Cnidarity is a specialized content management system (CMS) designed specifically for academic and scientific research. It helps researchers organize, store, and manage research data across various scientific disciplines.

How do you pronounce Cnidarity?

Cnidarity is pronounced 'NI-DAIR-ity'. It is a proprietary brand name for our research data management platform.

Is Cnidarity the same as Cnidaria?

No, Cnidarity and Cnidaria are completely different. Cnidarity is our research data management platform brand name. Cnidaria refers to a phylum of invertebrate animals including jellyfish, sea anemones, and corals. The names are spelled and pronounced differently.

How is Cnidarity different from other CMS platforms?

Unlike general-purpose CMS platforms, Cnidarity is built specifically for academic research needs with features for data modeling, research collaboration, and scientific data management.

What types of research can Cnidarity support?

Cnidarity supports all academic research fields with flexible data modeling capabilities that adapt to any scientific discipline's unique requirements.

Attribute Types

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Introduction

Attributes are the building blocks of your data models. They define the specific fields and data types that your records will contain. Cnidarity offers various attribute types to accommodate different kinds of research data, each with its own set of options and validation rules.

Choosing the right attribute type ensures data is captured correctly, validation is appropriate, and the user interface provides an optimal experience for data entry and display.

Cnidarity currently supports the following attribute types:

Text: For short text values
Text Area: For longer paragraphs of text
Number: For integer and decimal values
Date: For calendar dates
Boolean: For yes/no values
Select: For choosing a single option from a list
Multi-Select: For choosing multiple options from a list
Email: For email addresses with validation
URL: For web addresses with validation

When creating a model, you can add attributes during the initial setup or add them later through the model's attribute management page.

Text Attributes

Text attributes are used for storing short, single-line character-based data.

Used for short pieces of text like names, codes, or brief descriptions.

Validation Options:

Required: Makes the field mandatory
Min Length: Sets minimum character length
Max Length: Sets maximum character length
Regex Pattern: Custom validation pattern

Common Uses:

IDs and reference codes
Names and titles
Short labels
Brief descriptions

For text that needs specific validation patterns (like email addresses or URLs), use the specialized Email or URL attribute types instead of a generic Text attribute with regex validation.

Text Area Attributes

Text Area attributes are used for storing longer, multi-line text content.

Used for paragraphs of text like descriptions, notes, or observations.

Validation Options:

Required: Makes the field mandatory
Min Length: Sets minimum character length
Max Length: Sets maximum character length

Field Options:

Field Description: Brief text explaining the field (max 64 chars)
Field Hint: Instructions shown below the field (max 128 chars)

Common Uses:

Detailed descriptions
Notes and observations
Methodologies
Comments and feedback

Text Area fields provide a larger input area that allows users to write and format longer content comfortably. The standard height is 4 rows, which is automatically applied.

Number Attributes

Number attributes are used for numeric data that may require mathematical operations.

Used for any numeric value, including integers and decimals.

Validation Options:

Required: Makes the field mandatory
Min Value: Sets minimum allowed value
Max Value: Sets maximum allowed value
Step: Increment for up/down controls (e.g., 0.01, 1, 5)

Field Options:

Field Description: Brief text explaining the field (max 64 chars)
Field Hint: Instructions shown below the field (max 128 chars)

Common Uses:

Measurements and quantities
Percentages
Ratings and scores
Counts and frequencies

When setting min/max values for number fields, ensure the minimum value is less than the maximum value. The system will automatically validate this relationship to prevent configuration errors.

Date Attributes

Date attributes are used for tracking temporal data like dates and timestamps.

Used for calendar dates with optional time information.

Validation Options:

Required: Makes the field mandatory
Min Date: Earliest allowed date
Max Date: Latest allowed date

Field Options:

Field Description: Brief text explaining the field (max 64 chars)
Field Hint: Instructions shown below the field (max 128 chars)

Common Uses:

Event dates
Collection dates
Experiment schedules
Deadlines and due dates

Date fields provide a calendar picker interface for easy date selection. When setting min/max dates, the system verifies that the minimum date is earlier than the maximum date.

Boolean Attributes

Boolean attributes represent binary yes/no values.

Used for yes/no, true/false, or on/off values.

