A custom property is a field providing information for a specific document class. Properties can be used to structure documents, to improve the search experience and to customize a workflow.
Properties are also called metadata.
Important:
– Only library administrators can create and configure properties.
– Custom properties can be defined in all AODocs library types.
As a library administrator, you can:
 Create new custom properties |
| Update custom properties |
| Delete custom properties |
Create new custom properties
1. Access the library administration.
2. Under Library configuration, select Document classes.
3. Press the name of the document class you want to configure.
4. In all types of library, a system property Folder is set for each new document class.
In Team Folder libraries and Secured Folder libraries:
- you can't deselect the Display folder as checkbox, but you can rename it
- you can activate the With tags checkbox
Note: The values you defined for the Tags category (created by default in Team Folders and Secured Folders) will be available for end-users to tag their documents without entering edit mode. Learn more: Create categories.
In Document Management libraries:
- you can select the Display folder as checkbox and you can rename it
Important: The Display Folder as checkbox isn't selected by default, so to activate folders for your library you must select it.
- you can select the Title is read only checkbox.
Only library administrators and super administrators will be able to change the title of documents in this class after they've been created and given a title.
Tip: Title can be set as read-only if an automatic naming convention is enforced on the title of the document by custom script.
5. Press <Add a new value> and enter a name for your new custom property.
6. In the Field type column, choose the format of your custom property:
- String: for a string of alphanumerical and special characters limited to 400 characters.
- Text: for a text field (where you can add line breaks).
- Date/Time/Date & Time: for date and time fields.
- Integer: for integer values (0, 1, 2, -1,.. limited to +/- 2,147,483,647).
- Decimal: for decimal values (0.1, -5.1, 1.655,..) with maximum 3 decimal digits.
- Boolean: for a boolean field.
- Person: for the name of a person or a Google Group (AODocs autocompletes email addresses available in your G Suite domain global address list).
Note: For a Person field to accept Google Groups you must set the field as multi-valued.
- Geopoint: for a location in latitude and longitude.
- URL: for a link to a URL with a display name.
- Custom categories: custom values defined by categories such as "Manufacturer" and "Country". End-users can select values from a drop-down list in the user interface. Learn more: What are categories?
Note: If you create a property with the name of a category, the field type of your new property will auto populate with this category.
Tips:
– Custom property values can be used to trigger or validate a workflow state.
– Person fields can be used as validators, dates trigger a reminder, etc.
7. Select the required check-boxes:
- Multiple values: end-users can choose 0, 1 or several values for the same field.
- Read-only: only administrators and scripts can modify the value or the property.
- Mandatory: these properties must have a value. If they aren't filled in, the user will not be able to create or save their document
- Hidden: these properties aren't displayed to contributors and readers. Hidden properties are only visible by library administrators when they view or edit a document.
Note: You can't define a property as both mandatory and read-only or both mandatory and hidden. An error message appears.
8. If required, press Settings and enter a description for your properties. The description, of up to 100 characters, will appear as a tooltip on the property name for end-users.
Note: You can configure data validation rules and customized help text for the following field types: Integer, Decimal, Person, and String.
9. Press Save or Save & Close.
Update custom properties
1. The Parameters tab shows the list of properties.
2. Press the name of a property to rename it.
Note: The new property name is applied to existing documents as well as new documents.
3. Select the required check-boxes.
4. If required, update the descriptions of your properties.
5. You can rearrange the order of the properties by drag and drop.
6. Press Save or Save & Close.
Important: Once a field type is assigned to a property and the property is saved, you can't change the property field type.
This video shows how to update your custom properties:
Delete custom properties
1. The Parameters tab shows the list of properties.
2. Press Delete next to the property you want to delete.
2. Confirm the deletion.
3. Press Save or Save & Close.
Important:
You can't delete a property if:
– it is defined in the filter, display, sorting, pre-filter or browsing section of a view configuration
– it is defined in an automatic workflow transition based on properties in a workflow configuration
Error messages appear if you try to delete a property that can't be deleted. The reason is clearly indicated. For example:
