There are several types of attribute available to an admin user configuring a new attribute. The following list describes the field types you can use as attributes:

• Text field – A field allowing one line of text (around 170 characters).
• Text area – A field allowing several lines of text including carriage returns and different text styles (e.g. bold), you can set the number of lines and maximum characters for this field.
• Text area (long) - A longer multi-line text field that allows styling.
• Datepicker – Opens up an interactive calendar allowing the user to select dates. You can set rules against the date. For example, you can send an email or change the status of the asset when the date is reached (e.g. from active to inactive). Read more about attribute rules. You also have the following two datepicker options:
  • Full Date - Allows users to specify a day, month and year.
  • Year and Month - Allows the user to specify a year and month by selecting it from a pop-up calendar.
  • Year Only - Allows users to enter a year.

• Dropdown – Creates a dropdown list allowing users to pick one from a list of values you have specified. There is also the option to create a "dependent dropdown", which means a value chosen in one dropdown attribute would affect which options are displayed in a second dropdown attribute.
• Checklist – Creates a series of tick boxes against a list of values you create, the user is able to select more than one value.
• Optionlist – Creates a list of options against a list values you create, the user is able to select multiple values.

• Keyword picker – You can develop an extensive list of controlled keywords that users can select from when adding descriptive metadata to each asset. The keywords will be presented to the user alphabetically.
• Datetime – Enables you to set a date and time and attach rules for when the date is reached, for example, you can send an email or change the status of the asset (e.g. from active to inactive). Read more about attribute rules.
• Hyperlink – Users will be able to place a hyperlink against each asset. At the point of entry, Asset Bank will be able to verify the hyperlink limiting broken links.
• Autoincrement – Creates a numerical field that will increment in value automatically as assets are uploaded. Optionally you can specify a start value and increment amount for the sequence, and control the formatting of the identifier using a prefix and a padding width. So, for example, you could have a counter formatted like NUM00001, NUM00002 etc.
  • Note: Asset Bank does not guarantee that values are always consecutive, for example gaps can occur if uploads are cancelled or assets deleted.
  • There is an option of 'Enforce Uniqueness'. If this is unchecked, then values are allocated to new assets using the sequence but can be freely changed by editors, with no uniqueness checks applied. Hence more than one asset can have the same value for the attribute.
    If 'Enforce Uniqueness' is checked, then the system will enforce uniqueness in two ways:
    a) When allocating new values from the sequence, the system will check if the next value exists before allocating it for the next asset. If the value is already used then it will skip through to find the next free value to use.
    b) When editors are changing the values of the attribute for existing assets, then the system will check to see if they are already used, and give a validation error if so (for example when editing assets, or when importing metadata).
• External Dictionary - Links to an external dictionary of terms. Requires the creation of a plugin to be used.
• Data Lookup Button – This type of attribute displays a 'Data Lookup' button which can be mapped to allow a user to perform a lookup on a tab-delimited text file and populate other attribute text fields with the pre-defined value(s) from the text file at the press of a button. Read more about the data lookup button.
• Numeric – Allows you to set up an attribute that can only accept numerical values. You can also stipulate min/max decimal points if relevant.
• Spatial area – An attribute to represent a spatial area or a point. By default the attribute will have four bounding values: West longitude, South latitude, East longitude, North latitude. If you check the 'Single point only' field, then this will restrict the attribute to represent points only, with just Longitude and Latitude values. Each coordinate value is in Signed Decimal Degrees format, with the number of decimal points controlled by the max and min fields on the set up form (as for Numeric types).

Legacy Attribute Types

• File - Allows you to attach a file as an attribute. To attach a model release form for example.