Overview
The Field Dictionary allows you to define a field so that it consistently corresponds to a specific data type and an optional output name. This is specifically used for creating Structured layouts – if numerous layouts have the same field, defining the field will ensure that the field metadata is consistent across different layouts.
New field definitions can be created either individually in the Field Dictionary, or in bulk via a CSV upload. For more information on how to add field definitions, see Defining Fields in the Field Dictionary.
A Tour of the Field Dictionary
To access the Field Dictionary, navigate to the Library > Field Dictionary.
On the Field Dictionary screen, you will see a table of all field definitions stored in the dictionary, with one row per field. You can immediately filter the field definitions based on Data Type and Status, and access more filters (Field Group and Layout) by clicking the More Filters funnel button on the top right of the table.
Below is a list of elements in the Field Dictionary:
- Data Type (filter and table column) - the data types currently in the Field Dictionary.
- Status (filter and table column) - the status gives the state of each field, either Enabled or Disabled. Enabled fields are eligible to be included in layout drafts, while Disabled fields are not.
- Field Group (filter) - field groups can be added by the user to help organize field definitions, similar to Tags on layouts.
- Layout (filter) - allows limiting the field dictionary view to only fields in use in the selected layouts’ draft or locked versions.
Viewing defined fields
To view details of a particular field, click on the Display Name for a specific field on the left-most column of the Field Dictionary table. The field details will show additional information about the field, including its full set of Field Groups, the unique identifier (UUID), the user that created the field, and the date and time of the field’s creation and last update.
To see all of the layout drafts where the field definition is currently in use, see the Usage tab. This is used to provide more insight into the scale and impact of any field definition edits.
An individual field may also be copied into a new field using the Duplicate button at the top right of the field details view.
Using dictionary entries in the Layout Editor
To utilize fields defined in the dictionary in draft layouts, navigate to the Library > Layouts. Click the name of the layout to access the layout’s details page, and then click the Edit Draft button to open the Layout Editor.
When defining a new field or editing an existing field, utilize the Field Dictionary by typing in the Display Name of any dictionary entry in the Field Name box in the Layout Editor. As new characters are typed, matching dictionary entries will be shown in a dropdown below. Click on the desired entry to populate the Field Name, Data Type, and Output Name using the definition from the Field Dictionary.
Exporting the Field Dictionary
All field definitions contained in the Field Dictionary may be downloaded into a CSV file via the Download CSV button in the upper right of the Field Dictionary table. This allows the current state of the dictionary to be easily transferred to another Hyperscience instance.