Validation Options:

Required: Makes the field mandatory

Field Options:

Field Description: Brief text explaining the field (max 64 chars)
Field Hint: Instructions shown below the field (max 128 chars)

Common Uses:

Status indicators (active/inactive)
Confirmation fields (agree/disagree)
Feature toggles (enabled/disabled)
Binary conditions (present/absent)

Boolean fields render as checkboxes in forms. They're ideal for simple yes/no questions where only two states are possible.

Select Attributes

Select attributes allow users to choose a single option from predefined choices.

Used when users should choose one option from a list.

Required Settings:

Options: List of available choices (at least one required)

Validation Options:

Required: Makes the field mandatory

Field Options:

Field Description: Brief text explaining the field (max 64 chars)
Field Hint: Instructions shown below the field (max 128 chars)

Common Uses:

Categories and classifications
Status options
Predefined choices
Single-choice questions

Select fields render as dropdown menus by default. You must add at least one option when creating a Select attribute.

Multi-Select Attributes

Multi-Select attributes allow users to choose multiple options from a predefined list.

Used when users should be able to select multiple options from a list.

Required Settings:

Options: List of available choices (at least one required)

Validation Options:

Required: Makes the field mandatory (at least one selection)

Field Options:

Field Description: Brief text explaining the field (max 64 chars)
Field Hint: Instructions shown below the field (max 128 chars)

Common Uses:

Multiple categories or tags
Feature sets
Multiple symptoms or conditions
Multi-answer questions

Multi-Select fields allow users to choose any number of options. When the field is required, users must select at least one option.

Email Attributes

Email attributes are specialized text fields for storing and validating email addresses.

Used for capturing and validating email addresses.

Validation Options:

Required: Makes the field mandatory
Email Format: Automatically applied email validation

Field Options:

Field Description: Brief text explaining the field (max 64 chars)
Field Hint: Instructions shown below the field (max 128 chars)

Common Uses:

Contact information
Researcher email addresses
Institutional email contacts

Email attributes automatically include email format validation. This is more reliable than using a text field with custom regex validation.

URL Attributes

URL attributes are specialized text fields for storing and validating web addresses.

Used for capturing and validating web addresses.

Validation Options:

Required: Makes the field mandatory
URL Format: Automatically applied URL validation

Field Options:

Field Description: Brief text explaining the field (max 64 chars)
Field Hint: Instructions shown below the field (max 128 chars)

Common Uses:

Website references
External resource links
Publication URLs
Repository links

URL attributes automatically include URL format validation, ensuring that input follows a proper web address format.

Best Practices

Follow these guidelines to effectively use attribute types in your data models:

Use Specialized Types: Choose specialized attribute types (like Email, URL) over generic text fields with custom validation
Set Appropriate Validation: Configure validation that ensures data quality without being unnecessarily restrictive
Be Clear with Labels and Descriptions: Use descriptive labels and helpful field descriptions to guide users
Consider Required Fields Carefully: Only mark fields as required when they're truly necessary for data integrity
Use Select Lists for Consistency: When there's a fixed set of possible values, use Select or Multi-Select attributes
Think About Filtering Needs: Consider how you'll need to filter and search your data when choosing attribute types
Organize Attributes Logically: Arrange attributes in a logical order that follows your data collection workflow

Pro Tip

If your model requires many attributes, consider breaking it into multiple related models. This makes forms more manageable and improves overall data organization.

Previous Creating Models NextModel Relationships

Introduction

Text Attributes

Text

Validation Options:

Common Uses:

Text Area Attributes

Text Area

Validation Options:

Field Options:

Common Uses:

Number Attributes

Number

Validation Options:

Field Options:

Common Uses:

Date Attributes

Date

Validation Options:

Field Options:

Common Uses:

Boolean Attributes

Boolean (Yes/No)

Validation Options:

Field Options:

Common Uses:

Select Attributes

Select

Required Settings:

Validation Options:

Field Options:

Common Uses:

Multi-Select Attributes

Multi-Select

Required Settings:

Validation Options:

Field Options:

Common Uses:

Email Attributes

Email

Validation Options:

Field Options:

Common Uses:

URL Attributes

URL

Validation Options:

Field Options:

Common Uses:

Best Practices

Pro Tip