Threads

A thread is the digital record for one physical item. It holds the item’s data fields, files, identifiers, relationships to other threads, and a complete event history. As the empty state on the thread list puts it: “Each thread holds the identifiers, files, and history for one item.”

Everything a Thread holds for one physical item. The same compartments appear as cards on the thread detail page.

Browse and search threads

Open Search in the sidebar to see your team’s threads. You can:

• Search by name with the Search threads… box.
• Toggle between Table view and Cards view.
• Switch the page to Files to search files instead of threads (Search Files).

The Search page lists your team's threads with their identifiers, folder, and owner.

Filters

The Thread filters control offers:

• Scope: All threads, Created by me, or My Team.
• Uncategorized — threads not yet in any category. This scope only appears for organizations that have it enabled; see Categories.
• Include archived — archived threads are hidden by default and marked with an Archived badge when shown.
• Transferred: Any, Shipped only, or Hide shipped — threads that left your team in a shipment carry a Shipped badge. See Shipments.
• Reset filters to return to the defaults.

Threads that other teams shared with you are not in this list — they live under Shared in the sidebar. See Sharing and Access.

Create a thread

Click New Thread in the sidebar to open Create a New Thread. Enter a Name (required), choose a Folder (required), optionally add a Description, and optionally pick a Template. Then fill in fields and click Create Thread. The full walkthrough is in Getting started.

The thread detail page

A thread's detail page: fields, lineage, files, and the permanent transaction history — with banners for anything in flight, like a pending shipment.

Opening a thread shows everything about it:

• Header — the thread’s name, description, and thumbnail, with Created / Updated timestamps and creator. Actions include Capture (take a photo and attach it to the thread — on a phone this opens the camera, on a computer it opens a viewfinder in the page, with a camera picker when more than one camera is connected — and either way you review the photo and choose a full-quality or smaller upload before it is attached), Share, Access, and a More actions menu with Edit thread, Mobile Link (a QR code to open the page on a phone), Move to Folder, and Archive / Restore.
• Data — the thread’s data fields (see below).
• Identifiers — the identifiers bound to the thread, with a Bind button to add more. Click an identifier to view it, edit its name and description, Verify it, or Unbind it. See Identifiers and Scanning.
• Files — grouped into Images & Media and Documents & Files, with Upload, search, and sorting (Newest first, Oldest first, Name (A–Z), Name (Z–A)). Interrupted uploads can be resumed (Resume Upload). When a thread receives its first image — however it was added — DICE offers that image as the thread’s thumbnail, and you choose Set Thumbnail or Skip; nothing changes until you pick.
• Relationships — “Related threads and dependencies”: links to other threads, with Add to create new links. See Relationships.
• Part of — “Where this thread is installed — outside its own contents”: the assemblies this thread is slotted into. See Assemblies.
• Transaction History — the thread’s event feed, with View events to see everything that ever happened to it. See Activity.
• Viewing — presence indicators showing who is looking at this thread right now (including You).

Fields

Template fields and custom fields

• Template fields come from the template chosen at creation; they appear under a Template fields group and keep threads of the same kind consistent.
• Custom fields are added per thread. In the data card, switch to Edit mode and use Add field — new fields are “Added to the end of the list”. You can also Reorder fields and Save order.

Field types

A field has a name, a type, and a value. Available types: Text, Long Text, Number, Boolean, Date, Date & Time, Duration, Time, Date Range, Tags, Select, Select Many, Email, Phone, URL, JSON, Audio, Document, File, Image, PDF, and Video. File-typed fields (Audio, Document, File, Image, PDF, Video) attach a file from the thread or a new upload.

Required and private fields

When editing a field you can mark it:

• Required — “Make this field required”.
• Private — “Hide this field from shared views”. Private field values stay visible to the owning team but are not exposed to teams the thread is shared with.

Archiving and restoring field data

Deleting a field archives it rather than destroying it. The data card has an Archived fields section where each archived field shows when it was archived and offers Restore. Private archived fields keep their Private marker.

Files and identifiers can be archived and made private too

From a file’s actions menu you can:

• Set as thumbnail — use an image as the thread’s thumbnail.
• Make private / Make public — private files are hidden from shared views. “Files can only be made private from the thread owner organization.”
• Archive file / Restore file — archived files move to an Archived files list on the thread, where each entry shows its archive date and a Restore button.
• Associate with field — bind the file to a data field, or create a new image field for it.
• Download.

Identifiers can likewise be unbound from the identifier dialog (Unbind — “This will remove the identifier from this thread. This action cannot be undone.”).

Edit a thread

Choose Edit thread from the thread’s More actions menu to open the Edit Thread dialog — “Update the thread name and description.” — then Save. Field values are edited directly in the data card’s Edit mode.

Archive and restore a thread

1. On the thread page, open More actions and choose Archive.

2. The thread now shows a banner: “This thread is archived.” with the explanation “Archived threads are hidden from thread lists and search by default. The thread is not deleted; its details, files, and links are preserved and it can be restored.”

3. To bring it back, open the archived thread (use the Include archived filter to find it) and choose Restore. A “Thread restored” confirmation appears.

Templates

Templates let you reuse field definitions across many threads.

• Using a template: pick one in the Template dropdown when creating a thread; its fields appear pre-populated under Thread Fields. If a selected template contains field types your app can’t render, the form warns you — you can still create the thread without it.
• Managing templates: open Thread Templates in the sidebar. Search by name or description, or click New Template to open Create a New Template — “Templates let you reuse thread field definitions across multiple threads.” The empty state invites you to “Create your first template”. Templates are also created automatically when you import threads from a CSV; see Import.

Related pages

• Shipped and locked threads (shipment banners on the thread page): Shipments
• Deriving new threads from an existing one: Slicing
• Reviewing updates disclosed by a thread’s sources: Disclosures
• Thread lineage and provenance: Fabric