Built-in property types

4 min

Optimizely Content Management System (CMS) content is built up by models with properties that store and present data. You can use many built-in property types in your models and create your own.

Common property types

What you want to create	Solution	Editing experience	Hints and tips
Plain short text	String property	One row input	Control the allowed length with the StringLength attribute. Use custom tag to control the containing tag, such as using a H1 for the main header for the page.
Plain long text	String property with UIHint.Textarea	Text area	Control the allowed length with the StringLength attribute.
Html	XHtmlString property	A TinyMCE HTML editor
Integer value	Int property	A number slider	Controls other rendering, such as the number of items in a list. Control the min and max values with the Range attribute.
Date and time	DateTime property	A date and time picker	Control the min and max values with the Range attribute.
Double	Double property	Check editor	Control the min and max values with the Range attribute.
Boolean	Boolean property	Check box
Page type	PageType property		Filter items in a list, and so on.
BLOB	Blob property		Hold binary data (such as an image). Route to a BLOB with pattern <Url to content>/BlobPropertyName.

Work with other content

To refer to existing content, use the Link or LinkCollection to create internal or external links.

Use ContentArea to display content from other content.

Use ContentReference, ContentReferenceList, or URL to link to a single content of a specified type.

Use the AllowedTypes attribute to further restrict the kind of links that are possible to add to a property (although there are a few known limitations).

Use a content reference with many different UI hints to select different entities in CMS, such as a block, a media item, a block folder, or a media folder.

What you want to create	Solution	Editing experience	Hints and tips
Link to a page	`PageReference` property	Content picker with drag and drop support
Link to a media file of any type	`ContentReference` property with `UIHint.MediaFile`	Content picker with drag and drop support	Link to any file in the media repository. Use `ContentReference` instead of using standard content rendering. (Mostly for backwards compatibility.)
Link to an image	`ContentReference` property with `UIHint.Image`	Content picker with drag and drop support	Lets an editor select content in the media repository by implementing `IContentImage`.
Link to a video	`ContentReference` property with `UIHint.Video`	Content picker with drag and drop support	Lets an editor select content in the media repository by implementing `IContentVideo`.
Link to a media file with the possibility to append information in the URL	`Url` property with `UIHint.MediaFile` or `UIHint.Image` or `UIHint.Video`	Content picker with drag and drop support	Each link can be an item inside CMS, such as pages or media but also external URLs. Use URL instead of `ContentReference` if you want to add information, such as query string parameters, to control size.
Content area	`ContentArea` property
URL	`Url` property	Link dialog with drag-and-drop support
Link to multiple external and/or internal resources	`LinkItemCollection` property	Link collection editor with drag-and-drop support	Does not support `AllowedTypesAttribute`.
Link to multiple internal pages, media files, or another content type.	`ContentReferenceList` property	Content picker with drag and drop support	Supports `AllowedTypesAttribute`.

Select predefined values

You can use the following solutions to create drop-down lists and check box lists:

What you want to create	Solution	Editing experience	Hints and tips
Select a single item from a relatively short list of options	String/Int property with SelectOneSelectOne attribute	Link to implementation page
Select several items from a relatively short list of options	String/Int property with SelectManySelectMany attribute	Link to implementation page
Select a single item from a relatively long list of options	String/Int property with AutoSuggestionAutoSuggestion attribute	Link to implementation page	Use with caution because the auto-suggestion editor creates requests to the server.

Validation attributes

CMS supports the following validation attributes that are part of the .NET:

Range

StringLength

RegularExpression

EmailAttribute

You can create custom attributes that implement ValidationAttribute.