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Attributes and Types Overview

An attribute is a reusable field that can be assigned to a product or a variant, similar to fields in a CMS.

Here is an overview of all possible attribute types:

NameDescriptionExample
DropdownList of predefined choices; rendered as a single-select dropdown.Store a color of a variant with predefined choices: orange, black, blue, etc.
MultiselectList of predefined choices; rendered as a multi-select dropdown.Add multiple tags to a product or a page.
FileAllows to store a file as an attribute value; rendered as a file input.Store a product manual as a PDF file; store a hero image for a page.
ReferenceValues are references to other entities such as products, variants, pages, collections or categories.Render a list of related products on a product page.
Single referenceStores a reference to other entity such as product, variant, page, collection or category.Render a related collection on a product page.
NumericValues are numbers; optionally, a unit can be provided to represent measures and dimensions.Dimensions of a product represented with three numeric attributes: length, width, and depth.
Rich textValue is stored as rich-text content; rendered as a rich-text editor.Additional content blocks for a page or product.
Plain textValue is stored as plain text; rendered as a text input.Stores unformatted text for simple labels, e.g., "Material: 100% Cotton".
SwatchStores a color code or an image.Stores a color or an image to visually represent options like colors or patterns.
BooleanAllows storing boolean values.Yes/no properties, e.g., "Product is fair trade certified: yes/no".
DateAllows storing date values.Store release date of a product.
Date timeAllows storing date-time values.Store release date with the time of a product.

Product and Content Types​

A type is a collection of attributes that make up the shape of data in a product or a content block.

Reusable attributes​

Each attribute configuration is reusable across different product types, which is convenient when managing them across multiple products.

For example attribute T-shirt Size might have range of values S - L where is attribute Shoe Size have 34-46, therefore they can be used in different product types without creating attribute from scratch in each flavor of Shoe or T-shirt product type.

Using dropdown attributes can also help to maintain consistency across the store.

Attributes vs. Metadata Difference​

Saleor uses both Attributes and Metadata in various places. Attributes have a strict structure with data types, validation, schema etc. Metadata is a simple key: value structure without types. You might wonder, do we need both? Or which should I use where?

Attributes:

  • intended to be filled in by people
  • strictly typed
  • the schema is strict so that the storefront can depend on this value being of a specific shape e.g. a field for number of pages will not contain a photo of jeans
  • attributes are typically used in the UI layer, presented to customers, merchandisers, or admins

Metadata:

  • intended to be filled by an app, an automation or integration through the API
  • validation should happen in unit tests of the app
  • metadata has no schema so that it doesn’t require a human to change how the code is operating with them