# Does setup.template.append\_fields work for multifields?

**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/does-setup-template-append-fields-work-for-multifields/198125
**Category:** Beats
**Created:** [September 4, 2019, 11:46pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/does-setup-template-append-fields-work-for-multifields/198125 "2019-09-04T23:46:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![mbradsher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mbradsher](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/mbradsher)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2019, 11:46pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/does-setup-template-append-fields-work-for-multifields/198125/1 "2019-09-04T23:46:21Z")

</div>

Hello,

I am attempting apply the experimental index template feature, [setup.template.append\_fields](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/beats/filebeat/7.3/configuration-template.html), inside a filebeat config in order to set up a [multifield](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/multi-fields.html) datatype. This is an appealing feature because we don't want to have to support the entire field.yml file. I want a multifield datatype that will look like this in the index:

```
"stepid": {
            "type": "text",
            "fields": {
              "keyword": {
                "type": "keyword",
                "ignore_above": 256
              }
            }
          }

```

I've attempted to mimic the structure in yaml but I get a different result. I have something like this:

```
setup.template.overwrite: true
setup.template.append_fields:
- name: fubar.stepid
  type: text
  fields:
    keyword:
      type: keyword
      ignore_above: 256

```

Unfortunately I get a different result in the index:

```
"stepid": {
         "type": "text",
         "norms": false
              }

```

I understand that copying the mapping in the index isn't a foolproof way to develop something but I don't have any other guidance to go on.

What am I missing here?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [October 3, 2019, 1:46am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/does-setup-template-append-fields-work-for-multifields/198125/2 "2019-10-03T01:46:34Z")

</div>

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