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Attribute Definition Management

Attributes play a crucial role in exchanging parameters and values for various operations. Maintaining consistency in their definition and content is essential, particularly for Data and Metadata attributes. These definitions are specified within connectors and are not managed by Core.

Unique, Permanent, and Changeable Properties of Attributes​

When Core requests attributes for a particular operation, the attribute definitions are retrieved, validated, and stored in the Core database for filtering purposes. Each attribute is uniquely identified by a combination of the following properties:

  • UUID
  • Name
  • Connector UUID (not applicable for global metadata)

If an attribute is not found, its definition is stored. For existing definitions, Core checks whether the permanent property contentType has been altered. If there is a mismatch, an exception is thrown since Core cannot process incoming data that is incompatible with the already existing attribute content.

For other changes, the definition is updated based on the connector's input. This includes updating the serialized definition and the following changeable properties managed by Core:

  • Label
  • Required (not applicable for metadata)
  • ReadOnly (not applicable for metadata)

In regard to other properties, they can be changed as needed. The only thing worth mentioning is that change does not affect in any way already existing content which can become invalid by some changes.

Described validation and updating mechanism ensures that attribute definitions and their content remain consistent. It is essential to maintain this consistency for proper operation and to enable filtering of objects based on their content type.

FAQ​

This FAQ section serves as a reference for situations where the attribute definition used in an operation needs to be updated.

What if I need to change the Attribute UUID and/or Name?​

UUID and name are unique properties of an attribute. If either is changed, Core will treat the attribute as a new one for the given operation, while the content will remain linked to the original definition. This may cause issues in some operations, such as renewing a certificate, where metadata is sent as part of the request. Core will send the content with the UUID or name of the original attribute definition, and whether it can be properly linked to the new definition depends on the connector and the changes made.

Changing UUID and/or Name will cause the link to the existing content to be lost. In some cases, it is possible to retrieve the content with the new definitions from the connector (e.g., the identify operation of the authority provider interface or the sync operation of the entity provider interface).

Currently, there is no attribute migration feature available. The only option is to sync (identify) or recreate the object.

What about Other Properties?​

If there is a need to change the contentType property, you must update the definition with a new UUID and name to avoid conflicts with the existing content.

For other properties, Core will automatically update them in the stored definition. For example:

  • When the Label is updated, the change will be visible immediately in API responses and in the UI on corresponding forms or attribute viewers.
  • If the Required property is changed to True, be aware that operations on already existing objects may fail if the content for that attribute was not previously required.
  • If the ReadOnly property is changed to True, operations may fail because the existing content may differ from what is specified in the definition, thus violating the read-only validation rule.

What is the Best Practice for Attribute Definition?​

When specifying an attribute definition, it is important to generate a unique combination of UUID and name. A good practice is to ensure the name is descriptive enough, and if the attribute represents a generic input (e.g., name, URL, type), use a prefix to specify its purpose more accurately. This helps avoid potential collisions or the need to rename attributes when adding new ones with similar purposes.

Can I delete unused Data or Metadata attribute definition from Core?​

Currently, there is no way how to manually delete stored definitions except custom attributes. Plan for the future is to include automatic cleanup of unused definitions without linked content for objects automatically.