# Empty description field for tasks

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/empty-description-field-for-tasks/85771>\
**Category:** Elasticsearch\
**Created:** [May 15, 2017, 1:37pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/empty-description-field-for-tasks/85771 "2017-05-15T13:37:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Dan\_Markhasin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/dan_markhasin/32/14187_2.png) [@Dan\_Markhasin](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Dan_Markhasin)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2017, 1:37pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/empty-description-field-for-tasks/85771/1 "2017-05-15T13:37:27Z")

</div>

According to the docs, setting the detailed parameter on a request to \_tasks API will return a description for each task - but when I set the parameter, even though the "description" field exists in the response, it is always empty.  
I assume that not all tasks have a description, but according to the docs at least \_bulk tasks should have a description:

> "The new description field contains human readable text that identifies the particular request that the task is performing such as identifying the search request being performed by a search task like the example above. Other kinds of task have have different descriptions, like \_reindex which has the search and the destination, or **\_bulk which just has the number of requests and the destination indices**."

However, even for bulk tasks, there is no description.. is this a bug in ES (I am using 5.4.0) or in the docs?

> "tasks": {  
> "tGq\_571FSkehKjbM\_rHsUQ:225749430": {  
> "node": "tGq\_571FSkehKjbM\_rHsUQ",  
> "id": 225749430,  
> "type": "transport",  
> "action": "indices:data/write/bulk",  
> "description": "",  
> "start\_time\_in\_millis": 1494855256145,  
> "running\_time\_in\_nanos": 49847225,  
> "cancellable": false  
> },  
> "tGq\_571FSkehKjbM\_rHsUQ:225749433": {  
> "node": "tGq\_571FSkehKjbM\_rHsUQ",  
> "id": 225749433,  
> "type": "transport",  
> "action": "indices:data/write/bulk",  
> "description": "",  
> "start\_time\_in\_millis": 1494855256151,  
> "running\_time\_in\_nanos": 43016485,  
> "cancellable": false  
> }  
> }

---

<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:** [June 12, 2017, 1:39pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/empty-description-field-for-tasks/85771/2 "2017-06-12T13:39:17Z")

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Closed on June 12, 2017, 1:39pm UTC

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