b2c-metadata

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Define custom attributes, custom object types, and site preferences for B2C Commerce using metadata XML. Use this skill whenever the user needs to add a field to products, orders, or customers, create a new custom object type, set up site preferences, or extend the B2C data model. Also use when they ask about system-objecttype-extensions.xml, custom-objecttype-definitions.xml, attribute groups in Business Manager, or data model definitions — even if they just say "add a field to products" or "I need a new object type".

SalesforceCommerceCloud By SalesforceCommerceCloud schedule Updated 6/9/2026
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name: b2c-metadata description: Define custom attributes, custom object types, and site preferences for B2C Commerce using metadata XML. Use this skill whenever the user needs to add a field to products, orders, or customers, create a new custom object type, set up site preferences, or extend the B2C data model. Also use when they ask about system-objecttype-extensions.xml, custom-objecttype-definitions.xml, attribute groups in Business Manager, or data model definitions — even if they just say "add a field to products" or "I need a new object type".

Metadata Skill

This skill guides you through working with site metadata XML for Salesforce B2C Commerce, including custom attributes, custom objects, and site preferences.

Overview

Metadata defines the structure of your B2C Commerce data:

Metadata Type Purpose
System Object Extensions Add custom attributes to Products, Orders, Customers, etc.
Custom Objects Define entirely new data types
Site Preferences Site-specific configuration values

Site Archive Structure

Metadata is organized in site archives:

/site-archive
    /meta
        system-objecttype-extensions.xml    # Custom attributes on system objects
        custom-objecttype-definitions.xml   # Custom object definitions
    /sites
        /MySite
            preferences.xml                 # Site preferences

System Object Extensions

Add custom attributes to existing system objects.

Basic Structure

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<metadata xmlns="http://www.demandware.com/xml/impex/metadata/2006-10-31">
    <type-extension type-id="Product">
        <custom-attribute-definitions>
            <attribute-definition attribute-id="myCustomAttribute">
                <display-name xml:lang="x-default">My Custom Attribute</display-name>
                <type>string</type>
                <mandatory-flag>false</mandatory-flag>
                <externally-managed-flag>false</externally-managed-flag>
            </attribute-definition>
        </custom-attribute-definitions>
        <group-definitions>
            <attribute-group group-id="MyCustomGroup">
                <display-name xml:lang="x-default">My Custom Group</display-name>
                <attribute attribute-id="myCustomAttribute"/>
            </attribute-group>
        </group-definitions>
    </type-extension>
</metadata>

Common System Objects

Object Type Use Case
Product Product attributes
Order Order metadata
Profile Customer profile data
Basket Cart data
SitePreferences Site configuration
Category Category attributes
Content Content asset attributes

Attribute Types

Type Description Example
string Text (max 4000 chars) SKU, descriptions
text Long text (unlimited) Rich content
int Integer Quantity, rank
double Decimal Percentage, weight
boolean true/false Flags
date Date only Birth date
datetime Date and time Timestamps
email Email address Contact email
password Encrypted API keys
html HTML content Rich text
enum-of-string Single select Status
enum-of-int Numeric enum Priority level
set-of-string Multi-select Tags
set-of-int Numeric multi-select Categories
image Image reference Thumbnails

Enum Value Definitions

Enum types (enum-of-string, enum-of-int, set-of-string, set-of-int) require value-definitions with display/value pairs:

Element order matters. Inside each <value-definition>, the <display> element must come before <value>. The metadata.xsd schema enforces this strict ordering — putting <value> first fails site import validation with cvc-complex-type.2.4.d: Invalid content was found starting with element 'display'.

<attribute-definition attribute-id="warrantyType">
    <display-name xml:lang="x-default">Warranty Type</display-name>
    <type>enum-of-string</type>
    <mandatory-flag>false</mandatory-flag>
    <value-definitions>
        <value-definition>
            <display xml:lang="x-default">No Warranty</display>
            <value>none</value>
        </value-definition>
        <value-definition>
            <display xml:lang="x-default">Limited Warranty</display>
            <value>limited</value>
        </value-definition>
        <value-definition>
            <display xml:lang="x-default">Full Warranty</display>
            <value>full</value>
        </value-definition>
    </value-definitions>
</attribute-definition>
Element Purpose
<display> Human-readable label shown in Business Manager (must appear first)
<value> The stored/API value (use lowercase, no spaces)

Product Custom Attribute Example

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<metadata xmlns="http://www.demandware.com/xml/impex/metadata/2006-10-31">
    <type-extension type-id="Product">
        <custom-attribute-definitions>
            <!-- Simple string attribute -->
            <attribute-definition attribute-id="vendorSKU">
                <display-name xml:lang="x-default">Vendor SKU</display-name>
                <type>string</type>
                <mandatory-flag>false</mandatory-flag>
                <externally-managed-flag>true</externally-managed-flag>
            </attribute-definition>

            <!-- Enum (dropdown) attribute -->
            <attribute-definition attribute-id="productCondition">
                <display-name xml:lang="x-default">Product Condition</display-name>
                <type>enum-of-string</type>
                <mandatory-flag>false</mandatory-flag>
                <value-definitions>
                    <value-definition>
                        <display xml:lang="x-default">New</display>
                        <value>new</value>
                    </value-definition>
                    <value-definition>
                        <display xml:lang="x-default">Refurbished</display>
                        <value>refurbished</value>
                    </value-definition>
                    <value-definition>
                        <display xml:lang="x-default">Used</display>
                        <value>used</value>
                    </value-definition>
                </value-definitions>
            </attribute-definition>

            <!-- Boolean attribute -->
            <attribute-definition attribute-id="isHazardous">
                <display-name xml:lang="x-default">Hazardous Material</display-name>
                <type>boolean</type>
                <mandatory-flag>false</mandatory-flag>
                <default-value>false</default-value>
            </attribute-definition>

            <!-- Multi-select attribute -->
            <attribute-definition attribute-id="productFeatures">
                <display-name xml:lang="x-default">Product Features</display-name>
                <type>set-of-string</type>
                <mandatory-flag>false</mandatory-flag>
                <value-definitions>
                    <value-definition>
                        <display xml:lang="x-default">Waterproof</display>
                        <value>waterproof</value>
                    </value-definition>
                    <value-definition>
                        <display xml:lang="x-default">Recyclable</display>
                        <value>recyclable</value>
                    </value-definition>
                </value-definitions>
            </attribute-definition>
        </custom-attribute-definitions>

        <group-definitions>
            <attribute-group group-id="CustomProductInfo">
                <display-name xml:lang="x-default">Custom Product Information</display-name>
                <attribute attribute-id="vendorSKU"/>
                <attribute attribute-id="productCondition"/>
                <attribute attribute-id="isHazardous"/>
                <attribute attribute-id="productFeatures"/>
            </attribute-group>
        </group-definitions>
    </type-extension>
</metadata>

Custom Object Definitions

Create entirely new data types.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<metadata xmlns="http://www.demandware.com/xml/impex/metadata/2006-10-31">
    <custom-type type-id="StoreLocations">
        <display-name xml:lang="x-default">Store Locations</display-name>
        <description xml:lang="x-default">Physical store information</description>
        <staging-mode>source-to-target</staging-mode>
        <storage-scope>site</storage-scope>
        <key-definition attribute-id="storeId">
            <display-name xml:lang="x-default">Store ID</display-name>
            <type>string</type>
            <min-length>1</min-length>
        </key-definition>
        <attribute-definitions>
            <attribute-definition attribute-id="storeName">
                <display-name xml:lang="x-default">Store Name</display-name>
                <type>string</type>
                <mandatory-flag>true</mandatory-flag>
            </attribute-definition>
            <attribute-definition attribute-id="latitude">
                <display-name xml:lang="x-default">Latitude</display-name>
                <type>double</type>
            </attribute-definition>
            <attribute-definition attribute-id="longitude">
                <display-name xml:lang="x-default">Longitude</display-name>
                <type>double</type>
            </attribute-definition>
            <attribute-definition attribute-id="phone">
                <display-name xml:lang="x-default">Phone</display-name>
                <type>string</type>
            </attribute-definition>
            <attribute-definition attribute-id="isActive">
                <display-name xml:lang="x-default">Active</display-name>
                <type>boolean</type>
                <default-value>true</default-value>
            </attribute-definition>
        </attribute-definitions>
        <group-definitions>
            <attribute-group group-id="StoreInfo">
                <display-name xml:lang="x-default">Store Information</display-name>
                <attribute attribute-id="storeId" system="true"/>
                <attribute attribute-id="storeName"/>
                <attribute attribute-id="latitude"/>
                <attribute attribute-id="longitude"/>
                <attribute attribute-id="phone"/>
                <attribute attribute-id="isActive"/>
            </attribute-group>
        </group-definitions>
    </custom-type>
</metadata>

Site Preferences

Site-specific configuration via custom attributes on SitePreferences.

