Creating Data Definitions

Important

Dynamic Data Lists is deprecated as of Liferay DXP 7.3, and is planned for removal in 2024. It is replaced by Objects. Please migrate your Dynamic Data Lists to Objects as soon as possible.

To create a data definition:

1. Navigate to Content & Data → Dynamic Data Lists.

2. Click the Options icon () at the top-right and click Manage Data Definitions.

   

   The Data Definitions screen appears. A table lists any existing data definitions. Several definitions are embedded for common use cases like contacts, events, inventory, and more.

3. Click the Add icon () to begin creating a new data definition. This opens the New Data Definition form.

4. Give your data definition a name. Note that the definition’s name appears for any users filling out a dynamic data list that uses the definition. Expand the Details section of the form and give it a description.

   

   The Details section of the form also contains the field Parent Data Definition. This optional field lets you select an existing data definition (the parent) to form the basis of the new one (the child). The child definition inherits the parent’s fields and settings, which you can then customize. When you create a dynamic data list from a child definition, it includes the fields of the parent and child definitions. This lets you use a common definition (the parent) as the basis of a specialized definition (the child).

   To choose a parent definition, click the Select button below the Parent Data Definition field and then select an existing definition in the dialog that appears.

5. Add the data definition’s fields in the data definition designer below the form’s Details section. The designer’s default View tab lets you create the definition in a WYSIWYG editor. You can click the Source tab to work with the definition’s underlying JSON, but it’s much easier to stick with the WYSIWYG editor.

   

   In the View tab click the Fields tab. Icons representing the field types are listed on one side and the data definition’s canvas is on the other side. To add a field type to the definition, select its icon, drag and drop it onto the canvas. By dragging a field onto a field that’s already on the canvas, you can nest the new field in the existing field. When you mouse over a field on the canvas, the field action icons appear. Clicking the duplicate icon ( ) creates a duplicate of the current field and adds it below the current field. Clicking the trash icon ( ) deletes the field. See the Field Types Reference to learn more about available fields.

6. Edit field properties to reflect their intended use. For example, a text field’s default label is Text. This can be changed to a custom value such as Email. First select the field on the canvas. This automatically selects the Settings tab on the left. Alternatively, you can access the Settings tab by clicking the field’s cog icon ().

   

   To edit a field property, double-click its value in the Settings table and enter a new value. See the Field Properties Reference to learn more.

   You can translate a data definition’s field values to any supported locales. To specify a field value for a translation, select the flag that represents the locale and enter the field value for the locale.

7. Click Save when you’re done. Your new data definition then appears in the table.

Field Types Reference

The following field types are available when creating a Data Definition:

Field Type	Description
Boolean	A check box
Color	Specifies a color
Date	Enter a date. A valid date format is required for the date field, but you don’t have to enter a date manually. When you select the date field a mini-calendar pops up which you can use to select a date.
Decimal	Enter a decimal number. The value is persisted as a double
Documents and Media	Select a file from a Documents and Media library1
Geolocation	Associate a location with the User’s form entry.
HTML	An area that uses a WYSIWYG editor to write and display HTML content
Integer	Enter an integer. The value is persisted as an int.
Link to Page	Link to another page in the same site.
Number	Enter a decimal number or an integer. The value is persisted either as a double or an int, depending on the input’s type
Radio	Displays several clickable options. The default number of options is three but this is customizable. Only one option can be selected at a time
Select	This is just like the radio field except that the options are hidden and must be accessed from a drop-down menu
Text	Enter a single line of text
Text Box	This is just like the text field except you can enter multiple lines of text or separate paragraphs
Web Content	Select web content

Field Properties Reference

The following properties are available to modify. Note that some of these properties are only available for specific field types:

Property	Description
Type	The field’s type (e.g., text, radio, etc.). This setting can’t be edited, but a display template can reference it
Field Label	The field’s display name
Show Label	Whether the field label is shown
Required	Whether users must fill out the field (not available for Boolean fields)
Name	The field’s internal identifier. You can use this value in a display template to read the field’s data. This value is automatically generated, but you can change it if you wish
Predefined Value	The field’s default value
Tip	Text to display in a tooltip
Indexable	Whether the field is indexed for search
Localizable	Whether the field can be translated
Repeatable	Whether users can make copies of the field
Multiple	Whether the user can select more than one option. This is only available for Select fields
Options	The options available for selection in Radio and Select fields. You can add and remove options, and edit each option’s display name and value

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1. Documents added in a DDL do not inherit the permissions of the DDL. Instead, the permissions are defined by the Documents and Media configuration for the uploaded Document. This means that Documents uploaded in a tightly restricted DDL can be more accessible than the DDL records.

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