diff --git a/qqq-backend-core/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/core/model/metadata/fields/WhiteSpaceBehavior.java b/qqq-backend-core/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/core/model/metadata/fields/WhiteSpaceBehavior.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3beaf3d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/qqq-backend-core/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/core/model/metadata/fields/WhiteSpaceBehavior.java
@@ -0,0 +1,174 @@
+/*
+ * QQQ - Low-code Application Framework for Engineers.
+ * Copyright (C) 2021-2024.  Kingsrook, LLC
+ * 651 N Broad St Ste 205 # 6917 | Middletown DE 19709 | United States
+ * contact@kingsrook.com
+ * https://github.com/Kingsrook/
+ *
+ * This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ * it under the terms of the GNU Affero General Public License as
+ * published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the
+ * License, or (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ * GNU Affero General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License
+ * along with this program.  If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ */
+
+package com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.fields;
+
+
+import java.io.Serializable;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Objects;
+import java.util.function.Function;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.actions.values.ValueBehaviorApplier;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.data.QRecord;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.QInstance;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.tables.QTableMetaData;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.utils.CollectionUtils;
+
+
+/*******************************************************************************
+ ** Field behavior that changes the whitespace of string values.
+ *******************************************************************************/
+public enum WhiteSpaceBehavior implements FieldBehavior<WhiteSpaceBehavior>, FieldBehaviorForFrontend, FieldFilterBehavior<WhiteSpaceBehavior>
+{
+   NONE(null),
+   REMOVE_ALL_WHITESPACE((String s) -> s.chars().filter(c -> !Character.isWhitespace(c)).collect(StringBuilder::new, StringBuilder::appendCodePoint, StringBuilder::append).toString()),
+   TRIM((String s) -> s.trim()),
+   TRIM_LEFT((String s) -> s.stripLeading()),
+   TRIM_RIGHT((String s) -> s.stripTrailing());
+
+
+   private final Function<String, String> function;
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    **
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   WhiteSpaceBehavior(Function<String, String> function)
+   {
+      this.function = function;
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    **
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @Override
+   public WhiteSpaceBehavior getDefault()
+   {
+      return (NONE);
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    **
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @Override
+   public void apply(ValueBehaviorApplier.Action action, List<QRecord> recordList, QInstance instance, QTableMetaData table, QFieldMetaData field)
+   {
+      if(this.equals(NONE))
+      {
+         return;
+      }
+
+      switch(this)
+      {
+         case REMOVE_ALL_WHITESPACE, TRIM, TRIM_LEFT, TRIM_RIGHT -> applyFunction(recordList, table, field);
+         default -> throw new IllegalStateException("Unexpected enum value: " + this);
+      }
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    **
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   private void applyFunction(List<QRecord> recordList, QTableMetaData table, QFieldMetaData field)
+   {
+      String fieldName = field.getName();
+      for(QRecord record : CollectionUtils.nonNullList(recordList))
+      {
+         String value = record.getValueString(fieldName);
+         if(value != null && function != null)
+         {
+            record.setValue(fieldName, function.apply(value));
+         }
+      }
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    **
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @Override
+   public Serializable applyToFilterCriteriaValue(Serializable value, QInstance instance, QTableMetaData table, QFieldMetaData field)
+   {
+      if(this.equals(NONE) || function == null)
+      {
+         return (value);
+      }
+
+      if(value instanceof String s)
+      {
+         String newValue = function.apply(s);
+         if(!Objects.equals(value, newValue))
+         {
+            return (newValue);
+         }
+      }
+
+      return (value);
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    **
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @Override
+   public boolean allowMultipleBehaviorsOfThisType()
+   {
+      return (false);
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    **
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @Override
+   public List<String> validateBehaviorConfiguration(QTableMetaData tableMetaData, QFieldMetaData fieldMetaData)
+   {
+      if(this == NONE)
+      {
+         return Collections.emptyList();
+      }
+
+      List<String> errors      = new ArrayList<>();
+      String       errorSuffix = " field [" + fieldMetaData.getName() + "] in table [" + tableMetaData.getName() + "]";
+
+      if(fieldMetaData.getType() != null)
+      {
+         if(!fieldMetaData.getType().isStringLike())
+         {
+            errors.add("A WhiteSpaceBehavior was a applied to a non-String-like field:" + errorSuffix);
+         }
+      }
+
+      return (errors);
+   }
+
+}
diff --git a/qqq-backend-core/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/core/model/metadata/fields/WhiteSpaceBehaviorTest.java b/qqq-backend-core/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/core/model/metadata/fields/WhiteSpaceBehaviorTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..29071874
--- /dev/null
+++ b/qqq-backend-core/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/core/model/metadata/fields/WhiteSpaceBehaviorTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,200 @@
+/*
+ * QQQ - Low-code Application Framework for Engineers.
+ * Copyright (C) 2021-2024.  Kingsrook, LLC
+ * 651 N Broad St Ste 205 # 6917 | Middletown DE 19709 | United States
+ * contact@kingsrook.com
+ * https://github.com/Kingsrook/
+ *
+ * This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ * it under the terms of the GNU Affero General Public License as
+ * published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the
+ * License, or (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ * GNU Affero General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License
+ * along with this program.  If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ */
+
