Adding Fields to Objects

Documentation Menu
Go Back

Adding Fields to Objects

Available Liferay 7.4+

Fields are data definitions that represent database columns and store different types of values. By default, all objects include the following system fields: Author, Create Date, External Reference Code, ID, Modified Date, and Status. But you can add new fields at any time.

Follow these steps:

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

  2. Begin editing the desired object definition.

    note

    For 7.4 U47+/GA47+, you can add fields to system objects and access them via Headless APIs. See Extending System Objects for more information.

  3. Go to the Fields tab and click the Add button (Add Button).

    Go to the Fields tab, click the Add button, and enter the required details.

  4. Enter a Label and Field Name.

    Label: This value identifies the field in the Objects UI and can be localized after the field is created.

    Field Name: This value determines the field’s name in the back-end and uses camel case. Once a field is published, this value cannot be changed.

    note

    Some field names are reserved by Liferay and cannot be used. See Reserved Field Names for more information.

  5. Select a field Type. Some field types include additional configuration options (e.g., Picklist, Attachment). See Field Type Reference below for a basic overview of each type, or see Fields for more detailed information.

    In some cases, these options are available during field creation (e.g., Picklist, Attachment), while others are only available after field creation (e.g., Text, Long Text).

  6. Determine whether the field is Mandatory.

    note

    Mandatory boolean fields require a true value from end users.

  7. Click Save.

After saving fields to an object draft, you can access additional configuration options. For instance, you can determine whether a field is searchable, limit the number of allowed characters for text fields, and more. Available configuration options depend on the field’s type. If you publish the draft or add fields to an already published object, configuration options are restricted. See Configuration Restrictions for Published Objects to learn more.

important

You can remove fields from object drafts at any time. However, you cannot remove published fields. After publishing, you can only remove fields added to the object’s side table (i.e., [Initial_Table_Name]_x). See Publishing Object Drafts for more information.

Field Types UI Reference

For 7.4 U56+/GA56+

Type Description
Aggregation Stores read-only values calculated using values from a relationship table. Available functions include count, sum, average, min, and max.
Attachment Stores jpeg, jpg, pdf, and png files no larger than 100 MB.
Boolean Stores true or false values.
Date Stores date values.
Decimal (previously Double) Stores a decimal number value that supports fractional portions.
Integer Stores an integer up to 9 digits in length.
Long Integer (previously Long) Stores a large integer up to 16 digits in length.
Long Text (previously Clob) Stores a text box value that supports up to 65,000 characters; after creating a Long Text field, you can configure it to limit the number of characters allowed.
Multiselect Picklist Stores one or more string values from a picklist. See Picklists for more information.
Picklist Stores a picklist string value. See Picklists for more information.
Precision Decimal (previously BigDecimal) Stores a high-precision decimal number without rounding.
Relationship Stores the numeric ID for all related object entries. Objects automatically adds relationship fields to objects on the child side of a One to Many relationship. See Defining Object Relationships for more information.
Rich Text Stores text with advanced formatting tools and media elements (e.g., images, videos, audio).
Text (previously String) Stores simple text values up to 280 characters; after creating a Text field, you can configure it to limit the number of characters allowed.

Reserved Field Names

For 7.4 U41+/GA41+

The following field names are reserved by Liferay and cannot be used. If users attempt to create a field using one of these field names, Liferay displays an error message.

Field Description
companyId Portal instance where the entry was created.
createDate When the entry was created.
externalReferenceCode External reference code for the entry.
groupId Site ID where the entry was created.
lastPublishDate Date when the entry was last published.
modifiedDate Date when the entry was last modified.
mvccVersion MVCC version of the entry.
objectDefinitionId ID of the entry’s object.
objectEntryId ID for the entry.
status Workflow status for the entry.
statusByUserId ID of the assigned user in Workflow.
statusByUserName Name of the assigned user in Workflow.
statusDate Date when the Workflow status was last updated.
userEmailAddress Email address for the entry’s author.
userFirstName First name of the entry’s author.
userId ID of the entry’s author.
userLastName Last name of the entry’s author.
userName User name of the entry’s author.
uuid Unique universal ID for the entry.

Additional Information

Not finding what you're looking for?

Pardon our dust as we revamp and transition our product documentation to this site. If something seems missing, please check Liferay Help Center documentation for Liferay DXP 7.2 and previous versions.

Try Liferay's Help Center