> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.qrtub.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Tags

> The core Tags field: how to enter multiple values, why tag chips are colored, and the comma-versus-semicolon difference between the form and CSV

Tags is the core field that holds a list of values rather than a single one. It is where
cross-cutting labels go — `site-a`, `hired-in`, `needs-service` — the kind of thing you would
not create a dedicated field for.

## Entering tags

By default Tags is a plain text box and you type your values separated by commas:

```text theme={null}
site-a, hired-in, needs-service
```

Each value is trimmed, empty entries are dropped, and duplicates are removed, so
`site-a, , site-a` is stored as the single tag `site-a`.

## Turning Tags into a picker

Add Allowed Values to the Tags field in the Collection's Fields tab and the text box becomes a
multi-select list of those options. This is what you want once a team is sharing a Collection —
it stops `site-a`, `Site A` and `sitea` from all existing at once.

Tags ships with **Allow new values** turned on, so even as a picker it keeps an "Add new\..."
box in the dropdown: someone can still add a value that is not on the list, and it is registered
for everyone to reuse. Turn Allow new values off and both the item form and CSV import reject
any value outside the list.

## Why tag chips are colored

Tag colors come from the Allowed Values list, not from the Item. Each allowed value can be given
a color, and that color is used wherever the tag is rendered — the items table and the Page
someone sees after scanning. Configure the color once on the field and it applies everywhere.

A tag that was typed freely and has no matching allowed value simply renders with no color. That
is the usual reason a tag looks plain next to colored siblings.

On a Page, both the Tags section and the ItemHeader section's chips default to the
`{{item.tags}}` binding, so tags show up without you configuring anything.

## Tags in CSV files

Tags use a **semicolon** in CSV, not a comma — commas separate columns:

```text theme={null}
name,tags
Excavator 203,site-a; hired-in
```

Exports join the values with `; `, and imports accept them with or without the space after the
semicolon. A cell with no semicolon is imported as a single-value list.

## Related

* [What Is an Item?](/items/overview)
* [Allowed Values](/fields/allowed-values)
* [Allow New Values](/fields/allow-new-values)
* [Importing Items from CSV](/import-export/importing-items)