+package com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.fields;
+
+
+import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Set;
+import java.util.stream.Collectors;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.BaseTest;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.actions.tables.GetAction;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.actions.tables.InsertAction;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.actions.tables.QueryAction;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.actions.tables.UpdateAction;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.actions.values.ValueBehaviorApplier;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.context.QContext;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.exceptions.QException;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.actions.tables.insert.InsertInput;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.actions.tables.update.UpdateInput;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.data.QRecord;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.QInstance;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.tables.QTableMetaData;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.utils.TestUtils;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.utils.collections.ListBuilder;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNull;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
+
+/*******************************************************************************
+ ** Unit test for WhiteSpaceBehavior
+ *******************************************************************************/
+class WhiteSpaceBehaviorTest extends BaseTest
+{
+   public static final String FIELD = "firstName";
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    **
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @Test
+   void testNone()
+   {
+      assertNull(applyToRecord(WhiteSpaceBehavior.NONE, new QRecord(), ValueBehaviorApplier.Action.INSERT).getValue(FIELD));
+      assertNull(applyToRecord(WhiteSpaceBehavior.NONE, new QRecord().withValue(FIELD, null), ValueBehaviorApplier.Action.INSERT).getValue(FIELD));
+      assertEquals("John", applyToRecord(WhiteSpaceBehavior.NONE, new QRecord().withValue(FIELD, "John"), ValueBehaviorApplier.Action.INSERT).getValue(FIELD));
+
+      assertEquals(ListBuilder.of("J.   ohn", null, "Jane\n"), applyToRecords(WhiteSpaceBehavior.NONE, List.of(
+            new QRecord().withValue(FIELD, "J.   ohn"),
+            new QRecord(),
+            new QRecord().withValue(FIELD, "Jane\n")),
+         ValueBehaviorApplier.Action.INSERT).stream().map(r -> r.getValueString(FIELD)).toList());
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    **
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @Test
+   void testRemoveWhiteSpace()
+   {
+      assertNull(applyToRecord(WhiteSpaceBehavior.REMOVE_ALL_WHITESPACE, new QRecord(), ValueBehaviorApplier.Action.INSERT).getValue(FIELD));
+      assertNull(applyToRecord(WhiteSpaceBehavior.REMOVE_ALL_WHITESPACE, new QRecord().withValue(FIELD, null), ValueBehaviorApplier.Action.INSERT).getValue(FIELD));
+      assertEquals("doobeedoobeedoo", applyToRecord(WhiteSpaceBehavior.REMOVE_ALL_WHITESPACE, new QRecord().withValue(FIELD, "doo bee doo\n bee doo"), ValueBehaviorApplier.Action.INSERT).getValue(FIELD));
+
+      assertEquals(ListBuilder.of("thisistheway", null, "thatwastheway"), applyToRecords(WhiteSpaceBehavior.REMOVE_ALL_WHITESPACE, List.of(
+            new QRecord().withValue(FIELD, "this is\rthe way   \t"),
+            new QRecord(),
+            new QRecord().withValue(FIELD, "that was the way\n")),
+         ValueBehaviorApplier.Action.INSERT).stream().map(r -> r.getValueString(FIELD)).toList());
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    **
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @Test
+   void testTrimWhiteSpace()
+   {
+      assertNull(applyToRecord(WhiteSpaceBehavior.TRIM, new QRecord(), ValueBehaviorApplier.Action.INSERT).getValue(FIELD));
+      assertNull(applyToRecord(WhiteSpaceBehavior.TRIM, new QRecord().withValue(FIELD, null), ValueBehaviorApplier.Action.INSERT).getValue(FIELD));
+      assertEquals("doo bee doo\n bee doo", applyToRecord(WhiteSpaceBehavior.TRIM, new QRecord().withValue(FIELD, "    doo bee doo\n bee doo\r \n\n"), ValueBehaviorApplier.Action.INSERT).getValue(FIELD));
+
+      assertEquals(ListBuilder.of("this is\rthe way", null, "that was the way"), applyToRecords(WhiteSpaceBehavior.TRIM, List.of(
+            new QRecord().withValue(FIELD, "      this is\rthe way   \t"),
+            new QRecord(),
+            new QRecord().withValue(FIELD, "that was the way\n")),
+         ValueBehaviorApplier.Action.INSERT).stream().map(r -> r.getValueString(FIELD)).toList());
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    **
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @Test
+   void testTrimLeftWhiteSpace()
+   {
+      assertNull(applyToRecord(WhiteSpaceBehavior.TRIM_LEFT, new QRecord(), ValueBehaviorApplier.Action.INSERT).getValue(FIELD));
+      assertNull(applyToRecord(WhiteSpaceBehavior.TRIM_LEFT, new QRecord().withValue(FIELD, null), ValueBehaviorApplier.Action.INSERT).getValue(FIELD));
+      assertEquals("doo bee doo\n bee doo\r \n\n", applyToRecord(WhiteSpaceBehavior.TRIM_LEFT, new QRecord().withValue(FIELD, "    doo bee doo\n bee doo\r \n\n"), ValueBehaviorApplier.Action.INSERT).getValue(FIELD));
+
+      assertEquals(ListBuilder.of("this is\rthe way   \t", null, "that was the way\n"), applyToRecords(WhiteSpaceBehavior.TRIM_LEFT, List.of(
+            new QRecord().withValue(FIELD, "      this is\rthe way   \t"),
+            new QRecord(),
+            new QRecord().withValue(FIELD, "  \n that was the way\n")),
+         ValueBehaviorApplier.Action.INSERT).stream().map(r -> r.getValueString(FIELD)).toList());
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    **
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @Test
+   void testTrimRightWhiteSpace()
+   {
+      assertNull(applyToRecord(WhiteSpaceBehavior.TRIM_RIGHT, new QRecord(), ValueBehaviorApplier.Action.INSERT).getValue(FIELD));
+      assertNull(applyToRecord(WhiteSpaceBehavior.TRIM_RIGHT, new QRecord().withValue(FIELD, null), ValueBehaviorApplier.Action.INSERT).getValue(FIELD));
+      assertEquals("    doo bee doo\n bee doo", applyToRecord(WhiteSpaceBehavior.TRIM_RIGHT, new QRecord().withValue(FIELD, "    doo bee doo\n bee doo\r \n\n"), ValueBehaviorApplier.Action.INSERT).getValue(FIELD));
+
+      assertEquals(ListBuilder.of("      this is\rthe way", null, "  \n that was the way"), applyToRecords(WhiteSpaceBehavior.TRIM_RIGHT, List.of(
+            new QRecord().withValue(FIELD, "      this is\rthe way   \t"),
+            new QRecord(),
+            new QRecord().withValue(FIELD, "  \n that was the way\n")),
