OK, I've been looking into the API also so will go that route.  How about for the "Post Reply" window when a technician is dealing with a ticket?  Can this be customized to only have specific fields?

Thanks ntozier, I will look at that link.BTW, I found custom forms (and then help topics) also only took me so far.  I want to streamline the new ticket creation of certain help topics to where I don't need the technician to input issue details but other information.  I can't seem to hide the "Issue Details" box on the ticket creation side and I also can't seem to hide the response text box after it is created (I would like there just to be a date/time box for a certain help topic).  Is this possible?

So I understand that custom forms are the way to add fields that previously weren't available to a ticket but what is the proper way to customize the new ticket dialog and then the dialog where a technician accesses the ticket?Specifically I want to set up a "help topic" that doesn't even have the issues detail field or canned response field in the "Open a New Ticket" dialog under "Ticket Details".Also, when the technician accesses the ticket I would like the response section to be a custom date field.Is this possible?

So I think the first part of my question can be answered with custom forms?  I still am not sure how I would work in the second (populating data on a different database when submitting), anyone work in a custom procedure like that?

Looking to do something specific and am evaluating osticket as a possibility so wondering if someone might be able to point me in the right direction (or point me to a forum topic which is similar.I would like to create a ticket and have the agent be constrained to a date for an answer then populate a (local) database with that answer.  Has anyone heard of played with such a thing?  Thanks.