COMSOL 6.4 - Primitive Attributes

Primitive Attributes

You define the data fields available for a particular asset type using primitive attributes. A primitive attribute added to an asset type will appear as an editable data field on all assets having that asset type.


	See Adding New Types of Data Using Attributes.

Each primitive attribute has a value type defining the kind of data it can store and how you can search on that data. This can be a simple type, such as a text or a number, or an advanced type, such as a link to a model version stored in the database. All available value types are listed in Table 3-7.

A primitive attribute also has a widget type defining how the data is edited in the web interface. This can, for example, be an input field, a list of options in a combo box, or a picker for selecting a model version. All available widget types are listed in Table 3-6.

Given a particular widget type, only a subset of all value types are available to combine the widget type with. Some widget types also require a set of allowed values for the data, which becomes an additional constraint on the data that a primitive attribute can store.

When a Model Manager server database is created, two primitive attributes — and — are automatically created for you. They correspond, respectively, to an uploaded file attachment and a link to a model version in a repository.

The page, opened by clicking in the navigation sidebar, shows a table with all primitive attributes in the database. The table columns are:

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The column — the label of the primitive attribute.

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The column — the unique identifier of the primitive attribute.

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The column — the type of widget used when editing the primitive attribute.

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The column — the type of value that can be set for the primitive attribute.

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The column — the optional description of the primitive attribute.

Click on the label of a primitive attribute in the table to show more details for that primitive attribute. Click the button to add a new primitive attribute.

Adding Primitive Attributes

To add a new primitive attribute:

Write a label for the primitive attribute in the field. The label is shown on an asset page next to the asset’s attribute value.

Write an identifier for the primitive attribute in the field. This identifier must be unique among the set of all attributes — primitive and composite — and start with a Latin alphabet character followed by zero or more additional such characters, numbers, or underscores.

The identifier of a primitive attribute is, for example, used in the Model Manager search syntax when filtering on attribute values — see Searching on Asset Attributes.

An identifier will be automatically generated as soon as you starting typing in the field. Feel free to change the generated identifier as you see fit.

Write a description of your attribute in the field.

The description is shown as a tooltip to the attribute field label on The Asset Page and in the menu on The Home Page.

Select the type of widget used to edit the primitive attribute in the list. See also Widget Types.

For widget types that support multiple value types, select the type of value that can be stored in the primitive attribute in the list. See also Value Types.

For applicable widget types, add allowed values for the primitive attribute to the table. The allowed values are shown as selectable options when editing the attribute on the page, when filtering table rows for composite attributes on the page, and when filtering assets on the page. At least one allowed value must be added to the table.

Write a display label for an allowed value in the field. The label is used for the corresponding selectable option.

Write the underlying value in the field.

Click to add to the table.

You can rearrange the allowed values using drag and drop — see also Rearranging Table Rows. Click to enable automatic sorting on label. Click again to disable. The sort order of the allowed values determines the order for the corresponding selectable options on the page and the page.

Click to remove an allowed value from the table.

Click to add the new primitive attribute.

Widget Types

The widget type of a primitive attribute determines how the corresponding attribute value is displayed and edited on an asset page. Each widget type supports a subset of all Value Types. The following widget types are available:

Table 3-6: All available widget types for primitive attributes.


Widget Type	Supported Value Types	Description
Checkbox	Boolean	A checkbox that can be selected or cleared.
Checkbox list	Keyword array	A set of options in which a subset is chosen by selecting checkboxes.
Combo box	Integer or Keyword	A set of options in which a single option can be selected from a combo box.
Date picker	Date	A calendar in which a date can be selected.
Datetime picker	Timestamp	A widget in which a calendar date and a time can be selected.
File upload	Attachment	A file browser for uploading a file as an attachment.
File version picker	File version	A search widget for finding and selecting a data file version in the database.
Hyperlink	Link	Input fields for editing an address and a link text for a web resource.
Input field	Keyword	A text input field for editing a short, name-like, keyword string.
Input fields	Keyword array	Multiple text input fields for editing short, name-like, keyword strings. The keywords can be sorted via drag-and-drop or by enabling a Sort alphabetically control.
List box	Keyword array	A set of options in which a subset is chosen by selecting rows from a list.
Model version picker	Model version	A search widget for finding and selecting a model version in the database.
Number	Integer	A number input field for writing an integer.
Radio button	Integer or Keyword	A set of options in which a single option can be selected from a row of radio buttons.
Text area	Text	A text area for writing longer texts that, for example, can contain several paragraphs.
User picker	User	A search widget for finding and selecting a user in the database.
Users picker	User array	A search widget for finding and selecting multiple users in the database.

