Objects and Attributes

The Objects and Attributes page allows you to create and manage the structure for your Quable PIM content.

The page is divided into three panels:

The information displayed in the panels depends on the Type of Object selected from the dropdown list at the top of the page (above the Left panel).

When you make a selection, the page displays:

Left panel - All objects of the selected type
Center panel - The hierarchy levels of the selected type
Right panel - Properties for the selected object. By default, the highest level object is selected and displayed.

📘
Before you can manage your objects and attributes, it's essential to really understand what they are and how they're used. Detailed descriptions of both are included on this page in the Objects Overview and Attributes Overview sections.

Objects Overview

Objects are the templates for your Quable PIM product information. They're used as blueprints for organizing and defining how your product information is displayed.

A simple way to understand these templates is to think of objects as containers that store your product information and attributes are the information being stored.

Object Types

In order to build a solid structure, you need a framework. This is where objects come in. They define how and where your product information is displayed.

Quable PIM provides five distinct types of objects:

Object	Description
Classification	Defines the layout for the display of your categories and subcategories.
Documents	Main object type Defines the layout for the display of your product information.
Variants	Defines the attributes displayed for variations of your documents.
Assets	Defines the attributes displayed for your digital media files (photos, videos, music, etc.).
Links	Defines the kinds of relationships available for your objects.

The different object types work together to form the structure of your data model:

Object Hierarchy

🚧
Object hierarchy vs. product classifications
Don't confuse them! Object hierarchies only define the layout for the display of the information in your Quable PIM objects. They don't define how your content is categorized.

Each object type has its own hierarchy with distinct properties for each hierarchy level. Hierarchy levels correlate to the placement of an object's content in Quable PIM. At any time, you can view an object's hierarchy and the properties for each level.

To view the hierarchy levels for an object type:

Select an object type from the Type of Object dropdown list.
Click on an object in the Left panel. The hierarchy is displayed in the Center panel.
Click on a level in the hierarchy. The properties for the selected hierarchy level is displayed in the Right panel.

Selected object types are underlined in the Left panel and selected hierarchy levels are highlighted in the Center panel.

The hierarchy levels displayed in the Center panel change according to the organization of your product information. By default, at least four levels are automatically generated when creating your objects in Quable PIM.

👍
The properties for each hierarchy level can be modified to suit your preferences.
Note: Quable PIM does not recommend changing the Code attribute.

The overall process for managing object hierarchy is the same for each object type, however there are some differences. The following sections describe how to manage the hierarchy for each object type.

Attributes Overview

As described earlier in the Objects Overview, objects store your product information in attributes.

Attributes are the names, descriptions, and any other information in your objects that describe your content. You can define different attributes according to different object types.

Attribute Types

Quable PIM provides the following attribute types:

Type	Description
Date	An entry area that only accepts date content in DD/MM/YYYY format.
Decimal	An entry area that only accepts numerical content (decimals only).
Hour	An entry area that only accepts time content in HH:MM format.
HTML text	An entry area that accepts HTML content.
Integer	An entry area that only accepts numerical content (whole numbers only).
Multiline text	An entry area that accepts multiple lines of text. Note: The administrator can set a character limit for this attribute.
Multiple predefined value list	A selection area that accepts multiple choices from a predefined list.
Raw	Text in JSON format that can be interpreted as a table.
Simple text	An entry area that accepts a single line of text. Note: The administrator can set a character limit for this attribute.
Simple text not translatable	An entry area that accepts text that is never translated. Warning: When you fill in the attribute in any language of the PIM, it is automatically copied to all other languages.
Single predefined value list	A selection area that only accepts a single choice from a predefined list.
Yes / No	A selection area that only accepts a single choice of Yes or No. Note: When you fill in the attribute in any language of the PIM, it is automatically copied in all the other languages.

Adding Attributes

Attributes are always the final (lowest) level of a hierarchy.

To add an attribute, select an object from the Type of Object dropdown list.

Perform the actions in the panels, in the following order:

Panel	Action
Left	If not automatically selected, select the object to contain the attribute.
Center	Select the 4^th hierarchy level. Click the Add icon (blue "+") at the top of the Center panel.
Right	Define the attribute values in the New Attribute form (described below).

The New Attribute form allows you to define specific properties and behaviors for each attribute.

The following properties are available:

Information

Description

Mandatory

Name

Enter a name for the attribute

Yes

Code

Click in the entry area to initiate an auto-generated code for the new attribute.

