Creating Fields and Field Groups

Different types of fields used in Contineo.

Entity Fields

The fields of an Entity are its schema. These can be viewed from the Schema view. There are 3 main types of fields:

  • Persistent: Persistent fields have their data stored in the database table. Each persistent field is a column in the entity table. Persistent fields must have primitive data types such as:

    • String

    • Longtext

    • Integer

    • Decimal

    • Date

    • DateTime

    • Boolean

  • Relational: These include the relations of Parent(1), Child(1), and Child(many). These correspond to Many-To-One, One-To-One, and One-To-Many relations respectively.

  • Virtual: These fields are not created in the database. They are used for calculated values or custom-formatted displays of persistent data values.

Entity Field Groups

Fields are arranged into Field Groups, viewable in the Schema view. When the Entity UI is generated, the layout follows the grouping in Field Groups.

  • Field Groups appear as tabs at the top (see A in image above).

  • To open a Group's properties, select the group tab and click its title above the field list.

  • Every Entity has a default group, always shown first. This group represents the Entity itself and shares its properties.

Create a Persistent Field

  1. Select a group to add the field in.

  2. Click Field on the top right (see B in the image above).

  3. Enter the name of the field and click OK. You may create multiple fields at once using a comma-separated list.

Create a Relational Field

  1. Select a group to add the field in.

  2. Click the arrow next to the Field button (see C in the image above).

  3. Choose the relation type: Parent(1), Child(1), or Child(many).

  4. Enter the field name and click OK. Multiple relations can be created with a comma-separated list.

IMPORTANT:

When creating a Child(1/many) field, set the following properties:

  • Relation > Inverse Of

  • Relation > Key Mapping

Create a Virtual Field

  1. Select a group to add the field in.

  2. Click the arrow next to the Field button on the top right.

  3. Click Virtual, enter the name, and click OK. You can create multiple virtual fields using a comma-separated list.

Create a Field Group in Entity/Data Model

  1. Click + Group on the top right.

  2. Enter the group name and click OK.

Changing a Field Type or Group

  • Change a fields type from its Properties > Member Type property.

  • Change a fields group from its Properties > Member Group property.

Reordering Field Sequence

To reorder fields on the UI:

  1. Select a Field Group.

  2. Drag and drop the fields to change their order.

Reordering Group Sequence

To change the Group order on the UI:

  1. Select a Group.

  2. Use the up/down arrows.

You cannot reorder the default group. It always appears first and shares the Entity name.

Primary Keys and Import Keys for a Persistent Entity

  • Primary Keys: These are the main key columns in the Entity’s database table. Mark a field as primary key using the Properties > Is Pk checkbox. If using a pattern from XLib.*, an ID field is typically included as the primary key.

  • Import Keys: These are used during data import to identify records, especially when primary key values are missing. Mark a field as an import key using the Properties > Is Import Key checkbox.