Attributes

Last updated 6 months ago

Overview

Attributes are like variables, they add pieces of information to AYON entities. Attributes can store arbitrary data or essential information for the AYON pipeline to function properly.

The Attributes page is where you define and manage attributes across your studio.

Attributes can only be managed at the studio level. It is currently not possible to manage attributes at the project level.

Attribute Scopes

Scopes determine which type of AYON entity the attribute is added to:

List attributes are managed independently from the Attributes tab. They are defined and managed in the Lists tab, per project per list.

Attribute Types

Attributes supports the following common data types:

  • String: A text value, e.g., This is cool

  • Integer: A whole numbers e.g., 1

  • Decimal: A floating-point number e.g., 3.166

  • List of Strings: A list of text values.

  • Boolean: A True/False value, e.g., true

  • Date Time: A date and time text value in UTC format e.g., 2021-01-01T00:00:00+00:00
    The DateTime data type is not available for selection when creating an attribute.

Attribute Source

Attributes can be added from various sources:

  • built-in : Defined by the AYON server and essential for AYON to function properly.

    You cannot delete built-in attributes, but you can modify their definitions. However, modifying built-in attributes may cause the pipeline or some AYON features to stop working correctly.

  • user-defined: Admin users can define custom attributes.

  • defined by addons : Addons can define attributes. Avoid modifying these definitions, as changes may cause the addon to malfunction.

Manage Attributes

When an attribute is created, modified, or deleted, you’ll be prompted to restart the server for changes to take effect.

Add a New Attribute

Click the + Add Attribute button at the top left of the page. This will prompt a window where you can specify the new attribute’s definition.

Attribute Definition Details:

  • Title: The label for the attribute.

  • Name: The internal name used by AYON. Once created, the name cannot be changed.

  • Scope: Select the AYON entity type to which this attribute will be added.

  • Type: Select the data type for this attribute.

  • Description: A description of the attribute.

  • Inherit: Toggle to enable or disable attribute inheritance.

  • Additional Attribute Details: Additional settings based on the selected type, used to control and validate values.

Adding a String Attribute

String attributes have these additional details:

  • Min Length: Minimum value length.

  • Max Length: Maximum value length.

  • Enum: List of selectable items. If empty, the value field defaults to a text input.

  • Regex: Pattern to validate the value.

Adding a List of Strings Attribute

List of Strings attributes have these additional details:

  • Min Items: Minimum number of items to select.

  • Max Items: Maximum number of items to select.

  • Enum: List of selectable items. If empty, the attribute will not function properly, as it expects a list of enum items.

Adding an Integer or Decimal Attribute

Integer and Decimal attributes have these additional details:

  • Min: Minimum value.

  • Max: Maximum value.

For Decimal attributes, you can specify whether the minimum is "greater than or equal to" and the maximum is "less than or equal to."

Adding a Boolean Attribute

Boolean attributes do not have any additional details.

Modify an Attribute

Right-click any attribute and choose the 🖉 Edit option to modify its definition. This opens the same window as Add New Attribute, but the attribute name is locked.

Remove an Attribute

Right-click any attribute and choose the 🗑️ Delete option to remove it.

FAQ

What is attribute inheritance?

Many attributes can be defined on multiple entities. In such cases, the child entity inherits the attribute value from the parent entity if the Inherit toggle is enabled in the attribute definition.

How do I set values for attributes?

Attributes are variables that extend AYON entity types. Values are set per entity:

  • Project attribute values can be set and modified as outlined in Modify Project Attributes.

  • Folder and task attribute values inherit project attributes by default and can be modified directly in the Project Overview Page or via the attribute button in The Details Panel.

  • Product, version, and representation attributes are set during publishing via the pipeline. These attributes can be modified programmatically using the AYON API.

  • User attributes can be modified by each user via their account profile settings, and admins can set them in the Users tab.

How to use enum in String attribute?

When creating or modifying string or list of strings attributes, you can add enum items by clicking the + button.

Each enum item includes:

  • Label: Item label

  • Value: Item value

  • Icon: Icon for the item

  • Color: Color for the item

A string attribute for the task entity type with enum items is shown in the image below.

Selecting a value for a task entity is demonstrated in the image below.

  • For string attributes, you can select one item.

  • For list of strings attributes, you can select multiple items.