+         ValueBehaviorApplier.Action.INSERT).stream().map(r -> r.getValueString(FIELD)).toList());
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    **
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   private QRecord applyToRecord(WhiteSpaceBehavior behavior, QRecord record, ValueBehaviorApplier.Action action)
+   {
+      return (applyToRecords(behavior, List.of(record), action).get(0));
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    **
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   private List<QRecord> applyToRecords(WhiteSpaceBehavior behavior, List<QRecord> records, ValueBehaviorApplier.Action action)
+   {
+      QTableMetaData table = QContext.getQInstance().getTable(TestUtils.TABLE_NAME_PERSON_MEMORY);
+      behavior.apply(action, records, QContext.getQInstance(), table, table.getField(FIELD));
+      return (records);
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    **
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @Test
+   void testValidation()
+   {
+      QTableMetaData table = QContext.getQInstance().getTable(TestUtils.TABLE_NAME_SHAPE);
+
+      ///////////////////////////////////////////
+      // should be no errors on a string field //
+      ///////////////////////////////////////////
+      assertTrue(WhiteSpaceBehavior.TRIM.validateBehaviorConfiguration(table, table.getField("name")).isEmpty());
+
+      //////////////////////////////////////////
+      // should be an error on a number field //
+      //////////////////////////////////////////
+      assertEquals(1, WhiteSpaceBehavior.REMOVE_ALL_WHITESPACE.validateBehaviorConfiguration(table, table.getField("id")).size());
+
+      /////////////////////////////////////////
+      // NONE should be allowed on any field //
+      /////////////////////////////////////////
+      assertTrue(WhiteSpaceBehavior.NONE.validateBehaviorConfiguration(table, table.getField("id")).isEmpty());
+   }
+
+}
diff --git a/qqq-middleware-api/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/api/actions/ApiFieldUtils.java b/qqq-middleware-api/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/api/actions/ApiFieldUtils.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..79235273
--- /dev/null
+++ b/qqq-middleware-api/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/api/actions/ApiFieldUtils.java
@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+/*
+ * QQQ - Low-code Application Framework for Engineers.
+ * Copyright (C) 2021-2023.  Kingsrook, LLC
+ * 651 N Broad St Ste 205 # 6917 | Middletown DE 19709 | United States
+ * contact@kingsrook.com
+ * https://github.com/Kingsrook/
+ *
+ * This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ * it under the terms of the GNU Affero General Public License as
+ * published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the
+ * License, or (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ * GNU Affero General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License
+ * along with this program.  If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ */
+
+package com.kingsrook.qqq.api.actions;
+
+
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.api.model.APIVersionRange;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.api.model.metadata.fields.ApiFieldMetaData;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.api.model.metadata.fields.ApiFieldMetaDataContainer;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.fields.QFieldMetaData;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.utils.ObjectUtils;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.utils.StringUtils;
+import org.apache.commons.lang.BooleanUtils;
+
+
+/*******************************************************************************
+ ** utility methods for working with fields
+ **
+ *******************************************************************************/
+public class ApiFieldUtils
+{
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    **
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   public static boolean isIncluded(String apiName, QFieldMetaData field)
+   {
+      ApiFieldMetaData apiFieldMetaData = getApiFieldMetaData(apiName, field);
+      if(apiFieldMetaData != null && BooleanUtils.isTrue(apiFieldMetaData.getIsExcluded()))
+      {
+         return (false);
+      }
+
+      return (true);
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    **
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   public static APIVersionRange getApiVersionRangeForRemovedField(String apiName, QFieldMetaData field)
+   {
+      ApiFieldMetaData apiFieldMetaData = getApiFieldMetaData(apiName, field);
+      if(apiFieldMetaData != null && apiFieldMetaData.getInitialVersion() != null)
+      {
+         if(StringUtils.hasContent(apiFieldMetaData.getFinalVersion()))
+         {
+            return (APIVersionRange.betweenAndIncluding(apiFieldMetaData.getInitialVersion(), apiFieldMetaData.getFinalVersion()));
+         }
+         else
+         {
+            throw (new IllegalStateException("RemovedApiFieldMetaData for field [" + field.getName() + "] did not specify a finalVersion."));
+         }
+      }
+      else
+      {
+         throw (new IllegalStateException("RemovedApiFieldMetaData for field [" + field.getName() + "] did not specify an initialVersion."));
+      }
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    **
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   public static APIVersionRange getApiVersionRange(String apiName, QFieldMetaData field)
+   {
+      ApiFieldMetaData apiFieldMetaData = getApiFieldMetaData(apiName, field);
+      if(apiFieldMetaData != null && apiFieldMetaData.getInitialVersion() != null)
+      {
+         return (APIVersionRange.afterAndIncluding(apiFieldMetaData.getInitialVersion()));
+      }
+
+      return (APIVersionRange.none());
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    **
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   public static ApiFieldMetaData getApiFieldMetaData(String apiName, QFieldMetaData field)
+   {
+      return ObjectUtils.tryAndRequireNonNullElse(() -> ApiFieldMetaDataContainer.of(field).getApiFieldMetaData(apiName), new ApiFieldMetaData());
+   }
+}
diff --git a/qqq-middleware-api/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/api/actions/GenerateOpenApiSpecAction.java b/qqq-middleware-api/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/api/actions/GenerateOpenApiSpecAction.java
index 247242b1..c6eda4c5 100644
--- a/qqq-middleware-api/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/api/actions/GenerateOpenApiSpecAction.java
+++ b/qqq-middleware-api/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/api/actions/GenerateOpenApiSpecAction.java
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ public class GenerateOpenApiSpecAction extends AbstractQActionFunction<GenerateO
 
