# Programmatically Change Kibana Index Pattern Format Type **URL:** \ **Category:** Kibana\ **Created:** [November 4, 2019, 11:21pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/programmatically-change-kibana-index-pattern-format-type/206497 "2019-11-04T23:21:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![joshuasmith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joshuasmith](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/joshuasmith)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 11:21pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/programmatically-change-kibana-index-pattern-format-type/206497/1 "2019-11-04T23:21:57Z")
Good day, I am trying to find a way to programmatically change a field type in Kibana from a String to a Url format (not a elasticsearch index pattern). This means I need a way to define the "URL template" as well as the "Label template". Is anyone aware of a way to accomplish this via the API, I haven't been able to find it on the forums or via Google. I am running Elastic 7.4 and here is a link to the field formatters in question: [https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/kibana/current/field-formatters-string.html](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/kibana/current/field-formatters-string.html) Thanks for any help! ---
**Author:** ![mattkime](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/mattkime/32/43522_2.png) [@mattkime](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/mattkime)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2019, 7:53pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/programmatically-change-kibana-index-pattern-format-type/206497/2 "2019-11-11T19:53:08Z")
There isn't an officially provided way to do this but there might be another way - Index patterns are stored as saved objects (documents) in the `.kibana` index on your elasticsearch cluster. If you look through these documents you'll find one related to your index pattern. You could also look at exporting your saved objects and examine them with a text editor. If you're patient and clever you might be able to find a programmatic way to modify these documents. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 7:53pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/programmatically-change-kibana-index-pattern-format-type/206497/3 "2019-12-09T19:53:09Z")
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