Field Help for Extension Definition: Extension Attributes Page

You use the Extension Attributes page to define the properties of an extension attribute.

Simple and Collection List Attributes

Two types of extension attributes are supported: simple attributes and collection lists. A simple attribute extension is a single data element from the list of supported types shown below. For example, an ISO 9000 Certification date added to the supplier object would be a simple attribute. An object can be extended with one or more simple attributes.

Extension Attribute Type	Example
String	This is some text
Integer	7
Decimal	7.0
Boolean	True
Date	Jul 14, 2009
URL	www.sap.com. The URL value is the same as a string value. Identifying an attribute as a URL enables the UI to display it as a link.
Date Time	Jul 14, 2009 09:15:00 AM
Object Reference	Acme Corporation
Value List Value	Value List Value
Attachment	CompanyOverview.doc
Amount	100 kg
Price	100 USD
Text	Long (>255 characters) text field possibly containing formatting data and text. Note The Text attribute type is not supported as a collection attribute. End of the note.

A collection list allows from zero to n entries, with each entry being a named grouping of simple attribute fields. An object can be extended with one or more collection extensions, in addition to its simple attribute extensions. The example below shows a supplier object extended with a simple attribute extension, the Boolean “Annual Inspection”, and a collection extension, the “Inspection History” collection, in which each entry contains a string (“Inspection Year”) and a numeric (“Inspection Score”).

For more information about collection lists, see Field Help for Extension Definition: Collection List Page.

Features

Field Descriptions

The following provides help for the fields on the Extension Attributes page.

Field	Description
Inactive (Status)	Select this checkbox to indicate that the attribute is inactive and unavailable for use.
Use as collection member	Select this checkbox to use the attribute as part of an extension collection. Checking this box creates the Collection List tab. See above for a description of simple attributes and collection list attributes.
Attribute Internal Name	Enter a unique name for the attribute. This value does not appear in the user interface.
Attribute Display Name	Choose Lookup to select a localized resource as a display name for the attribute. This is the value that appears in the user interface.
Attribute Description	Choose Lookup to select a localized resource as a description for the attribute.
Pre-Text	Choose Lookup to select a localized resource as the text to appear before the attribute.
Post-Text	Choose Lookup to select a localized resource as the text to appear after the attribute.
Display After	Enter the Field ID of the field after which to display the extension. An extension can appear on any document page after any normal field.
Required	For any extension attribute type except Attachment and Text, you can check this box to require users to enter a value for the attribute in all cases. In some cases, objects are created without user interaction, as in creating a duplicate of an object or creating an RFx from a Quick RFx. Therefore, if an extension attribute is marked Required, you must provide a default value so that creation can occur even when the user has no opportunity to provide the extension value. See Field Help for Extension Definition: Default Value Page for details about providing default values.
Read Only	Select this checkbox to indicate that the attribute is read only.
Visibility	Select the users who can see the attribute. Note The lack of sell-side visibility validation is a known limitation with respect to extensions. It is recognized that it is possible to create extensions for the sell-side, which cannot be viewed or edited, due either to security considerations or to lack of accessibility, given the absence of sell-side pickers. End of the note.
Data Type	Select the data type for the attribute. String: Selecting this value creates the Max String Length field. Decimal: If you select this value, you must provide Display Scale and Storage Scale values on the Default Value tab to ensure that the system stores values with a consistent number of decimal places. `DateTime`: If you select this value, you can use the Default Value tab to specify the current date and time as the default. Object Reference: If you select this value, you must select a value in the Object Reference Type field that is created. Note The values in the Object Reference Type list are created as Extension Reference Types. For details on creating custom types, see Extension Reference Types. End of the note. Value List: If you select this value, you must select a value in the Value List Type field.
Max String Length	Type the maximum number of characters that can be entered in this field. The default value is 256. String and URL attributes cannot exceed 256 characters.
Object Reference Type	Choose Lookup to select the class of object that is referenced. The class must be specified in order to select a default value for this attribute.
Value List Type:	Choose Lookup to select the value list type that is referenced. The type must be specified in order to select a default value for this attribute.
Column Width	For a collection list attribute, type the width in characters for the columns in the collection list table.

Note Note

After an extension attribute has been created, you cannot make changes to the Type field, the Required field, or change between simple attribute and collection use. This is because it would not be possible to automatically convert any data that had been stored with the old definition. You can, however, designate an attribute as inactive by checking the Inactive box. Once inactivated, the attribute will no longer be displayed. If all of the attributes of a collection are inactivated, the collection is considered inactive and the collection is no longer displayed. Changes to extension definitions should be stabilized before production data is created.

End of the note.