This can be changed manually. However, in order to avoid conflicts with system keywords and values, the Code value cannot:

begin with:
- completeness
- status
- workflow

be any of the following:

- active
- attribute_code
- attribute_set_code
- catalog
- checksum
- classification_code
- classification_parent_code
- completeness
- date_created
- date_modified
- document_code"
- external
- media_classification_code
- media_code
- media_name

- mime_type
- original_filename
- sequence
- source_code
- status
- target_code
- thumbnail_url
- tree_left
- tree_right
- sku_code
- url
- value_code
- value_label
- workflow

end with: special characters

Yes

Description

Enter a definition or an explanation of the attribute.

Help Text

Enter additional text to be displayed when the attribute is hovered over in the object.

Type

Select the attribute type from the dropdown list.

Yes

Attribute Sets

If the attribute is assigned to one or more attribute sets, the attribute is only visible on objects with the designated attribute set(s).

Maximum number of characters accepted

Text entry areas only.

Define the maximum number of characters allowed in a text area.

Main data

Select the checkbox to display the value of this attribute in the header of the object.

Mandatory

Select the checkbox to specify that the object cannot be saved until this attribute is completed.

If not selected, the attribute is optional and the object can be saved without it.

Filterable (search)

Select the checkbox to specify that the attribute can be used as a filter in an advanced search.

If not selected, the attribute is not available as a filter for an advanced search.

Visible (internal)

Select the checkbox to specify that the attribute is visible in the PIM to users whose attribute access profile authorizes viewing attributes.

If not selected, the attribute is not visible in the PIM to users without the appropriate attribute access permissions.

Editable (internal)

Select the checkbox to specify that the attribute can be modified by users whose attribute access profile authorizes modifying attributes.

If not selected, the new attribute can not be modified by users without the appropriate attribute access permissions.

Visible (extranet)

Select the checkbox to specify that the attribute is visible in the extranet (if any) to users whose attribute access profile authorizes viewing attributes.

If not selected, the new attribute is not visible in the extranet to users without the appropriate attribute access permissions.

Once you've entered values for the attribute properties, click the Apply button to save the attribute or the Remove button to abort the creation of a new attribute.

Editing Attributes

At any time, you can modify the attributes for an object.

To edit an attribute, select an object from the Type of Object dropdown list.

Perform the actions in the panels, in the following order:

Panel	Action
Left	Document or Link type - Select the document type to edit from the list of product document types. Other types - The object is automatically selected.
Center	Select the attribute to edit from the 5^th hierarchy level.
Right	Edit the attribute properties. Click the Apply button.

Deleting Attributes

To delete an attribute, select an object from the Type of Object dropdown list.

Perform the actions in the panels, in the following order:

Panel	Action
Left	Document type - Select the document type to edit from the list of product document types. Other types - The object is automatically selected.
Center	Select the attribute to delete from the 5^th hierarchy level.
Right	Click the Remove button.

A dialog is displayed to confirm that you want to delete the attribute.

Enter the attribute code and click the Remove button to delete the attribute or click the Cancel button to abort the deletion.

Classification

To avoid confusion, it's important to understand the difference:

Classification Object	Classification
A template that specifies how to display the attributes that describe your classifications. No matter the number of classifications you may have for categorizing your product information, there is only one Classification object.	Classifications are the categories and subcategories used to organize your documents or assets. There are no standard rules for defining classifications for your documents. You are free to decide what works best for your content. Classifications can be defined from categories: already existing in an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution, within another source (e.g., .xlsx, .csv, etc. ), or created within Quable PIM. Note: While there is is no limit on the number of classifications you can have to organize your content, Quable PIM strongly recommends having a maximum of three levels of classifications.

Classification Object

Classification

A template that specifies how to display the attributes that describe your classifications.

No matter the number of classifications you may have for categorizing your product information, there is only one Classification object.

Classifications are the categories and subcategories used to organize your documents or assets.

There are no standard rules for defining classifications for your documents. You are free to decide what works best for your content. Classifications can be defined from categories:

already existing in an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution,
within another source (e.g., .xlsx, .csv, etc. ), or
created within Quable PIM.

Note: While there is is no limit on the number of classifications you can have to organize your content, Quable PIM strongly recommends having a maximum of three levels of classifications.

The information in this section describes how to manage the Classification object.

Classification Hierarchy

All classifications belong to a master classification list in Quable PIM.