    public static final String QUERY_DESCRIPTION = """
       Execute a query on this table, using query criteria as specified in query string parameters.
-                     
+      
       * Pagination is managed via the `pageNo` & `pageSize` query string parameters.  pageNo starts at 1.  pageSize defaults to 50.
       * By default, the response includes the total count of records that match the query criteria.  The count can be omitted by specifying `includeCount=false`
       * By default, results are sorted by the table's primary key, descending.  This can be changed by specifying the `orderBy` query string parameter, following SQL ORDER BY syntax (e.g., `fieldName1 ASC, fieldName2 DESC`)
@@ -139,26 +139,26 @@ public class GenerateOpenApiSpecAction extends AbstractQActionFunction<GenerateO
       * The request body should not include a value for the table's primary key.  Rather, a value will be generated and returned in a successful response's body.
       * Any unrecognized field names in the body will cause a 400 error.
       * Any read-only (non-editable) fields provided in the body will be silently ignored.
-                     
+      
       Upon success, a status code of 201 (`Created`) is returned, and the generated value for the primary key will be returned in the response body object.
       """;
 
    public static final String UPDATE_DESCRIPTION = """
       Update one record in this table, by specifying its primary key as a path parameter, and by supplying values to be updated in the request body.
-                     
+      
       * Only the fields provided in the request body will be updated.
       * To remove a value from a field, supply the key for the field, with a null value.
       * The request body does not need to contain all fields from the table.  Rather, only the fields to be updated should be supplied.
       * Any unrecognized field names in the body will cause a 400 error.
       * Any read-only (non-editable) fields provided in the body will be silently ignored.
       * Note that if the request body includes the primary key, it will be ignored.  Only the primary key value path parameter will be used.
-                     
+      
       Upon success, a status code of 204 (`No Content`) is returned, with no response body.
       """;
 
