priority and a place on a board, and change any of it later from the same form.
- [Assignees, watchers and status](/docs/boards/tasks-assign-watch.md): Set who a task belongs to, follow it as a watcher, and move it through assigned, in progress, on hold and completed.
- [Columns and cards](/docs/boards/columns.md): Add, rename, sort, collapse and reorder a board's columns, and drag cards between them to change a task's status.

## Changes

- [Help pages for every feature](/changelog/2026-09-30#2026-09-30-help-pages-for-every-feature) - 2026-09-30