Metadata (system-objecttype-extensions.xml)

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<metadata xmlns="http://www.demandware.com/xml/impex/metadata/2006-10-31">
    <type-extension type-id="SitePreferences">
        <custom-attribute-definitions>
            <attribute-definition attribute-id="enableFeatureX">
                <display-name xml:lang="x-default">Enable Feature X</display-name>
                <type>boolean</type>
                <default-value>false</default-value>
            </attribute-definition>
            <attribute-definition attribute-id="apiEndpoint">
                <display-name xml:lang="x-default">API Endpoint</display-name>
                <type>string</type>
            </attribute-definition>
            <attribute-definition attribute-id="maxItemsPerPage">
                <display-name xml:lang="x-default">Max Items Per Page</display-name>
                <type>int</type>
                <default-value>20</default-value>
            </attribute-definition>
        </custom-attribute-definitions>
        <group-definitions>
            <attribute-group group-id="CustomSettings">
                <display-name xml:lang="x-default">Custom Settings</display-name>
                <attribute attribute-id="enableFeatureX"/>
                <attribute attribute-id="apiEndpoint"/>
                <attribute attribute-id="maxItemsPerPage"/>
            </attribute-group>
        </group-definitions>
    </type-extension>
</metadata>

Values (sites/MySite/preferences.xml)

Preferences can be set per instance type (development, staging, production) or for all instances:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<preferences xmlns="http://www.demandware.com/xml/impex/preferences/2007-03-31">
    <custom-preferences>
        <all-instances>
            <!-- Values that apply to all instance types -->
            <preference preference-id="maxItemsPerPage">25</preference>
        </all-instances>
        <development>
            <!-- Development-specific values -->
            <preference preference-id="enableFeatureX">true</preference>
            <preference preference-id="apiEndpoint">https://dev-api.example.com/v1</preference>
        </development>
        <staging>
            <preference preference-id="enableFeatureX">true</preference>
            <preference preference-id="apiEndpoint">https://staging-api.example.com/v1</preference>
        </staging>
        <production>
            <preference preference-id="enableFeatureX">false</preference>
            <preference preference-id="apiEndpoint">https://api.example.com/v1</preference>
        </production>
    </custom-preferences>
</preferences>

Access in Code

var Site = require('dw/system/Site');

var enableFeatureX = Site.current.getCustomPreferenceValue('enableFeatureX');
var apiEndpoint = Site.current.getCustomPreferenceValue('apiEndpoint');
var maxItems = Site.current.getCustomPreferenceValue('maxItemsPerPage');

Attribute Definition Options

<attribute-definition attribute-id="myAttribute">
    <display-name xml:lang="x-default">Display Name</display-name>
    <description xml:lang="x-default">Description for BM tooltip</description>
    <type>string</type>
    <localizable-flag>false</localizable-flag>
    <mandatory-flag>false</mandatory-flag>
    <externally-managed-flag>false</externally-managed-flag>
    <visible-flag>true</visible-flag>
    <site-specific-flag>false</site-specific-flag>
    <order-required-flag>false</order-required-flag>
    <searchable-flag>false</searchable-flag>
    <min-length>0</min-length>
    <max-length>256</max-length>
    <default-value>default</default-value>
    <select-mode>none</select-mode>
    <unit>kg</unit>
</attribute-definition>
Flag Purpose
localizable-flag Can have different values per locale
mandatory-flag Required in BM
externally-managed-flag Read-only in BM
visible-flag Shown in BM
site-specific-flag Different value per site
order-required-flag Required for order export
searchable-flag Indexed for search

Best Practices

  1. Use attribute groups to organize in Business Manager
  2. Prefix custom attributes with organization name (e.g., acme_myAttribute)
  3. Set externally-managed for data imported from external systems
  4. Use enums over strings for controlled vocabularies
  5. Document with descriptions - they appear as tooltips

Detailed Reference

Install via CLI
npx skills add https://github.com/SalesforceCommerceCloud/b2c-developer-tooling --skill b2c-metadata
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