saleor-attributes

Saleor Attributes

Before writing code

Fetch live docs:

1. Fetch https://docs.saleor.io/docs/developer/products for product and attribute overview
2. Web-search site:docs.saleor.io attribute types DROPDOWN MULTISELECT NUMERIC for attribute type reference
3. Web-search site:docs.saleor.io product type attributes variant selection for product type configuration
4. Web-search site:docs.saleor.io attribute filtering products for attribute-based filtering
5. Web-search site:docs.saleor.io page types attributes for content page attributes

Attribute System Overview

Saleor uses a typed attribute system to define flexible product schemas without database migrations. Attributes are attached to product types and page types, providing structured metadata for products, variants, and content pages.

Concept	Purpose
Attribute	A named, typed field (e.g., "Color", "Size", "Material")
Attribute value	A specific value for an attribute (e.g., "Red", "XL", "Cotton")
Product type	A template that defines which attributes a product has
Page type	A template that defines which attributes a content page has
Variant selection attribute	An attribute used to distinguish product variants

Attribute Types

Type	Input	Storage	Use Case
DROPDOWN	Single select from predefined values	String reference	Color, brand, material
MULTISELECT	Multiple select from predefined values	String references	Features, tags, certifications
RICH_TEXT	Rich text editor (JSON)	JSON (EditorJS)	Long descriptions, care instructions
PLAIN_TEXT	Simple text input	String	Short notes, SKU prefix
NUMERIC	Number input with optional unit	Decimal	Weight, dimensions, capacity
BOOLEAN	True/false toggle	Boolean	Is organic, is fragile
DATE	Date picker	Date	Expiry date, release date
DATE_TIME	Date and time picker	DateTime	Event time, availability window
FILE	File upload	File reference	Spec sheets, certificates
REFERENCE	Reference to another entity	Entity ID	Related product, linked page
SWATCH	Color swatch (hex or image)	String + optional image	Visual color selection

Product Types

A product type defines the schema for a group of products:

Product Type Field	Purpose
name	Product type name (e.g., "T-Shirt", "Laptop")
productAttributes	Attributes shown on the product level
variantAttributes	Attributes that define variant differences
isShippingRequired	Whether products of this type need shipping
isDigital	Whether products are digital downloads
taxClass	Tax classification for products of this type
weight	Default weight for products of this type

Product Attributes vs Variant Selection Attributes

Category	Scope	Example
Product attributes	Same for all variants of a product	Brand, material, care instructions
Variant attributes (non-selection)	Per variant, but not for customer selection	Internal SKU code
Variant selection attributes	Per variant, presented to the customer for selection	Size, color

Variant selection attributes generate the variant picker on the storefront (e.g., size/color dropdowns).

Attribute Values

Value Aspect	Detail
Predefined	Created in advance for DROPDOWN, MULTISELECT, SWATCH types
Dynamic	Entered per product for PLAIN_TEXT, RICH_TEXT, NUMERIC, DATE types
Sortable	Values can be reordered within an attribute
Translatable	Values support multi-language translations
Slug	URL-safe identifier auto-generated from the value name

Rich Text Values

Rich text attributes use the EditorJS JSON format:

Block Type	Purpose
paragraph	Text paragraph
header	Heading (h1-h6)
list	Ordered or unordered list
image	Embedded image

Page Types

Page types work like product types but for content pages (CMS):

Page Type Field	Purpose
name	Page type name (e.g., "Blog Post", "FAQ")
attributes	Attributes attached to pages of this type

Content pages use the same attribute types as products, enabling structured content management without a separate CMS.

Attribute Input Types

The inputType field controls how an attribute is presented in the Dashboard:

Input Type	Attribute Types	Dashboard UI
DROPDOWN	DROPDOWN	Single-select dropdown
MULTISELECT	MULTISELECT	Multi-select chips
PLAIN_TEXT	PLAIN_TEXT	Simple text field
RICH_TEXT	RICH_TEXT	EditorJS rich text editor
NUMERIC	NUMERIC	Number input with unit selector
BOOLEAN	BOOLEAN	Toggle switch
DATE	DATE	Date picker
DATE_TIME	DATE_TIME	Date and time picker
FILE	FILE	File upload widget
REFERENCE	REFERENCE	Entity search and select
SWATCH	SWATCH	Color picker or image upload

Filtering Products by Attributes

Attributes enable faceted navigation on the storefront:

Filter Parameter	Type	Purpose
attributes	list	Filter by attribute slug and values
attributes.slug	string	Attribute identifier
attributes.values	string[]	Attribute value slugs to match
attributes.valuesRange	object	Numeric range filter (min/max)
attributes.date	object	Date range filter
attributes.dateTime	object	DateTime range filter
attributes.boolean	boolean	Boolean attribute filter

Faceted Navigation Pattern

Step	Action
1	Query available attributes for the product type or category
2	Display attribute values as filter options (checkboxes, sliders)
3	Build attributes filter from user selections
4	Pass filter to products query
5	Update available filter values based on current selection (count-aware)

Creating Attributes via GraphQL

Mutation	Purpose
attributeCreate	Create a new attribute with type and values
attributeUpdate	Modify attribute settings
attributeDelete	Remove an attribute
attributeValueCreate	Add a new value to an attribute
attributeValueUpdate	Modify an attribute value
attributeValueDelete	Remove an attribute value
attributeReorderValues	Change the sort order of values
productTypeCreate	Create a product type with attribute assignments
productTypeUpdate	Modify product type attribute assignments

Attribute Creation Fields

Input Field	Required	Purpose
name	Yes	Display name
slug	No	Auto-generated from name if omitted
type	Yes	PRODUCT_TYPE or PAGE_TYPE
inputType	Yes	One of the attribute input types
values	No	Initial predefined values (for DROPDOWN, MULTISELECT)
valueRequired	No	Whether the attribute must have a value
isVariantOnly	No	Restrict to variant-level only
visibleInStorefront	No	Whether the attribute is public
filterableInStorefront	No	Whether the attribute appears in storefront filters
filterableInDashboard	No	Whether the attribute appears in Dashboard filters
availableInGrid	No	Whether the attribute appears in Dashboard product grid
unit	No	Measurement unit for NUMERIC type

Best Practices

• Use DROPDOWN for attributes with a fixed set of values (colors, sizes, brands)
• Use variant selection attributes only for attributes that the customer chooses (size, color)
• Keep product attributes for shared information that does not vary per variant (brand, material)
• Enable filterableInStorefront only for attributes that make sense as customer-facing filters
• Use NUMERIC type with units for measurable properties (weight, length) to enable range filtering
• Create separate product types for structurally different products (clothing vs electronics)
• Use page types to model structured content (blog posts, FAQs) without a separate CMS
• Translate attribute names and values for multi-language storefronts

Fetch the Saleor attributes documentation for exact attribute type behaviors, product type configuration patterns, and filtering query syntax before implementing.