In Spotilla, devices, machines and other assets are called Spots. Attributes let you define what information is stored about Spots. An attribute can be a manufacturer, purchase date or another device property. You can create attributes individually or import several at once from Excel.
Creating an attribute defines the name, type and any available options for a shared data field. It does not yet add the field to a device card or fill in a value for any Spot. The same attribute can be used on several device cards.
Permissions and finding attributes
Create attribute definitions and import them from Excel in the browser interface. The attribute editing functions for Spots on Android and iOS change the information for an individual Spot.
From the browser menu, open Assets and content → Folder tree → Attributes. First check the list to see whether the attribute you need already exists. You do not need to create a new attribute for each device to store the same kind of information.
Creating attributes requires permission to create them. An administrator has permission to manage attributes; a manager can be granted permission to create them through a user role. However, the Import attributes button is hidden from managers even when they have permission to create attributes. In this case, ask an administrator to perform the import. Importing also checks the permission to create attributes.
Creating a new attribute
- Select Create new attribute at the top of the Attributes view.
- Enter a clear, unique name in the Name field. The maximum name length is 512 characters.
- Select the Field type according to the information you want to store.
- If you selected Drop-down menu, add the available options. You can use the form's Paste values as list button and separate the options with commas or line breaks.
- Select Save.
The types are Text, Number, Date, Email, Drop-down menu and Link. For example, a text field is suitable for a manufacturer, and a date field for a purchase date. A drop-down menu guides users to choose from the same predefined options.
A drop-down menu must have at least one option. The options must be distinct and non-empty, and each can be no more than 50 characters long. Commas and line breaks separate options, so they cannot be used within a single option.
Once saved successfully, the attribute appears in the list. Check its name, type and options.
What does Is default mean?
Is default means that the attribute is protected from deletion: a default attribute cannot be deleted. It is not a default value automatically filled into a Spot's field.
You cannot rely on the Is default selection on the creation form being saved. Check the saved state in the Is default column in the attribute list; selecting it on the creation form alone does not ensure protection from deletion.
Excel columns and accepted values
When importing new attributes, the column order is Name, Field type, Drop-down menu values, Is default. The order matters: naming the columns does not move the data into the correct fields.
| Column | Contents |
|---|---|
| Name | The attribute's unique name, up to 512 characters. |
| Field type | In the Finnish interface: Teksti, Luku, Päivämäärä, Sähköposti, Pudotusvalikko or Linkki. |
| Drop-down menu values | The options in a single cell, separated by commas or line breaks. For other field types, leave the cell empty: the import does not save options for them. |
| Is default | The selection for protection from deletion. In the Finnish interface: Kyllä or Ei; true and false are also recognized. Note the saving limitation described below. |
Field type names are recognized in the interface language used at the time of import. If you change the language, use the type names in the new language or the language-independent values text, number, date, email, select and url. Recognition is case-insensitive. Do not mix display names from different languages.
For example, a new drop-down menu can be imported with the row: Condition rating | Drop-down menu | Good, Fair, Poor | No. Here, the vertical bars illustrate the column boundaries; in Excel, enter the data into four separate cells.
An empty or unrecognized value in the Is default column is interpreted as No in the import table. However, in the current import, a Yes selection may remain in effect for subsequent No rows as well. If you need both selections, import the No rows and Yes rows in separate imports. Always check the saved Is default state in the attribute list.
Importing several attributes from Excel
- Select Import attributes at the top of the Attributes view.
- In the import window, select Select Excel-file and open your file. Alternatively, select a cell in the import table and paste the data rows copied from Excel. When pasting new attributes, leave out the header row.
- Check each row's name, type, options and Is default selection in the table. Double-click a cell to correct it. The trash icon on the right of a row removes the row from this import.
- Select Save, review the confirmation and confirm by selecting Save there as well.
Name and field type are required. Completely empty rows are not submitted for import. Selecting a file replaces the previous contents of the import table, so select the file before making corrections in the table.
The import is processed in the background. The import window closing does not yet mean that all rows have been saved.
Updating existing attributes through an import
Select Export view for Excel import at the top of the Attributes view. The export provides a safe starting point for updating definitions: the columns are in the order ID, Name, Field type, Drop-down menu values, Is default. Keep the ID header in the first column and the attribute IDs when importing the file back.
The import identifies an existing attribute by ID, not by name. Without a recognized ID, the import attempts to create a new attribute. If its name is already in use, the row fails. An invalid or unknown ID can also lead to an attempt to create a new attribute.
The name, type, options and Is default state of an attribute found by ID are replaced with the data from the import row. This does not merely update the fields corresponding to filled cells. Therefore, check the entire row and keep a copy of any current information you need before making the change. Exporting to Excel alone does not change any data.
The update affects the shared definition everywhere it is used. Renaming a drop-down menu option can change the values of Spots using it. Deleting an option clears the values that use it. When a field of another type is changed to a drop-down menu, Spot values that are not in the new option list are cleared in the background. Simply adding a new option does not fill it in for Spots.
Ambiguous combinations of changes to the options of a drop-down menu in use may be rejected. Add, delete and rename options in separate updates. For more detailed instructions on editing and deleting, see How do I edit or delete an attribute?
Check the import result
From the browser menu, open History → Import logs. Find the attribute import by its time and user, and open the log by clicking the name of the imported resource. Check the New items, Updated items and Failed items sections and the error messages.
An import can succeed partially. Rows are saved individually, and a validation error in one row does not undo successful creations or updates. Correct and reimport only the failed rows. Reimporting successful new rows without IDs causes duplicate name errors.
Then reopen the Attributes view and check the saved names, types, options and Is default states. If you updated a drop-down menu that is in use, also check the values of the affected Spots after background processing. The import log reports on the import of the definition; it alone does not confirm that all subsequent changes to Spot values have finished. These background changes do not create separate history entries for changes to Spot values.
Put the new field into use
Use the Device cards page button at the top of the attribute list to go to device card management. Add the attribute to the desired device card and make sure the device card is in use in the correct folder. Then fill in the field's value separately for each Spot.
See creating a device card and arranging its fields, putting a device card into use in a folder and editing a Spot's information.
Why does creation or importing fail?
The name is already in use. Use the existing attribute or keep its correct ID when importing updates. The name alone does not identify the attribute to update.
The name or type is missing, or the type is invalid. Check the column order and use an accepted type in the interface language used at the time of import. The name must also differ from the name of an internal data field of a Spot.
The drop-down menu options are invalid. Check that there is at least one option, that the options are distinct and non-empty, and that each is no more than 50 characters long. Changing a list that is in use may also require separate updates.
Creation is blocked or the import button is missing. Ask an administrator to check the permission to create attributes. The import button is hidden from managers regardless of this permission.