The and widget types are functionally equivalent, with the main difference that the latter always shows all available options on screen when editing (and thus suitable when the number of options are relatively few). The analogous holds true for the and widget types.

The difference between the and the widget types may not be obvious. The former is used to attach files to assets such that these attachments are version controlled together with the asset itself. The latter is used to link to existing data files that are version controlled as separate items in a repository of the Model Manager database.

Value Types

The value type of a primitive attribute determines how the corresponding attribute data is validated, as well as how that data is made available for searching and filtering. The following value types are available:

Table 3-7: All available value types for primitive attributes.


Value Type	Description
Attachment	A file uploaded as an attachment on an asset. The attribute value is a unique identifier for the attachment.
Boolean	A true or false value.
Date	A date and time value in the ISO-8601 format with the time set to zero and without any timezone interpretation.
File version	A link to a data file version in the database. The attribute value is a unique identifier for the data file version.
Integer	An integer value.
Keyword	A keyword value. Typically used for short, name-like, search strings, such as an author, a project identifier, or a status value.
Keyword array	Multiple keyword values.
Link	A link to a web resource. The attribute value contains both a link address and a link text.
Model version	A link to a model version in the database. The attribute value is a unique identifier for the model version.
Text	A value that contains text, such as for an abstract or for a summary.
Timestamp	An UTC date and time value in the ISO-8601 format.
User	A link to a user in the database. The attribute value is a unique identifier for the user.
User array	Links to multiple users in the database. The attribute value is an array of unique identifiers for the users.

The value type is used to store a whole day without any explicit reference to a specific timezone. You can use it, for example, to store an event-like date for which the location may be inferred elsewhere.

The Primitive Attribute Page

The page contains details on a primitive attribute in the database. The fields are:

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. The unique identifier of the primitive attribute.

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. The label of the primitive attribute.

The label is used as the field text of the attribute on The Asset Page.

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. The description of the primitive attribute.

The description is shown as a tooltip on the field label of the attribute on The Asset Page.

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. The type of widget used when editing the primitive attribute.

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. The type of value that can be set for the primitive attribute.

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. The set of allowed values for the primitive attribute. This field is only shown for Widget Types that support a set of allowed values.

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. Links to workflows that are based on the primitive attribute — see Primitive Attribute Workflows.

Click to edit the primitive attribute, including possibly changing its widget type and value type or adding allowed values.

Changing a primitive attribute from one widget type to another, while leaving the value type and, when applicable, any allowed values unchanged, is always harmless — assets that use the primitive attribute will simply change how their data is displayed and edited. The data itself is left untouched even when saving a new version of the asset.

Changing the value type of a primitive attribute should be done with care. If you open the page for an asset that uses a primitive attribute whose value type has been changed, Model Manager will try to automatically convert the data value to the new type using natural conversion rules. If a conversion is known to be impossible — for example, changing the value type from to — Model Manager will simply remove the value from being displayed on the page. The value is lost altogether for the new version if the asset is subsequently saved, although it remains on the old version.

The same is true if you remove an allowed value from a primitive attribute that has previously been saved on older assets — the removed value becomes effectively hidden on the page for those older assets and it will not be included in the new version if one of those assets is resaved. If you add the allowed value back, however, it reappears on the page for the older assets.

Click to open the page filled in advance with the current primitive attribute’s widget type, value type, and allowed values.

Click if you want to permanently delete the primitive attribute in the database. The attribute will be automatically removed from any asset type using it, or from any composite attribute it is a member of. Any assets with data for the primitive attribute will, however, be left untouched until you save a new version of the asset (in which case the attribute data will simply be excluded from the new version).


	If you permanently delete a primitive attribute by accident, and do not want to go to the trouble of restoring your database from backup, simply create the attribute anew and add it to the applicable asset types. Any assets that have been updated in the interim will need to have their lost attribute data manually recovered from older versions — see also Asset Version History.


	Permanently deleting a primitive attribute will also delete all workflows for the attribute.