Create and Modify Object Types

If the managed object types provided in the default configuration are not sufficient for your deployment, you can create new managed object types. The easiest way to create a new managed object type is to use the Admin UI, as follows:

Select Configure > Managed Objects > New Managed Object.
On the New Managed Object page, enter a name and readable title for the object, make optional changes, as necessary, and click Save. The readable title specifies what the object will be called in the UI.
On the Properties tab, specify the schema for the object type (the properties that make up the object).
On the Scripts tab, specify any scripts that will be applied on events associated with that object type. For example, scripts that will be run when an object of that type is created, updated, or deleted.

You can also create a new managed object type by editing your managed object configuration.

Example: 'Phone' object created through the UI

{
    "name": "Phone",
    "schema": {
        "$schema": "http://forgerock.org/json-schema#",
        "type": "object",
        "properties": {
            "brand": {
                "description": "The supplier of the mobile phone",
                "title": "Brand",
                "viewable": true,
                "searchable": true,
                "userEditable": false,
                "policies": [],
                "returnByDefault": false,
                "pattern": "",
                "isVirtual": false,
                "type": [
                    "string",
                    "null"
                ]
            },
            "assetNumber": {
                "description": "The asset tag number of the mobile device",
                "title": "Asset Number",
                "viewable": true,
                "searchable": true,
                "userEditable": false,
                "policies": [],
                "returnByDefault": false,
                "pattern": "",
                "isVirtual": false,
                "type": "string"
            },
            "model": {
                "description": "The model number of the mobile device, such as 6 plus, Galaxy S4",
                "title": "Model",
                "viewable": true,
                "searchable": false,
                "userEditable": false,
                "policies": [],
                "returnByDefault": false,
                "pattern": "",
                "isVirtual": false,
                "type": "string"
            }
        },
        "required": [],
        "order": [
            "brand",
            "assetNumber",
            "model"
        ]
    }
}

Every managed object type has a name and a schema that describes the properties associated with that object. The name can only include the characters a-z, A-Z, 0-9, and _ (underscore). You can add any arbitrary properties to the schema.

Tip

Avoid using the dash character in property names (like last-name) because dashes in names make JavaScript syntax more complex. Rather use "camel case" (lastName). If you cannot avoid dash characters, write source['last-name'] instead of source.last-name in your JavaScript.

A property definition typically includes the following fields:

title

The name of the property, in human-readable language, used to display the property in the UI.

description

A brief description of the property.

viewable

Specifies whether this property is viewable in the object's profile in the UI. Boolean, true or false (true by default).

searchable

Specifies whether this property can be searched in the UI. A searchable property is visible within the Managed Object data grid in the End User UI.

For a property to be searchable in the UI, it must be indexed in the repository configuration. For information on indexing properties in a repository, see "Generic and Explicit Object Mappings".

Boolean, true or false (false by default).

userEditable

Specifies whether users can edit the property value in the UI. This property applies in the context of the End User UI, where users are able to edit certain properties of their own accounts. Boolean, true or false (false by default).

isProtected

Specifies whether reauthentication is required if the value of this property changes.

For certain properties, such as passwords, changing the value of the property should force an end user to reauthenticate. These properties are referred to as protected properties. Depending on how the user authenticates (which authentication module is used), the list of protected properties is added to the user's security context. For example, if a user logs in with the login and password of their managed user entry (MANAGED_USER authentication module), their security context will include this list of protected properties. The list of protected properties is not included in the security context if the user logs in with a module that does not support reauthentication (such as through a social identity provider).

pattern

Any specific pattern to which the value of the property must adhere. For example, a property whose value is a date might require a specific date format.

policies

Any policy validation that must be applied to the property. For more information on managed object policies, see "Default Policy for Managed Objects".

required

Specifies whether the property must be supplied when an object of this type is created. Boolean, true or false.

Important

The required policy is assessed only during object creation, not when an object is updated. You can effectively bypass the policy by updating the object and supplying an empty value for that property. To prevent this inconsistency, set both required and notEmpty to true for required properties. This configuration indicates that the property must exist, and must have a value.

type

The data type for the property value; can be string, array, boolean, integer, number, object, Resource Collection, or null.

Note

If any user might not have a value for a specific property (such as a telephoneNumber), you must include null as one of the property types. You can set a null property type in the Admin UI (Configure > Managed Objects > User, select the property, and under the Details tab, Advanced Options, set Nullable to true).

You can also set a null property type in your managed object configuration by setting "type" : '[ "string","null" ]' for that property (where string can be any other valid property type. This information is validated by the policy service, as described in "Validate Managed Object Data Types".

If you're configuring a data type of array through the Admin UI, you're limited to two values.

isVirtual

Specifies whether the property takes a static value, or whether its value is calculated "on the fly" as the result of a script. Boolean, true or false.

returnByDefault

For non-core attributes (virtual attributes and relationship fields), specifies whether the property will be returned in the results of a query on an object of this type if it is not explicitly requested. Virtual attributes and relationship fields are not returned by default. Boolean, true or false. When the property is in an array within a relationship, always set to false.

relationshipGrantTemporalConstraintsEnforced

For attributes with relationship fields. Specifies whether this relationship should have temporal constraints enforced. Boolean, true or false. For more information about temporal constraints, see "Use Temporal Constraints to Restrict Effective Roles".

default

Specifies a default value if the object is created without passing a value. Default values are available for the following data types, and arrays of those types:

boolean
number
object
string

Note

IDM assumes all default values are valid for the schema.

Default Values

You can specify default values in the managed object configuration. If you omit a default value when creating an object, the default value is automatically applied to the object. You can have default values for the following data types, and arrays of those types:

boolean
number
object
string

For example, the default managed object configuration includes a default value that makes accountStatus:active, which effectively replaces the onCreate script that was previously used to achieve the same result. The following excerpt from the managed object configuration displays the default value for accountStatus:

"accountStatus" : {
    "title" : "Status",
    "description" : "Status",
    "viewable" : true,
    "type" : "string",
    "searchable" : true,
    "userEditable" : false,
    "usageDescription" : "",
    "isPersonal" : false,
    "policies" : [
        {
            "policyId": "regexpMatches",
            "params": {
                "regexp": "^(active|inactive)$"
            }
        }
    ],
    "default" : "active"
}

Note

IDM assumes all default values are valid for the schema. Although IDM skips policy validation for objects with default values, you can force validation on property values.