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This is just my opinion but it seems like there are particular preferences for the term 'mandatory' and 'required' in different contexts, and even in the questions with the tag 'mandatory-field' the term required is used.

I am trying to think of a more compelling reason to merge them, because if we simply allowed one and not the other it means that a good number of people might not end up tagging it. But perhaps we should also review all other merge requests and see whether this has been the case or not.

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  • My understanding is that if we make them synonyms, then both terms—whichever the user types—will resolve to the same tag, is that correct?
    – maxathousand
    Jun 9, 2021 at 2:36
  • @maxathousand Yes, I believe this is the case, and in a number of instances in the past it is due to the lack of usage guidance that has created this issue. I am pondering if there are some contexts in which one term is more appropriate than the other, and in the absence of such information it might be best to merge the two and come up with the usage guidance for the tag. Do you have a suggestion for the definition/usage guidance?
    – Michael Lai Mod
    Jun 9, 2021 at 23:46
  • Maybe it's just my experience with the terms, but they seem equally interchangeable. In user interfaces, however, I more often see * = required than * = mandatory, so that's why I suggested mandatory-fields point to required-fields. In my opinion, I don't really think usage guidance is really needed to explain what a required field is, but sure: "A required field is an element of a user interface that requires user input in order for the user to be able to submit a form, complete a task, or otherwise proceed in their journey."
    – maxathousand
    Jun 10, 2021 at 19:25

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