| name | b2c-metadata |
| description | Define custom attributes, custom object types, and site preferences for B2C Commerce using metadata XML. Use this skill whenever the user needs to add a field to products, orders, or customers, create a new custom object type, set up site preferences, or extend the B2C data model. Also use when they ask about system-objecttype-extensions.xml, custom-objecttype-definitions.xml, attribute groups in Business Manager, or data model definitions — even if they just say "add a field to products" or "I need a new object type". |
Metadata Skill
This skill guides you through working with site metadata XML for Salesforce B2C Commerce, including custom attributes, custom objects, and site preferences.
Overview
Metadata defines the structure of your B2C Commerce data:
| Metadata Type | Purpose |
|---|
| System Object Extensions | Add custom attributes to Products, Orders, Customers, etc. |
| Custom Objects | Define entirely new data types |
| Site Preferences | Site-specific configuration values |
Site Archive Structure
Metadata is organized in site archives:
/site-archive
/meta
system-objecttype-extensions.xml # Custom attributes on system objects
custom-objecttype-definitions.xml # Custom object definitions
/sites
/MySite
preferences.xml # Site preferences
System Object Extensions
Add custom attributes to existing system objects.
Basic Structure
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<metadata xmlns="http://www.demandware.com/xml/impex/metadata/2006-10-31">
<type-extension type-id="Product">
<custom-attribute-definitions>
<attribute-definition attribute-id="myCustomAttribute">
<display-name xml:lang="x-default">My Custom Attribute</display-name>
<type>string</type>
<mandatory-flag>false</mandatory-flag>
<externally-managed-flag>false</externally-managed-flag>
</attribute-definition>
</custom-attribute-definitions>
<group-definitions>
<attribute-group group-id="MyCustomGroup">
<display-name xml:lang="x-default">My Custom Group</display-name>
<attribute attribute-id="myCustomAttribute"/>
</attribute-group>
</group-definitions>
</type-extension>
</metadata>
Common System Objects
| Object Type | Use Case |
|---|
Product | Product attributes |
Order | Order metadata |
Profile | Customer profile data |
Basket | Cart data |
SitePreferences | Site configuration |
Category | Category attributes |
Content | Content asset attributes |
Attribute Types
| Type | Description | Example |
|---|
string | Text (max 4000 chars) | SKU, descriptions |
text | Long text (unlimited) | Rich content |
int | Integer | Quantity, rank |
double | Decimal | Percentage, weight |
boolean | true/false | Flags |
date | Date only | Birth date |
datetime | Date and time | Timestamps |
email | Email address | Contact email |
password | Encrypted | API keys |
html | HTML content | Rich text |
enum-of-string | Single select | Status |
enum-of-int | Numeric enum | Priority level |
set-of-string | Multi-select | Tags |
set-of-int | Numeric multi-select | Categories |
image | Image reference | Thumbnails |
Enum Value Definitions
Enum types (enum-of-string, enum-of-int, set-of-string, set-of-int) require value-definitions with display/value pairs:
Element order matters. Inside each <value-definition>, the <display> element must come before <value>. The metadata.xsd schema enforces this strict ordering — putting <value> first fails site import validation with cvc-complex-type.2.4.d: Invalid content was found starting with element 'display'.
