Table of Contents
Virtual Type settings
23. April 2026
Table of Contents
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Layers | |
| Add | Here you see the Layers that can be added to the selected Virtual Type. |
| You can reorder the Layers in edit mode, which currently has no impact in Fotoware Alto. |
General settings for all schemas
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
Status |
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Content & List Items Content search Index List Item search index |
The Status shows if the metadata, display pattern, and all content and list items, the information used for searching and displaying values are up-to-date. The red icon indicates that the index is out of date. Searches cannot work properly. A full re-indexing is needed. By clicking on the link, you can update the search indexes. The Status is hidden when all indexes are up to date. The outdated indexes are also represented by a badge in the main menu that indicates whether an update is required. Fotoware Alto does not require updated information, but search results may be incorrect if the information is outdated. The corresponding status is changed based on admin actions or edits:
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Information |
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| Schema type | Here you see the types of schema: list, layer, fieldset, relation, and virtual. |
|
List Items Lists only |
For Lists, you see the number of list items the schema has, e.g., a list product with 10 list items means you have 10 products created. |
| Uses schemas | The incoming links from other schemas. A layer may have tagboxes linked to the list “keywords”. This list will be shown here. |
| Used in schemas | The outgoing links to other schemas. A list “keywords” may be used in various layers. These layers will be shown here. |
Settings |
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| ID (Schema ID) |
All technical references to the schema and its fields refer to the ID. You cannot update the ID that you set on creation. Fotoware Alto automatically capitalizes the first character of the schema ID. Numbers (only numbers) are not allowed as ID properties in any schema. The ID of a schema must be singular. When creating a List "Events", ensure the ID is "Event" or name the list singularly. This is important for integrations, and ID changes are very cumbersome when the schemas are already in use. |
| Name (translated) |
Select Edit to change the display name of the schema, as well as add any translations for any Metadata languages you have available in Fotoware Alto. The ID of a schema is always singular. When creating a List "Events", ensure the ID is "Event" or name the list singularly. This is important for any type of integration. |
| Description (translated) |
Here, you should enter concise information to help editors and other admins understand how the schemas are used and set the default sort order for. You can also add information for any available Metadata languages. |
| Sort List only |
You can define the default sort order of the list items in the list browser here. This also defines the sort order of tags inside the tagbox. |
Display Pattern
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| Here, you can change the Display Pattern for the schema, which triggers a status update. | |
| Thumbnail |
When you hover, the edit button appears, opening the Display Pattern Editor. The Thumbnail Pattern constructs thumbnails for Virtual Types and the overlay on thumbnails for File Types and the tag preview in the cards. |
| List |
When you hover, the Edit button appears, opening the Display Pattern Editor. The List Pattern displays in list view mode of the Content Browser as a summary of Layer and Fieldsets in Content Item Detail View. It is used for tagbox suggestions in edit mode and as a title of the tagbox card view. |
| Detail |
When you hover, the Edit button appears, which will open the Display Pattern Editor. The Detail Pattern displays summary information in Content Item Detail View and List Item Detail View. |
| Name |
When you hover, the Edit button will open the Display Pattern Editor. The Name Pattern displays information in item detail view as a header and as titles below thumbnails in the Content Browser. It is used as the tagbox preview in view mode. |
Activity |
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| Created | Statistics on creation date, creation time, and creator. |
| Modified | Statistics on modification date, modification time, and modifier. |
Fields |
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| Add field | Select Add to add a new field. You cannot add fields to system schemas. |
| Edit field |
Select Edit to update or add new fields to the schema.
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For tagbox fields on layers, you can define the default values for tagbox. Those values are automatically assigned when the layer is assigned, and you create a new tag from within the layer.
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Permissions |
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| Owner | You can see who owns the Schema. With appropriate permissions, you can transfer ownership to another user. An owner has complete control of their List regardless of other permissions applied. |
| Protection |
Enable admins to:
This setting is used for system layers and system lists (all checkboxes set to true). System schemas cannot be edited in Fotoware Alto. You can use them in integration schemas to prevent misconfiguration or misuse that could break your integration. |
| View for all | By default, the schema is visible to all users and can’t be changed; i.e., all users can view it, but only the owner or a user with the Manage schema permission can manage it. However, you can also change this so that only certain users can see/edit the Virtual Items by adding permission sets here. |
| Add | You can add Permission Sets to the schema. |
| You can view the assigned Permission Set or remove it from the schema. Check the result of unassigning in the advanced view by deactivating it first. | |
| Advanced Matrix |
A matrix shows the active permissions, listed by action, for each user role. You see if user roles can view, manage items, or manage the schema (settings). If you switch off the Permission Set, you can test how removing the Permission Set changes permissions. This switch is only for checking; it does not disable the Permission Set.  |
Indexing & Field Path |
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You can see which fields are available in search or filters, along with their boost values (the importance of each field). The table shows the field, the field path (important for display pattern and business rules), and the index settings.  |
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