The <a href="https://support.monday.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000635139-Connect-Boards-Column-Previously-Link-to-Item-Column-)" target="_blank">connect boards column</a> links an item on the board with an item(s) on a different board(s). Our API **fully supports** the connect boards column, so you can filter, read, update, and clear it via the API.
# Filtering the connect boards column
Using the <a href="https://developer.monday.com/api-reference/docs/items_page" target="_blank">`items_page`</a> object, you can easily filter a board's items by specific columns or column values. The table below contains the connect boards column's supported operators and compare values.
| Operators | Compare values |
`any_of` | The connected items' IDs to filter by |
`not_any_of` | The connected items' IDs to filter by |
`is_empty` | `null` |
`is_not_empty` | `null` |
`contains_text` | The partial or whole item name to filter by as a string |
`not_contains_text` | The partial or whole item name to filter by as a string |
Pro tip
`
items_page` is only available in API version `2023-10` for now.
The following example returns all items on the specified board that are connected to an item whose name contains "Test".
# Reading the connect boards column
You can query the connect boards column using the `column_values` object. The object has different fields based on which API version you are using. Column values v2 fields will be available in API versions `2023-10` and later, while column values v1 fields are only supported in versions `2023-07` and `2023-04`.
### Column values v2
The <a href="https://developer.monday.com/api-reference/docs/column-values-v2" target="_blank">`column_values`</a> object enables you to return column-specific subfields by sending a fragment in your query. Values for the connect boards column are of the `BoardRelationValue` type.
Pro tip
`
column_values` v2 fields are only available in API version `2023-10`.
#### **Fields**
| Field | Description |
column `Column!` | The column the value belongs to. |
display_value `String!` | The names of the linked items, separated by commas. |
id `ID!` | The column's unique identifier. |
linked_item_ids `[ID!]!` | The unique identifiers of linked items. |
linked_items `[Item!]!` | The linked items. |
text `String` | The column's value as text. **Please note:** this field will be blank in API version `2023-10`. Use `display_value` instead. |
type `ColumnType!` | The column's type. |
updated_at `Date` | The column's last updated date. |
value `JSON` | The column's JSON-formatted raw value. |
### Column values v1
You can return the data in a connect boards column in two different formats when you query by <a href="https://developer.monday.com/api-reference/docs/column-values" target="_blank">column values</a>. The `text` field will return the connected items' name(s) as a simple string. The `value` field will return metadata about the column as a JSON string.
# Updating the connect boards column
You can update a connect boards column using the <a href="https://developer.monday.com/api-reference/docs/columns#change-multiple-column-values" target="_blank">`change_multiple_column_values`</a> mutation and passing a JSON string in the `column_values` argument. Simple string updates are not supported.
### JSON
Warning
Boards can't be connected using the API - only items on boards that are already connected. Let's say your want to connect an item from Board B to Board A, but the boards are not yet connected. You must first manually connect Boards B and A, and then you can use the API to connect the items.
If you try to connect items from boards that are not connected, you will get an error.
To update a connect boards column, send the item IDs to be linked as an array. Check out this mutation in action in our <a href="https://www.postman.com/matiasdavidson/workspace/monday-com-queries-and-mutations/request/17637789-c9dead2a-0630-4472-a477-fa22ca291e08" target="_blank">Postman library</a> or follow along with these code samples!
# Clearing the connect boards column
You can also clear a connect boards column using the <a href="https://developer.monday.com/api-reference/docs/columns#change-multiple-column-values" target="_blank">`change_multiple_column_values`</a> mutation and passing `null` or an empty object in the `column_values` argument. Check out this mutation in action in our <a href="https://www.postman.com/matiasdavidson/workspace/monday-com-queries-and-mutations/request/17637789-9d96fa22-ef14-4615-ab04-6cf53fd64319" target="_blank">Postman library</a> or follow along with these code samples!
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