<attribute-definition attribute-id="warrantyType">
<display-name xml:lang="x-default">Warranty Type</display-name>
<type>enum-of-string</type>
<mandatory-flag>false</mandatory-flag>
<value-definitions>
<value-definition>
<display xml:lang="x-default">No Warranty</display>
<value>none</value>
</value-definition>
<value-definition>
<display xml:lang="x-default">Limited Warranty</display>
<value>limited</value>
</value-definition>
<value-definition>
<display xml:lang="x-default">Full Warranty</display>
<value>full</value>
</value-definition>
</value-definitions>
</attribute-definition>
| Element | Purpose |
|---|
<display> | Human-readable label shown in Business Manager (must appear first) |
<value> | The stored/API value (use lowercase, no spaces) |
Product Custom Attribute Example
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<metadata xmlns="http://www.demandware.com/xml/impex/metadata/2006-10-31">
<type-extension type-id="Product">
<custom-attribute-definitions>
<attribute-definition attribute-id="vendorSKU">
<display-name xml:lang="x-default">Vendor SKU</display-name>
<type>string</type>
<mandatory-flag>false</mandatory-flag>
<externally-managed-flag>true</externally-managed-flag>
</attribute-definition>
<attribute-definition attribute-id="productCondition">
<display-name xml:lang="x-default">Product Condition</display-name>
<type>enum-of-string</type>
<mandatory-flag>false</mandatory-flag>
<value-definitions>
<value-definition>
<display xml:lang="x-default">New</display>
<value>new</value>
</value-definition>
<value-definition>
<display xml:lang="x-default">Refurbished</display>
<value>refurbished</value>
</value-definition>
<value-definition>
<display xml:lang="x-default">Used</display>
<value>used</value>
</value-definition>
</value-definitions>
</attribute-definition>
<attribute-definition attribute-id="isHazardous">
<display-name xml:lang="x-default">Hazardous Material</display-name>
<type>boolean</type>
<mandatory-flag>false</mandatory-flag>
<default-value>false</default-value>
</attribute-definition>
<attribute-definition attribute-id="productFeatures">
<display-name xml:lang="x-default">Product Features</display-name>
<type>set-of-string</type>
<mandatory-flag>false</mandatory-flag>
<value-definitions>
<value-definition>
<display xml:lang="x-default">Waterproof</display>
<value>waterproof</value>
</value-definition>
<value-definition>
<display xml:lang="x-default">Recyclable</display>
<value>recyclable</value>
</value-definition>
</value-definitions>
</attribute-definition>
</custom-attribute-definitions>
<group-definitions>
<attribute-group group-id="CustomProductInfo">
<display-name xml:lang="x-default">Custom Product Information</display-name>
<attribute attribute-id="vendorSKU"/>
<attribute attribute-id="productCondition"/>
<attribute attribute-id="isHazardous"/>
<attribute attribute-id="productFeatures"/>
</attribute-group>
</group-definitions>
</type-extension>
</metadata>
Custom Object Definitions
Create entirely new data types.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<metadata xmlns="http://www.demandware.com/xml/impex/metadata/2006-10-31">
<custom-type type-id="StoreLocations">
<display-name xml:lang="x-default">Store Locations</display-name>
<description xml:lang="x-default">Physical store information</description>
<staging-mode>source-to-target</staging-mode>
<storage-scope>site</storage-scope>
<key-definition attribute-id="storeId">
<display-name xml:lang="x-default">Store ID</display-name>
<type>string</type>
<min-length>1</min-length>
</key-definition>
<attribute-definitions>
<attribute-definition attribute-id="storeName">
<display-name xml:lang="x-default">Store Name</display-name>
<type>string</type>
<mandatory-flag>true</mandatory-flag>
</attribute-definition>
<attribute-definition attribute-id="latitude">
<display-name xml:lang="x-default">Latitude</display-name>
<type>double</type>
</attribute-definition>
<attribute-definition attribute-id="longitude">
<display-name xml:lang="x-default">Longitude</display-name>
<type>double</type>
</attribute-definition>
<attribute-definition attribute-id="phone">
<display-name xml:lang="x-default">Phone</display-name>
<type>string</type>
</attribute-definition>
<attribute-definition attribute-id="isActive">
<display-name xml:lang="x-default">Active</display-name>
<type>boolean</type>
<default-value>true</default-value>
</attribute-definition>
</attribute-definitions>
<group-definitions>
<attribute-group group-id="StoreInfo">
<display-name xml:lang="x-default">Store Information</display-name>
<attribute attribute-id="storeId" system="true"/>
<attribute attribute-id="storeName"/>
<attribute attribute-id="latitude"/>
<attribute attribute-id="longitude"/>
<attribute attribute-id="phone"/>
<attribute attribute-id="isActive"/>
</attribute-group>
</group-definitions>
</custom-type>
</metadata>
Site Preferences
Site-specific configuration via custom attributes on SitePreferences.