❗️
Because classifications belong to a master classification object, any actions on this object must be performed at the third level (or lower) of the Classification hierarchy (the second level is an internal Quable PIM placeholder).
This does not impact the hierarchy of your product classifications, it only affects the display of classification information.

For example, to create this classification (shown from Advanced Search):

The hierarchy looks like:

📘
Classifications are visible from:

the Advanced Search page,

theData menu when creating a new document, or

the breadcrumbs at the top of documents.

The hierarchy levels for the Classification object type define how your classification information is displayed.

	Hierarchy Level	Description
1	First level	This level defines the master classification. Its properties are not visible or editable.
2	Second level	This level defines the first tab when viewing a classification. Its properties are automatically generated by Quable PIM. They contain the Name of the hierarchy level and the Code (with additional information defining its position). To ensure proper functioning of Quable PIM, we strongly advise against modifying these properties.
3	Third level	This level defines the first section when viewing a classification from the Advanced Search or Data menus. All content for the first tab of a classification is within this level. Its properties are automatically generated by Quable PIM. They contain the Name of the hierarchy level and the Code (with additional information defining its position).
4	Fourth level	This level defines an attribute group in the first section when viewing a classification from the Advanced Search or Data menus. Its properties are automatically generated by Quable PIM. They contain the Name of the hierarchy level and the Code (with additional information defining its position).
5	Fifth level	This level contains all of the attributes of the attribute group. The Name and Description attributes are mandatory. The properties for each attribute in this level are displayed in the Right panel.

Adding Levels

While there is only one Classification object, you can add, edit, and delete the levels (3^rd, 4^th, or 5^th) to customize the display of your classification information. The following sections describe the steps to take.

Second Level - Tabs

By default, classifications are limited to two tabs: Editing and Assets. Any additions at the second hierarchy level are ignored.

Third Level - Sections

To add a new section (third hierarchy level), select Classification from the Type of Object dropdown list.

Perform the actions in the panels, in the following order:

Panel

Action

Left

The Classification object is automatically selected.

Center

Select the 2^nd hierarchy level.
Click the **Add** icon (blue "**+**") at the top of the **Center** panel.

Right

Enter values for the properties of the new section:

Enter a **Name**.
Click in **Code** to initiate an auto-generated code. Note: This value cannot be changed after the new section has been created.
Click the:
- **Save** button to save the new section or
- the **Remove** button to abort the creation of a new section.

The new section is displayed in the Center panel (at the third level of the hierarchy).

🚧
The new section will not be visible until it contains at least one attribute group and one attribute with the Visible property enabled.

Fourth Level - Attribute Groups

To add a new attribute group (fourth hierarchy level), select Classification from the Type of Object dropdown list.

Perform the actions in the panels, in the following order:

Panel

Action

Left

The Classification object is automatically selected.

Center

Select the 3^rd hierarchy level.
Click the **Add** icon (blue "**+**") at the top of the **Center** panel.

Right

Enter values for the properties of the new attribute group:

Enter a **Name**.
Click in **Code** to initiate an auto-generated code. Note: This value cannot be changed after the new section has been created.
Click the:
- **Save** button to save the new section or
- the **Remove** button to abort the creation of a new section.

The new attribute group is displayed in the Center panel (at the fourth level of the hierarchy).

🚧
The new attribute group will not be visible until it contains at least one attribute with the Visible property enabled.

Fifth Level - Attributes

To add attributes to a section, select Classification from the Type of Object dropdown list.

Perform the actions in the panels, in the following order:

Panel	Action
Left	The Classification object is automatically selected.
Center	Select an item at the 4^th hierarchy level (a section). Click the Add icon (blue "+") at the top of the Center panel.
Right	Define the attribute values in the New Attribute form.

The new attribute is displayed in the Center panel (at the fifth level of the hierarchy).

❗️
Attention
Don't confuse classification object properties with attributes!

Properties describe an object (the classification type)

Attributes are the information displayed in classifications

Editing Levels

At any time, you can modify the properties that describe a hierarchy level (third level or lower).

To edit a hierarchy level, select Classification from the Type of Object dropdown list.

Perform the actions in the panels, in the following order:

Panel	Action
Left	The Classification object is automatically selected.
Center	Select a hierarchy level to modify (3^rd, 4^th, or 5^th level).
Right	Edit the displayed properties. Click on: the Save button to save your changes or something outside of the Right panel (another level, etc.) to discard the changes.

