Understanding units of measure

Summary: What a unit of measure is, where to find the units, and what each data type and option does, so you can choose the right one for a custom field.

 

Applies to

Property	Value
Product	LYNX-X
Version	28.10.9846.0
Required permissions	Space owner
Last updated	2026-11-13
Owner	Support

 

Overview

A unit of measure describes one kind of value: what type of value it is (its data type) and, for a picklist, the values people can choose from. Every custom field takes its values from a unit of measure. One unit can serve several fields, and if you change a unit, every field that uses it changes too.

You find the units under Go to configuration > Units of measure. From the Custom fields editor, Open Units of measure takes you there as well. How to create a unit and a field is explained in Setting up custom fields.

 

Fields

Each unit has these settings. The block under them changes with the data type you choose.

Setting	What it is for
Description	The unit's name. You choose it when you add a field.
Symbol	Optional. It is shown after the field's name, as in Costs [kg] or Profit [€].
Data type	The kind of value: text, a number, a date, a user, and so on. See Options below.
Unit of measure	How the value is used. The choices depend on the data type: Standard; Picklist for String; Value is used to enter durations for TimeSpan and Double; Value holds financial data for Double.

When someone creates a card, each picklist field on it starts with the first value of its list.

 

Options

The data types and options you will use most:

Data type and option	What it holds	Typical use	How people fill it in
String	General text or another value typed by hand	Description, reference, category	A text box
String with Multi line text?	Longer text over several lines	Detailed description, comments	A tall text box
String with Link?	A web address	A link to a site	A clickable link
String as a Picklist	One value from a list you define	Status, category, department	A drop-down list
Picklist with Multi select	Several values from the list	Several causes of delay, classifications	A list of tick boxes
Boolean	A tick or no tick	—	A tick box
SystemUser	A LYNX-X user, or one of the user's details	Team member, owner	A list of the space's users
Teams(s)	A skill, or one of the skill's details	Software Team	—
Workpackage	A task and anything connected to it	Task status, stage, project	Filled in on a card from its task
Card	A card and its details	Card type, changed by	Filled in on a card from the card itself
DateTime	A calendar date, often used by planning or buffer management	Due date	A date, with the week and a calendar
TimeSpan	A duration	A size or estimate in hours	A duration, such as 16h
Double	A number: an amount for sizing, workload, progress or cost	A size in points, developer days or another unit of your own	A number box

Blocks that come with a data type

• Standard properties (String): Multi line text? and Link?.
• Date only field? (DateTime).
• Object expression (SystemUser, Teams(s), Workpackage, Card): which property of the linked object to show. See Linked objects below.
• Default conversion rate (when the value is used to enter durations): a descriptive name, a rate per period, and whether it is the default for workpackages. See Sizing work in your own unit below.
• Financial (when a number holds financial data): a currency symbol, a rate (such as €/h) and whether it is the default for costs.

Sizing work in your own unit

Set a TimeSpan or Double unit to Value is used to enter durations when people should size tasks and cards in that unit, besides the standard way of entering days and hours. Its Default conversion rate translates the unit into time, so that a size in that unit has a standard meaning in hours. For example, Hours at 40 per week, or Points at 20 per week. The rate can be set per hour, per day or per week.

Linked objects

Four data types do not hold a value of their own. They link the field to something in LYNX-X and show one of its properties:

Data type	Links to	Examples of what it can show
SystemUser	A LYNX-X user	The name, or the email, first name, initials, organisation
Teams(s)	A skill	Its calendar, its skill type, its team managers
Workpackage	A task, and everything connected to it	Its status, priority, deadline, project, buffer, or the stage it belongs to
Card	A card	Its card type, who changed it, who created it, its parent

The Object expression decides which property is shown. Select + next to it to open Select property: type part of a name, such as Stage, to find it, then select Ok. Leave the expression empty to show the object's usual name.

For example:

• With the expression Email on the user unit behind Assignee, cards show the assignee's email address instead of their name.
• On a card, a Workpackage field with DisplayStatus shows the status of the card's task, and a Card field with CardType shows the card's own type. LYNX-X fills these in for you.

 

See also

• Setting up custom fields

 

Revision history

Version	Date	Author	Changes
1.1	2026-11-13	Support	Added what the default conversion rate is for, when to choose TimeSpan or Double, and the first picklist value on a new card.
1.0	2026-10-13	Support	New article.