Calculated custom field to retrieve User ID from and External Lookup field of Team members by name | Community
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January 28, 2026
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Calculated custom field to retrieve User ID from and External Lookup field of Team members by name

  • January 28, 2026
  • 1 reply
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I’ve created an External Look up Field that pulls the names of individuals on a team “Information Managers” I would like from that field to get the User ID related to the individual selected so I can create a $$USER.ID report.

I know I could create a calculated field that has each member with their corresponding ID but looking to do something so I don’t have to update everything each time a team member is added or removed.

Is this something that can be done at the Workfront level? I do have access to Fusion if I need to go that route.

All suggestions welcome.

Thank you in advance,

Dawnmarie

Best answer by Kurt_Jones

Dawnmarie,

External lookup fields can only pull one data point back in the json path.  I think the only way to get what you want is the calc field where if the user name equals what’s in the external lookup field provide the userID.  For Fusion, you’d basically do same thing where the ext lookup field is populated and you ask Fusion to use the name to search for userID and put that in another custom field to use.

1 reply

Kurt_Jones
Community Advisor
Kurt_JonesCommunity AdvisorAccepted solution
Community Advisor
January 29, 2026

Dawnmarie,

External lookup fields can only pull one data point back in the json path.  I think the only way to get what you want is the calc field where if the user name equals what’s in the external lookup field provide the userID.  For Fusion, you’d basically do same thing where the ext lookup field is populated and you ask Fusion to use the name to search for userID and put that in another custom field to use.

If my response answered your question, please mark it answered, so others can find the answer