Property types

Overview

A property type sets the kind of value a property holds on a template.

Common properties

Every template has three reserved properties. You can't delete them, and they stay at the top of the property list.

Property	Type	Behaviour
Title	Text	Required on every entity; supports priority sorting
Date added	Date	Set once when the entity is created
Date modified	Date	Updated on every save

The Title property offers a Generated ID option. When it's on, Uwazi fills the title with an auto-generated identifier instead of free text.

Property types

The table lists every property type, the value stored in the template configuration, what it holds, and whether it accepts more than one value.

Type	Config value	Stores	Multiple values
Text	text	One line of plain text	No
Rich text	markdown	One formatted text value	No
Numeric	numeric	One number	No
Date	date	One date	No
Multiple dates	multidate	A list of dates	Yes
Date range	daterange	One start-and-end date pair	No
Multiple date ranges	multidaterange	A list of date pairs	Yes
Select	select	One value from a thesaurus	No
Multiple select	multiselect	Many values from a thesaurus	Yes
Relationship	relationship	Links to other entities	Yes
Link	link	One URL with an optional label	No
Image	image	One image, uploaded or by URL	No
Media	media	One media file, uploaded or by URL	No
Geolocation	geolocation	One latitude and longitude point	No
Generated ID	generatedid	One auto-generated identifier	No
Preview	preview	No value; shows a document thumbnail	No

Configuration options

Each option below appears in the property side panel for the listed types.

Option	Description	Available for
Label	The name shown for the property	All types
Hide label	Hides the label when an entity is displayed	All types
Required	Makes a value mandatory on every entity	All types except Preview
Show in cards	Shows the property on library cards	All types
Use as filter	Adds the property to the library filters	Text, Rich text, Numeric, Date, Multiple dates, Date range, Multiple date ranges, Select, Multiple select, Relationship, Generated ID
Default filter	Shows the filter without expanding the filter list	Same types as Use as filter
Priority sorting	Sets the property as the default library sort	Text, Numeric, Select, Date, Relationship
Style	Sets image fit to Fill or Contain	Image, Media, Preview
Full width	Displays the image across the full width	Image, Media, Preview
Thesaurus	The thesaurus that supplies values (required)	Select, Multiple select
Relationship type	The connection type used for the link (required)	Relationship
Entities	Restricts related entities to one template	Relationship
Inherit property	Shows a property from the related entity inline	Relationship

Type-specific options

Select and multiple select

Both types need a Thesaurus. Values come from that thesaurus, and Uwazi checks each value against it. Labels resolve to the reader's language from the thesaurus translations.

Relationship

A Relationship property needs a Relationship type. The optional Entities option limits related entities to a single template. Once you set Entities, the Inherit property option shows a chosen property of the related entity inline on the source entity.

Relationship properties in one template that share the same relationship type and target template always hold the same values.

Image, media, and preview

These types share the Style and Full width options. Style sets the image fit to Fill or Contain. Media also supports video time segments.

Filtering, search, and sorting

The table shows which types appear as filters and how Uwazi matches their values.

Type	Filterable	Search behaviour	Priority sorting
Text	Yes	Exact term match	Yes
Rich text	Yes	Exact term match	No
Numeric	Yes	Number range	Yes
Date	Yes	Date range	Yes
Multiple dates	Yes	Date range	No
Date range	Yes	Start and end range	No
Multiple date ranges	Yes	Start and end range	No
Select	Yes	Value match with facet counts	Yes
Multiple select	Yes	Value match with facet counts	No
Relationship	Yes	Value match with facet counts	Yes
Generated ID	Yes	Exact term match	No
Link	No	—	No
Image	No	—	No
Media	No	—	No
Geolocation	No	Plotted on the library map	No
Preview	No	—	No

Select, Multiple select, and Relationship filters also show faceted value counts in the library sidebar.

Language behaviour

Translatable types store a separate value for each language. Synced types copy one value across all languages on save. Label-only types share one value, but their displayed label translates on its own.

Type	Translatable	Synced across languages
Text	Yes	No
Rich text	Yes	No
Numeric	No	Yes
Date	No	Yes
Multiple dates	No	Yes
Date range	No	Yes
Multiple date ranges	No	Yes
Select	Label only	Yes
Multiple select	Label only	Yes
Relationship	Label only	Yes
Link	Yes	No
Image	Yes	No
Media	Yes	No
Geolocation	No	Yes
Generated ID	No	No
Preview	—	—

For Select and Multiple select, the label comes from the thesaurus translation for the active language. For Relationship, the label comes from the related entity's title in that language. You translate a thesaurus under Settings > Translations, not on each entity.

For Link, both parts are translatable. Each language stores its own URL and label, and the two can differ per language.

Constraints by type

The table lists the main validation rules and limits for each type.

Type	Constraints
Text	Holds one value. Empty values are removed.
Rich text	Holds one value. Interchangeable with Text on an existing property.
Numeric	Accepts integers or decimals. Empty input removes the value; zero stays.
Date	Holds one date, stored as a timestamp.
Multiple dates	Holds many dates. Empty entries are removed.
Date range	Needs a start or an end. The end can't come before the start.
Multiple date ranges	Each range needs a start or an end. The end can't come before the start.
Select	Needs a thesaurus. The value must exist in that thesaurus.
Multiple select	Needs a thesaurus. Duplicate values are removed.
Relationship	Needs a relationship type. Related entities must already exist.
Link	The URL must include a scheme. A label needs a URL.
Image	Accepts an uploaded file or a valid URL.
Media	Accepts an uploaded file or a valid URL. Supports video time segments.
Geolocation	Latitude ranges from -90 to 90; longitude from -180 to 180.
Generated ID	Auto-filled in the format XXX-XXXX-XXXX. Existing entities are backfilled.
Preview	Stores no value. Shows the entity's main document thumbnail.

warning

A property's type can't change after you create it. To switch type, delete the property and add a new one, which removes its stored data.

Property names and uniqueness

Uwazi generates a property name from its label. The name uses lowercase letters, numbers, and underscores. Geolocation names end in _geolocation.

A property name is unique within its template. You can't delete a property that another template inherits.

Shared properties across templates

When two templates give a property the same label, Uwazi treats them as one shared property and keeps their configuration in sync. The type must match. Select and Multiple select must also use the same thesaurus. Relationship must also use the same relationship type, target template, and inherited property. The Save button stays disabled until the settings match.

The examples below show which shared labels Uwazi allows or blocks:

• Allowed: a Country Select property points to the same Countries thesaurus in both the Case and Event templates.
• Blocked: the Case template defines Country as Select, and the Event template defines Country as Text, because the types differ.
• Blocked: both templates define a Country Select property, but each points to a different thesaurus.

To configure two properties on their own, give them different labels.

Export behaviour

CSV export includes every property type except Preview.