    public static final String DELETE_DESCRIPTION = """
       Delete one record from this table, by specifying its primary key as a path parameter.
-                     
+      
       Upon success, a status code of 204 (`No Content`) is returned, with no response body.
       """;
 
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ public class GenerateOpenApiSpecAction extends AbstractQActionFunction<GenerateO
       * The objects in the request body should not include a value for the table's primary key.  Rather, a value will be generated and returned in a successful response's body
       * Any unrecognized field names in the body will cause a 400 error.
       * Any read-only (non-editable) fields provided in the body will be silently ignored.
-                     
+      
       An HTTP 207 (`Multi-Status`) code is generally returned, with an array of objects giving the individual sub-status codes for each record in the request body.
       * The 1st record in the request will have its response in the 1st object in the response, and so-forth.
       * For sub-status codes of 201 (`Created`), and the generated value for the primary key will be returned in the response body object.
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ public class GenerateOpenApiSpecAction extends AbstractQActionFunction<GenerateO
       * The request body does not need to contain all fields from the table.  Rather, only the fields to be updated should be supplied.
       * Any unrecognized field names in the body will cause a 400 error.
       * Any read-only (non-editable) fields provided in the body will be silently ignored.
-                    
+      
       An HTTP 207 (`Multi-Status`) code is generally returned, with an array of objects giving the individual sub-status codes for each record in the request body.
       * The 1st record in the request will have its response in the 1st object in the response, and so-forth.
       * Each input object's primary key will also be included in the corresponding response object.
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ public class GenerateOpenApiSpecAction extends AbstractQActionFunction<GenerateO
 
    public static final String BULK_DELETE_DESCRIPTION = """
       Delete one or more records from this table, by supplying an array of primary key values in the request body.
-                     
+      
       An HTTP 207 (`Multi-Status`) code is generally returned, with an array of objects giving the individual sub-status codes for each record in the request body.
       * The 1st primary key in the request will have its response in the 1st object in the response, and so-forth.
       * Each input primary key will also be included in the corresponding response object.
@@ -726,7 +726,7 @@ public class GenerateOpenApiSpecAction extends AbstractQActionFunction<GenerateO
             ApiProcessMetaData apiProcessMetaData = pair.getA();
             QProcessMetaData   processMetaData    = pair.getB();
 
