This is a complete guide on how to define and set up custom fields, also known as MetaFields, on your Salesforce metadata in the Metadata Dictionary.
License prerequisites
License: you are either on a Trial plan, consulting plan, or have purchased the Metadata Management license.
Prerequisites
You need a synced Salesforce metadata dictionary
Space admin permission for creating MetaFields and field dependencies
Org model editor permission to set values in the MetaFields
When to use MetaFields?
MetaFields provide ability for custom classification and documentation of your Salesforce metadata components. You can create a variety of fields that suit numerous use-cases. You can also perform bulk operations and classifications in your metadata dictionary.
Here are solution guides for some of the proven use-cases:
Plan a 'lift and shift' Org Merge without business process re-design
Create new MetaField
Access the ‘Space Settings’ by clicking on the Space name in the top left corner of your screen, or by going to the ‘Cog icon’ in the top right corner.
After accessing the Space settings go to ‘Customisations’ (#1), next select the ‘Fields’ (#2) tab at the top bar. From the list in the centre of the screen, select ‘Metadata nodes’ (#3) and click on the ‘Switch to edit’ button in the top right corner.
You can see the already created MetaFields in the right panel.
When you click 'Add field' you will be asked to choose your implementation.
The fields are defined for an Implementation and are stored across all Org models within the implementation (click here to read more).
Available field types
The available fields are:
Text: allows to capture a simple and short string of text
Long text: allows to capture longer text format (without rich HTML)
Number: only accepts numbers
List: allows to define single-choice picklist options
Date: allows to pick a date using a calendar component
Multi-picklist: allows to define multiple-choice picklist options
Choosing metadata types for MetaFields
Once you name your MetaField and define its values (for lists and multi-picklists), you will be asked to define which metadata types the MetaField should apply to.
You can define different MetaFields for different metadata types!
This allows you to perform different types of classification and analysis on different types of metadata.
Once the field value is set in one Metadata dictionary, every Org model where the specific metadata node is present will have the value synchronised.
How to edit existing MetaField?
While in the edit mode, after clicking on the field name in blue, you can edit its definition. You can make changes to the name, picklist values, what metadata types the field is applied to and placeholder text.
Creating picklist dependencies
Similarly to Salesforce, you can create field dependencies and configure dependent picklists for fields within a single implementation.
To do that, switch to edit mode and click the ‘Field Dependencies’ button in the right panel. First, like with the field creation, you want to select the Implementation you want to define field dependencies for. The modal appears, where you can view the field dependencies currently present.
From here, you can edit or delete existing field dependencies or create new ones.
After selecting ‘New’ a modal appears:
Follow the instructions to define the Controlling and the Dependent picklists and in the next step define the picklist values dependencies.
In the modal’s matrix, you can see the values of the controlling field at the top on the x-axis and the dependent picklist values on the y-axis for each of the respective values from the controlling field.
This matrix allows you to choose which picklist values on the dependent field are available when value in the controlling field is selected:
TIP You can select all dependent values for a controlling value by clicking on the column header (the controlling value itself).
Using MetaFields to classify metadata
You can apply values and fill up the MetaFields in the Metadata Dictionary by accessing the ‘Assessment’ tab in the right panel. You can find there all the defined fields on a selected component below the Optimisation status part of the tab.
You need to hit the ‘Apply’ button at the bottom to save the values and any other changes made to the fields' content.
TIP Once the MetaField value is set in one Metadata dictionary, that value is synchronised and available across every synced Org (Production and Sandboxes) across an implementation. Read more here on how that works.
Custom Views MetaFields access
You can use MetaFields as another attribute when creating the ‘Custom views of metadata’.
After selecting a metadata type, MetaField present on the metadata types included in the view will be available for selection as columns as any other metadata attribute.
Custom Views MetaFields bulk operations
You can select MetaFields in Custom Views to be available as a column. Values for the fields can be changed in bulk, up to 100 nodes at a time.
To do that, select the components you want to update the MetaFields values for, and from the context menu (right-click) select ‘Update field value’.
In the displayed window, select the MetaField you want to update and then specify the value you want to apply.
If you have selected metadata components in bulk, and the selected MetaField exists one some, but not all selected components, the change will only apply to those metadata components that have this MetaField specified.
MetaFields framework and limitations
The list below presents the framework supported by the MetaFields capability and the current version limitations.
General:
Each Implementation in the space can have up to 25 MetaFIelds defined.
Each List and Multilist MetaFields can have up to 50 values available for selection.
Every managed package in your org is represented by a grouping in the metadata selection modal.
This way you can create MetaFields for managed components that are self-contained to the package.
Field dependencies
A single MetaField can only be selected once as a dependent field.
When bulk updating MetaFields values in Custom Views, given a dependency was created between fields, you must update the controlling field value first.
When bulk updating MetaFIelds values in Custom Views, the value is updated only for the nodes where the selected MetaField is present.
If either the controlling or the dependent field is deleted, the dependency controlling values availability is removed.
If there is a dependency between MetaFields, but only the dependent MetaField is present on a node, all its values are available for section for that node. The MetaField dependencies work only if both the controlling and the dependent fields are present on a node.
When defining the MetaFields dependency, you can leave an entire dependent values column unselected.
If MetaField values were selected before defining a field dependency which restricts those values' availability, until the user interaction, those values are kept as correct.
In case changes were made to MetaFields dependencies and any previously selected values became unavailable; you must comply with the dependency first. Then you are able to save the changes before applying values to other MetaField in the right-side panel.
When a list or multi-list MetaField is unavailable due to a change in field dependency, the MetaField greys out, and allows to uncheck values, but not to change the values further.