Metadata & tables

Working with metadata

You may add properties (also called metadata) to Zones, Walls , Blocks (instances and definitions), Layers, Styles, and Pages. To do so, select one or multiple elements and head to the Metadata section of properties panel.

Applying metadata to the selection

Let's start by creating a new property. With an entity selected, click on the Add property button. Then, click on the + button, in the header of the panel.

This will open the Create property panel; there, a new property can be created and assigned to our current selection. Properties are defined by a Name, a Type (Text, Number, Length, Area, Volume, Price, Boolean) and Value. Once filled, click on Done. The property created will get assigned to your selection.

Managing metadata

All the properties that exist in our model can be managed from a single place: the Manage properties panel.

There, properties can be added, created or removed, model-wide.

Inheritance

Another useful feature of metadata is inheritance. In other words, the metadata carried at one level can be transmitted to a lower level. For instance:

• Definition → Instance : A property carried by a block definition will also be carried by its instances.

• Style → Entity : A property carried by a style will also be carried by entities carrying that style.

At any point, an inherited property can be overridden; for instance, the value of a property inherited by an instance from its definition can be changed to a different, specific value.

Working with tables

The properties that entities in your model carry can also be listed into tables. To that end, the Tables panel can be found on the left in the editor.

To create a new table, click the + button.

Adding properties to a table

Click on the + button at the top-right of your table to add new properties to the table.

Arranging elements in a table

Click on a column header to display options such as Sort, Filters, Group by.

Sort & Filters

You may sort the table alphabetically based on a given column.

You may filter each column to only show the elements matching a given filter.

Group by

You can also arrange tables by group

Exporting a Table

You may export your tables at any time in .csv or .xlsx formats using the Export button.

For more step-by-step information, watch our tutorial about how to use tables and metadata in Rayon:

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