-            addProcessEndpoints(qInstance, apiInstanceMetaData, basePath, openAPI, tableProcessesTag, apiProcessMetaData, processMetaData);
+            addProcessEndpoints(qInstance, apiInstanceMetaData, basePath, openAPI, tableProcessesTag, apiProcessMetaData, processMetaData, apiVersion);
 
             usedProcessNames.add(processMetaData.getName());
          }
@@ -761,7 +761,7 @@ public class GenerateOpenApiSpecAction extends AbstractQActionFunction<GenerateO
                .withName(tag)
                .withDescription(tag));
 
-            addProcessEndpoints(qInstance, apiInstanceMetaData, basePath, openAPI, tag, apiProcessMetaData, processMetaData);
+            addProcessEndpoints(qInstance, apiInstanceMetaData, basePath, openAPI, tag, apiProcessMetaData, processMetaData, apiVersion);
 
             usedProcessNames.add(processMetaData.getName());
          }
@@ -807,14 +807,14 @@ public class GenerateOpenApiSpecAction extends AbstractQActionFunction<GenerateO
    /*******************************************************************************
     **
     *******************************************************************************/
-   private void addProcessEndpoints(QInstance qInstance, ApiInstanceMetaData apiInstanceMetaData, String basePath, OpenAPI openAPI, String tag, ApiProcessMetaData apiProcessMetaData, QProcessMetaData processMetaData)
+   private void addProcessEndpoints(QInstance qInstance, ApiInstanceMetaData apiInstanceMetaData, String basePath, OpenAPI openAPI, String tag, ApiProcessMetaData apiProcessMetaData, QProcessMetaData processMetaData, APIVersion apiVersion)
    {
       String processApiPath = ApiProcessUtils.getProcessApiPath(qInstance, processMetaData, apiProcessMetaData, apiInstanceMetaData);
 
       ///////////////////////////
       // do the process itself //
       ///////////////////////////
-      Path path = generateProcessSpecPathObject(apiInstanceMetaData, apiProcessMetaData, processMetaData, ListBuilder.of(tag));
+      Path path = generateProcessSpecPathObject(apiInstanceMetaData, apiProcessMetaData, processMetaData, ListBuilder.of(tag), apiVersion);
       openAPI.getPaths().put(basePath + processApiPath, path);
 
       ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
@@ -872,7 +872,7 @@ public class GenerateOpenApiSpecAction extends AbstractQActionFunction<GenerateO
    /*******************************************************************************
     **
     *******************************************************************************/
-   private Path generateProcessSpecPathObject(ApiInstanceMetaData apiInstanceMetaData, ApiProcessMetaData apiProcessMetaData, QProcessMetaData processMetaData, List<String> tags)
+   private Path generateProcessSpecPathObject(ApiInstanceMetaData apiInstanceMetaData, ApiProcessMetaData apiProcessMetaData, QProcessMetaData processMetaData, List<String> tags, APIVersion apiVersion)
    {
       String description = apiProcessMetaData.getDescription();
       if(!StringUtils.hasContent(description))
@@ -927,7 +927,10 @@ public class GenerateOpenApiSpecAction extends AbstractQActionFunction<GenerateO
 
             for(QFieldMetaData field : CollectionUtils.nonNullList(queryStringParams.getFields()))
             {
-               parameters.add(processFieldToParameter(apiInstanceMetaData, field).withIn("query"));
+               if(ApiFieldUtils.isIncluded(apiName, field) && ApiFieldUtils.getApiVersionRange(apiName, field).includes(apiVersion))
+               {
+                  parameters.add(processFieldToParameter(apiInstanceMetaData, field).withIn("query"));
+               }
             }
          }
 
diff --git a/qqq-middleware-api/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/api/actions/GetTableApiFieldsAction.java b/qqq-middleware-api/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/api/actions/GetTableApiFieldsAction.java
index 0319b64f..02c585bb 100644
--- a/qqq-middleware-api/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/api/actions/GetTableApiFieldsAction.java
+++ b/qqq-middleware-api/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/api/actions/GetTableApiFieldsAction.java
@@ -31,11 +31,9 @@ import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Set;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.api.model.APIVersion;
-import com.kingsrook.qqq.api.model.APIVersionRange;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.api.model.actions.GetTableApiFieldsInput;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.api.model.actions.GetTableApiFieldsOutput;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.api.model.metadata.fields.ApiFieldMetaData;
-import com.kingsrook.qqq.api.model.metadata.fields.ApiFieldMetaDataContainer;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.api.model.metadata.tables.ApiTableMetaData;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.api.model.metadata.tables.ApiTableMetaDataContainer;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.actions.AbstractQActionFunction;
@@ -45,8 +43,6 @@ import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.fields.QFieldMetaData;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.tables.QTableMetaData;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.utils.CollectionUtils;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.utils.ObjectUtils;
-import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.utils.StringUtils;
-import org.apache.commons.lang.BooleanUtils;
 
