Who can view and edit an attribute

This page is for administrators: the operations described require access to the administration area.

Each attribute defines who can view and edit it in records. These rules work together with the user groups assigned in each user's configuration and the Can edit all fields permission, which allows users to edit all attributes.

User groups are the values in the UserGroup reference data list.

Who can view an attribute

An attribute is visible to all users who can open the record, except those who belong to one of the groups listed in Hidden User Groups. For these users, the attribute does not appear in the record, the product overview or attribute selection lists, for example in bulk edit.

Users with Can edit all fields always see all attributes, even if they belong to a hidden group.

Who can edit an attribute

openlane checks the conditions in this order and stops at the first one that applies.

  1. If the attribute is hidden from the user, they cannot see or edit it.
  2. If the attribute is Read only, no user can edit it in the record. Its value can only be updated by automated openlane processes, such as integrations.
  3. If the attribute is a media attribute and the user cannot see all its workspaces, it remains read-only, even for users with Can edit all fields. The reason is explained on the Workspaces page in the Media space.
  4. If the user has Can edit all fields, they can edit the attribute.
  5. If the user belongs to one of the groups listed in Editable by, they can edit the attribute.
  6. In all other cases, the attribute is read-only.

Additional rules for products

The following conditions also apply to products:

  • Workflow. Until the product workflow is complete for all channels, Editable by does not apply: only users authorised for one of the workflow steps specified in the attribute, and users with Can edit all fields, can edit it.
  • Tech specs. Users in the TechSpecManager group can edit tech specs even without Can edit all fields.
  • Brand. Even when the attribute is editable, the user must have permission for the product's brand for that entity type. Without it, all the product's attributes remain read-only.

Who can configure an attribute

In the Attributes list in the administration area:

  • users with Can edit all fields can see all attributes, edit and delete them, and manage their validation rules;
  • users without Can edit all fields only see attributes with one of their groups listed in Configurable by. They can open the configuration using Configure, but cannot edit or delete the attributes or manage their validation rules.

Reference entities

The rules for reference entity attributes are simpler: an attribute is read-only only if it is hidden from the user or set to Read only. In all other cases, anyone who can open the reference entity can edit it.