Determining Data Entities

Here you’ll create the Distributor Application object in four steps:

1. Add the Distributor Application object
2. Configure the object
3. Add a custom field
4. Publish the object

After publishing the object definition, you can practice using the Distributor Application object to create entries.

Adding the Distributor Application Object

1. Open the Global Menu ( ), go to the Control Panel tab, and click Objects.

2. Click Add ( ).

3. Enter these details:

   Field	Value
   Label	Distributor Application
   Plural Label	Distributor Applications
   Object Name	DistributorApplication
   Storage Type	Default

   

4. Click Save.

   This creates a draft object definition with these system fields:

   • createDate
   • creator
   • externalReferenceCode
   • id
   • modifiedDate
   • status

   

Configuring the Object

Object definitions include configuration options for modifying their general details, behavior, and available features. For example, you can determine how each object’s data is scoped, where users can access it in the UI, and whether to maintain a history of entry events.

Configure Distributor Application as follows:

1. Begin editing the object definition draft.

2. Change the definition’s ERC (External Reference Code). Consistent, human-readable ERCs can help you move object definitions between instances and reference them via APIs.

   • Click Edit ().
   • Replace the UUID with C_DISTRIBUTOR_APPLICATION.
   • Click Save.

   

3. In the Details tab, configure these settings:

   Field	Value
   Entry Display > Title Field	ID
   Scope > Scope	Company
   Scope > Panel Category Key	Control Panel > Object
   Account Restriction > Active	False
   Account Restriction > Account Restricted Field	N/A
   Configuration > Show Widget	True
   Configuration > Enable Categorization	True
   Configuration > Enable Comments	False
   Configuration > Enable Entry History	False

   This configures the Distributor Application to store data by instance and appear in the Global Menu ( ) according to its panel category key (i.e., Control Panel → Objects). Additionally, users can add the object to site pages as a widget and assign tags and categories to Distributor Application entries.

4. Click Save.

Adding a Custom Field

Before you can publish an object definition, it must have at least one field.

1. Go to the Fields tab.

2. Click Add ( ).

3. Enter these values:

   Field	Value
   Label	Applicant Name
   Field Name	applicantName
   Type	Text
   Mandatory	True
   Accept Unique Values Only	False

   

4. Click Save.

   The new field appears in the Fields tab with the Custom badge.

   

Publishing the Distributor Application Object

When you publish custom objects, Liferay creates a database table for storing data entries. Publishing also registers the object with the OSGi framework, integrates it with Liferay’s core features (e.g., permissions, workflow, headless), and provides a basic user interface.

1. Go to the object’s Details tab.

2. Click Publish.

   

This activates Distributor Application and creates a database table with the applicantName field along with the default system fields. See Publishing Object Drafts for more information on what happens during publishing.

Using Distributor Applications

Now that Distributor Application is published, you can begin using it:

1. Open the Global Menu ( ), go to the Control Panel tab, and click Distributor Applications.

   

2. Click Add ( ).

3. Enter an applicant name and click Save.

4. Return to the Distributor Applications page to verify successful entry creation.

   Here entries appear in a table that includes the object’s custom field alongside the id, status, and author system fields.

   

5. Click Actions () for the entry and select Delete.

6. Practice creating, updating, and removing entries before moving forward.

You can also use the REST APIs generated for Distributor Application during publishing to create, edit, query, and remove entries. These APIs are available at the c/distributorapplications path. See Headless Framework Integration for a complete list of available APIs and Custom Object API Basics for an introductory tutorial.

Now that the object is defined, you can add more fields to collect the necessary applicant information.

Next: Adding Fields to the Distributor Application Object

Relevant Concepts

• Objects
• Creating Objects
• Understanding Object Integrations