Field Types

Last Updated: May 2, 2023
documentation for the dotCMS Content Management System

Each Content Type contains one or more fields which represent individual pieces of information for each individual content item of that Content Type. Fields may contain many different types of information (such as string, integer, floating point, etc.), and may be configured to display values and allow values to be entered in multiple different ways (e.g. as a text box, drop-down list, multiple select list, radio buttons, etc).

You can add fields to any Content Type in dotCMS, even the Content Types that ship with dotCMS. This allows you to both create new Content Types with any fields you wish and to extend the Content Types that come with the base dotCMS installation by adding any additional fields you wish.

The fields in a Content Type (e.g. “columns” in the “table”) are comprised of the Standard Field Types, the WYSIWYG Field, Tag and Category Fields, etc. Nearly all fields can be made searchable, and can be accessed via the RESTful APIs.

Field Types

The following summarizes the different types of fields which may be added to a Content Type:

Field Display TypeDescription
Block EditorContent editor that allows you to create your content as building blocks.
BinaryImage or File embedded in the content item
CategoryAssignment to one or more pre-defined Categories
CheckboxSelect one or more labels using checkboxes
ConstantValue that is always the same for all content items
CustomField populated using custom code
DateSelect a date (but not a time)
Date and TimeSelect both a date and time
FileLink to a separate file within dotCMS
HiddenConstant value which is hidden from the content editor
ImageLink to a separate image file within dotCMS
JSONStore and access semi-structured data within content
Key/ValueAdd one or more key/value pairs
Line DividerPlace a labeled line on the content editing screen
Multi SelectSelect one or more labels using a drop-down
PermissionsDisplay Permissions using a field instead of a tab
RadioSelect a single label using radio buttons
Relationships FieldAllow content to be Related to content of another Content Type
Relationships LegacyDisplay Legacy Relationships using a field instead of a tab
SelectSelect a single label using a drop-down
Site or FolderLocate the content item in a specific folder
TagAllow content editors to add Tags
TextSingle line of text
TextareaMultiple lines of text
TimeSelect a time (but not a date)
WYSIWYGMultiple lines of text which content editors can style freely and embed links and images into

Each field type has different properties that can be set (some of which are required). For more information, please see the Field Properties documentation.

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