GLQL fields

With GitLab Query Language (GLQL), fields are used to:

• Filter the results returned from a GLQL query.
• Control the details displayed in an embedded view.
• Sort the results displayed in an embedded view.

You use fields in three embedded view parameters:

• query - Set conditions to determine which items to retrieve. The query parameter can include one or more expressions of the format <field> <operator> <value>. Multiple expressions are joined with and, for example, group = "gitlab-org" and author = currentUser().
• fields - Specify which columns and details appear in your view. A comma-separated list of fields or field functions, for example, fields: title, state, health, epic, milestone, weight, updated.
• sort - Order items by specific criteria. A field name followed by a sort order (asc or desc), for example, sort: updated desc.

Data sources

For a list of supported data sources and their fields, see GLQL data sources.

Troubleshooting

Query timeout errors

You might encounter these error messages:

Embedded view timed out. Add more filters to reduce the number of results.

Query temporarily blocked due to repeated timeouts. Please try again later or try narrowing your search scope.

These errors occur when your query takes too long to execute. Large result sets and broad searches can cause timeouts.

To resolve this issue, add filters to limit your search scope:

• Add time range filters to limit results to a specific period, by using date fields like created, updated, or closed. For example:

  ```glql
  display: table
  fields: title, labels, created
  query: type = Issue and group = "gitlab-org" and label = "group::knowledge" and created > "2025-01-01" and created < "2025-03-01"
  ```

• Filter by recent updates to focus on active items:

  ```glql
  display: table
  fields: title, labels, updated
  query: type = Issue and group = "gitlab-org" and label = "group::knowledge" and updated > -3m
  ```

• Use project-specific queries instead of group-wide searches when possible:

  ```glql
  display: table
  fields: title, state, assignee
  query: type = Issue and project = "gitlab-org/gitlab" and state = opened and updated > -1m
  ```

Error: Invalid username reference

You might get an error that states Invalid username reference when using the @ symbol with a username that starts with a number in GLQL queries. For example:

An error occurred when trying to display this embedded view:
* Error: Invalid username reference @123username

This issue occurs because the GLQL embedded view renderer does not support @ mentions for usernames that start with a number, even though these are valid in GitLab.

The workaround is to remove the @ symbol and wrap the username in quotes. For example, use assignee = "123username" instead of assignee = @123username.

For more information, see issue 583119.