Deleting Levels

🚧
A hierarchy level can only be deleted if:

no objects are associated with it (documents, variants, assets, links) and

it has no sections/attribute groups/attributes.

The Remove button is disabled if a hierarchy level is associated with an object or is not empty.

To delete a hierarchy level (3^rd, 4^th, or 5^th), select Classification from the Type of Object dropdown list.

Perform the actions in the panels, in the following order:

Panel	Action
Left	The Classification object is automatically selected.
Center	Select a hierarchy level to delete (3^rd, 4^th, or 5^th level).
Right	Click the Remove button.

A dialog is displayed to confirm the deletion:

Click the Yes button to delete the hierarchy level or click the No button (or the "X" in the upper right corner) to abort the deletion.

❗️
Attention
This action is irreversible. Once a hierarchy level has been deleted, it can't be recovered.

Documents

To avoid confusion, it's important to understand the difference:

Document Object	Document
A template that specifies how to display the attributes in your documents. Document objects define the tabs, sections, attributes, and attribute groups displayed on your documents. You can specify different hierarchies and attributes to characterize each different type of document object.	Documents display all of the attributes that describe your products ... and more! They can describe a wide range of information such as: products, collections, specific departments, scheduling, technical information, pricing, etc. The only limit is your imagination!

Document Object

Document

A template that specifies how to display the attributes in your documents.

Document objects define the tabs, sections, attributes, and attribute groups displayed on your documents. You can specify different hierarchies and attributes to characterize each different type of document object.

Documents display all of the attributes that describe your products ... and more!

They can describe a wide range of information such as:

products,
collections,
specific departments,
scheduling,
technical information,
pricing,
etc.

The only limit is your imagination!

The information in this section describes how to manage the Document object.

Document Hierarchy

Document object hierarchy defines the presentation of your Quable PIM content (product sheets, collections, etc.).

For example, to create this product document:

The hierarchy looks like:

📘
Documents are visible from:

the Advanced Search page and

the Data menu.

The hierarchy levels for a Document object define how your information is displayed in tabs, sections, and groups within a document.

	Hierarchy Level	Description
1	First level	This level defines the object type. In this example, a Product document. Its properties are the information entered on the New Document Type dialog when when creating a new document type.
2	Second level	This level defines the first tab when viewing a document from the Advanced Search or Data menus. All of the content (sections, groups, etc.) for a tab in a document descends from this level. Its properties are automatically generated by Quable PIM. They contain: the Name of the hierarchy level the Code (with additional information defining its position) from the New Document Type dialog
3	Third level	This level defines the first section on the first tab when viewing a document from the Advanced Search or Data menus. Its properties are automatically generated by Quable PIM. They contain: the Name of the hierarchy level the Code (with additional information defining its position) from the New Document Type dialog If you have two or more sections, they will be displayed in a gray panel on the left side of the document.
4	Fourth level	This level defines an attribute group for the first section in a document. Its properties are automatically generated by Quable PIM. They contain: the Name of the hierarchy level the Code (with additional information defining its position) from the New Document Type dialog
5	Fifth level	This level contains all of the attributes of the attribute group. The properties for each attribute in this level are displayed in the Right panel.

Adding Documents

To add a new document type, select Document from the Type of Object dropdown list.

Perform the actions in the panels, in the following order:

Panel	Action
Left	A list of existing document types is displayed. Click the Add icon ("+").

A New Type of Document dialog is displayed:

Define the following properties for the new document type:

Information	Description
Label	Enter a descriptive name for the document type.
Code	You can either: click in the entry area for an automatically generated value or enter an alphanumeric value Note: This value cannot be changed after the new document type has been created.
Abbreviation	Enter a two-character alphanumeric value to identify the document. This is displayed in the document when the Minimal icon with abbreviation option is selected as the Model.
Description	Enter text to describe the purpose of the document type.
Uses Variants	Specify if documents of this type will use variants.
Model	Select a layout model for the document header when a user views it from the Advanced Search or Data menus: Minimal icon with abbreviation Displays the two-character Abbreviation and document name Classic Asset thumbnail Displays a single thumbnail image and the document name Full Asset preview Displays thumbnails of all assets and the document name You can click on the View icon to preview the layout.

Once you've entered values for the document properties, click the Apply button to save the new document type or click the Cancel button (or the "X" in the upper right corner) to abort the creation of a new document type.

The new document type is displayed in the Left panel.

❗️
Attention
Don't confuse document object properties with attributes!

Properties describe an object (the document type)

Attributes are the information displayed in documents