Metadata (system-objecttype-extensions.xml)
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<metadata xmlns="http://www.demandware.com/xml/impex/metadata/2006-10-31">
<type-extension type-id="SitePreferences">
<custom-attribute-definitions>
<attribute-definition attribute-id="enableFeatureX">
<display-name xml:lang="x-default">Enable Feature X</display-name>
<type>boolean</type>
<default-value>false</default-value>
</attribute-definition>
<attribute-definition attribute-id="apiEndpoint">
<display-name xml:lang="x-default">API Endpoint</display-name>
<type>string</type>
</attribute-definition>
<attribute-definition attribute-id="maxItemsPerPage">
<display-name xml:lang="x-default">Max Items Per Page</display-name>
<type>int</type>
<default-value>20</default-value>
</attribute-definition>
</custom-attribute-definitions>
<group-definitions>
<attribute-group group-id="CustomSettings">
<display-name xml:lang="x-default">Custom Settings</display-name>
<attribute attribute-id="enableFeatureX"/>
<attribute attribute-id="apiEndpoint"/>
<attribute attribute-id="maxItemsPerPage"/>
</attribute-group>
</group-definitions>
</type-extension>
</metadata>
Values (sites/MySite/preferences.xml)
Preferences can be set per instance type (development, staging, production) or for all instances:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<preferences xmlns="http://www.demandware.com/xml/impex/preferences/2007-03-31">
<custom-preferences>
<all-instances>
<preference preference-id="maxItemsPerPage">25</preference>
</all-instances>
<development>
<preference preference-id="enableFeatureX">true</preference>
<preference preference-id="apiEndpoint">https://dev-api.example.com/v1</preference>
</development>
<staging>
<preference preference-id="enableFeatureX">true</preference>
<preference preference-id="apiEndpoint">https://staging-api.example.com/v1</preference>
</staging>
<production>
<preference preference-id="enableFeatureX">false</preference>
<preference preference-id="apiEndpoint">https://api.example.com/v1</preference>
</production>
</custom-preferences>
</preferences>
Access in Code
var Site = require('dw/system/Site');
var enableFeatureX = Site.current.getCustomPreferenceValue('enableFeatureX');
var apiEndpoint = Site.current.getCustomPreferenceValue('apiEndpoint');
var maxItems = Site.current.getCustomPreferenceValue('maxItemsPerPage');
Attribute Definition Options
<attribute-definition attribute-id="myAttribute">
<display-name xml:lang="x-default">Display Name</display-name>
<description xml:lang="x-default">Description for BM tooltip</description>
<type>string</type>
<localizable-flag>false</localizable-flag>
<mandatory-flag>false</mandatory-flag>
<externally-managed-flag>false</externally-managed-flag>
<visible-flag>true</visible-flag>
<site-specific-flag>false</site-specific-flag>
<order-required-flag>false</order-required-flag>
<searchable-flag>false</searchable-flag>
<min-length>0</min-length>
<max-length>256</max-length>
<default-value>default</default-value>
<select-mode>none</select-mode>
<unit>kg</unit>
</attribute-definition>
| Flag | Purpose |
|---|
localizable-flag | Can have different values per locale |
mandatory-flag | Required in BM |
externally-managed-flag | Read-only in BM |
visible-flag | Shown in BM |
site-specific-flag | Different value per site |
order-required-flag | Required for order export |
searchable-flag | Indexed for search |
Best Practices
- Use attribute groups to organize in Business Manager
- Prefix custom attributes with organization name (e.g.,
acme_myAttribute)
- Set externally-managed for data imported from external systems
- Use enums over strings for controlled vocabularies
- Document with descriptions - they appear as tooltips
Detailed Reference