 
 /*******************************************************************************
@@ -160,7 +156,7 @@ public class GetTableApiFieldsAction extends AbstractQActionFunction<GetTableApi
       fieldList.sort(Comparator.comparing(QFieldMetaData::getLabel));
       for(QFieldMetaData field : fieldList)
       {
-         if(!isExcluded(input.getApiName(), field) && getApiVersionRange(input.getApiName(), field).includes(version))
+         if(ApiFieldUtils.isIncluded(input.getApiName(), field) && ApiFieldUtils.getApiVersionRange(input.getApiName(), field).includes(version))
          {
             fields.add(field);
          }
@@ -171,7 +167,7 @@ public class GetTableApiFieldsAction extends AbstractQActionFunction<GetTableApi
       //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
       for(QFieldMetaData field : CollectionUtils.nonNullList(getRemovedApiFields(input.getApiName(), table)))
       {
-         if(!isExcluded(input.getApiName(), field) && getApiVersionRangeForRemovedField(input.getApiName(), field).includes(version))
+         if(ApiFieldUtils.isIncluded(input.getApiName(), field) && ApiFieldUtils.getApiVersionRangeForRemovedField(input.getApiName(), field).includes(version))
          {
             fields.add(field);
          }
@@ -184,73 +180,6 @@ public class GetTableApiFieldsAction extends AbstractQActionFunction<GetTableApi
 
 
 
-   /*******************************************************************************
-    **
-    *******************************************************************************/
-   private boolean isExcluded(String apiName, QFieldMetaData field)
-   {
-      ApiFieldMetaData apiFieldMetaData = getApiFieldMetaData(apiName, field);
-      if(apiFieldMetaData != null && BooleanUtils.isTrue(apiFieldMetaData.getIsExcluded()))
-      {
-         return (true);
-      }
-
-      return (false);
-   }
-
-
-
-   /*******************************************************************************
-    **
-    *******************************************************************************/
-   private APIVersionRange getApiVersionRangeForRemovedField(String apiName, QFieldMetaData field)
-   {
-      ApiFieldMetaData apiFieldMetaData = getApiFieldMetaData(apiName, field);
-      if(apiFieldMetaData != null && apiFieldMetaData.getInitialVersion() != null)
-      {
-         if(StringUtils.hasContent(apiFieldMetaData.getFinalVersion()))
-         {
-            return (APIVersionRange.betweenAndIncluding(apiFieldMetaData.getInitialVersion(), apiFieldMetaData.getFinalVersion()));
-         }
-         else
-         {
-            throw (new IllegalStateException("RemovedApiFieldMetaData for field [" + field.getName() + "] did not specify a finalVersion."));
-         }
-      }
-      else
-      {
-         throw (new IllegalStateException("RemovedApiFieldMetaData for field [" + field.getName() + "] did not specify an initialVersion."));
-      }
-   }
-
-
-
-   /*******************************************************************************
-    **
-    *******************************************************************************/
-   private APIVersionRange getApiVersionRange(String apiName, QFieldMetaData field)
-   {
-      ApiFieldMetaData apiFieldMetaData = getApiFieldMetaData(apiName, field);
-      if(apiFieldMetaData != null && apiFieldMetaData.getInitialVersion() != null)
-      {
-         return (APIVersionRange.afterAndIncluding(apiFieldMetaData.getInitialVersion()));
-      }
-
-      return (APIVersionRange.none());
-   }
-
-
-
-   /*******************************************************************************
-    **
-    *******************************************************************************/
-   private static ApiFieldMetaData getApiFieldMetaData(String apiName, QFieldMetaData field)
-   {
-      return ObjectUtils.tryAndRequireNonNullElse(() -> ApiFieldMetaDataContainer.of(field).getApiFieldMetaData(apiName), new ApiFieldMetaData());
-   }
-
-
-
    /*******************************************************************************
     **
     *******************************************************************************/