Attributes in detail
In this section, the columns in the table are listed with the rules for editing, displaying and processing.. There are a large number of options as shown by the list below. But only one of them is mandatory. Notre that the term 'object' is used in the Javascript sense of a list of key/value pairs.
The object contains:
- Type: Number/string/boolean/object - this is the only mandatory value.
- A type of 'object' indicates that there are sub-fields below it in the structure. For example an attribute of 'address' may have 'street','city', 'zip' below it.
- Object: If the type is 'object' then this give the attributes for the fields below it.
- Stringify: If the type is object this is a field name or a function that will be used to characterise the object.
- Array: This indicates that the field is an array of values or objects.
- Type: Multiple indicates that this is stored in multiple fields. Single indicates that the array is stored in a single field as a JSON string.
- Friendly name: Used on forms - defaults to the attribute name which is 'humanised' - so 'updatedBy' turns into 'Updated By'.
- Description: Used as a tool-tip in the edit form.
- Permission: permission set allowed to see/update this field
- Model: This field is a foreign key and this is the name of a linked table . It will contain a primary key value for the linked table.
- Primary key / autoincrement (primary key only). Note that for MongoDB this is processed internally as a string value. The database drive converts this to and from the ObjectID value.
- Values: The values that this column can take. Can be an array, code/value pairs or function. If the field is a foreign key, then the linked table can be filtered and used to provide values.
- Input: Specifies how ther column is updated by the edit form.
- Type: text, date, select, etc
- Placeholder: Shown in empty fields
- Required: true/false
- Validations: required for example
- Width: over-rides standard width
- Format: column or row
- Input type specific parameters: these are included in the input tag.
- Display: how the data item is to be displayed
- Type: e.g. date, date time
- Table heading: heading in table list
- Truncate for table list: for the table list only the first few characters can be shown
- Process: special processing, date created, dateupdated etc.
- Database / Type: database-specific type. e.g. bigint. This is optional.
- Collection: This is not a column in the database. It is used to indicate that there is a table that contains child records (may be the same table in the case or circular links). The following are only used for collections
- Via: the column in the child record that links to this table
- Collection list: specifies how the child records are to be shown in the detail list.