Field Types

EntryLayer fields combine a base field_type with config, validation metadata, form rules, source metadata, and field-group permissions.

When to use this page

Use this page when composing CREATE_FIELD, UPDATE_FIELD, SET_FIELD_VALIDATION, CLEAR_FIELD_VALIDATION, or EXTRACT_VARIANT_FIELDS payloads.

Supported field types

Field type	Best for	Editable in submissions	Common SQL API commands
`Text`	Free text, notes, identifiers, formula display values	Yes unless read-only	`CREATE_FIELD`, `UPDATE_FIELD`, `SET_FIELD_VALIDATION`
`Numeric`	Amounts, counts, percentages, quantities	Yes unless read-only	`CREATE_FIELD`, `SET_FIELD_VALIDATION`, `SET_PRIMARY_KEYS`
`Date`	Date or date-time values	Yes unless read-only	`CREATE_FIELD`, `SET_FIELD_VALIDATION`
`Checkbox`	Boolean true/false values	Yes unless read-only	`CREATE_FIELD`, `SET_FIELD_VALIDATION`
`Select`	Controlled choice lists and cascading selections	Yes unless read-only	`CREATE_FIELD`, `UPDATE_FIELD`, `SET_FIELD_VALIDATION`
`Label`	Static or computed display text	Usually no	`CREATE_FIELD`, `UPDATE_FIELD`
`Variant`	Snowflake `VARIANT`, `OBJECT`, or `ARRAY` source values	No by default	`EXTRACT_VARIANT_FIELDS`

Base field contract

{
  "title": "Reviewer Comment",
  "field_type": "Text",
  "required": false,
  "description": "Visible helper text",
  "code": "reviewer_comment",
  "config": {},
  "values": []
}

Use SQL API Contracts for the full Field, FieldValidation, and DraftStructure contracts.

Text

Text is the most flexible field type.

Config	Type	Default	Description
`multiline`	boolean	`false`	Show as a textarea instead of a single-line input.
`default_value`	string	none	Pre-filled value for new submissions.
`read_only`	boolean	`false`	Display as non-editable.
`primary_key`	boolean	`false`	Mark as a key field used for row identification.

Common mistakes: using Text for a controlled status value that should be a Select, or putting secrets/default credentials into default_value.

Numeric

Numeric fields are used for quantities, counts, amounts, percentages, and other number-based values.

Config	Type	Default	Description
`format`	string	none	Display format: `currency`, `percentage`, or `plain`.
`range_min`	number	none	Minimum allowed value.
`range_max`	number	none	Maximum allowed value.
`round_precision`	number	none	Decimal places to round to.
`default_value`	string or number	none	Pre-filled value.
`read_only`	boolean	`false`	Display as non-editable.
`primary_key`	boolean	`false`	Mark as a key field used for row identification.

Validation keys commonly used with Numeric fields: required, min, max, precision, and format.

Date

Date fields support date-only input or date-and-time input.

Config	Type	Default	Description
`include_time`	boolean	`false`	Show time entry alongside the date.
`default_value`	string	none	Pre-filled ISO date or date-time value.
`read_only`	boolean	`false`	Display as non-editable.
`primary_key`	boolean	`false`	Mark as a key field used for row identification.

Common mistakes: sending locale-formatted dates in automation instead of ISO-style values.

Checkbox

Checkbox fields store true/false values.

Config	Type	Default	Description
`default_value`	boolean or string	`false`	Pre-checked state.
`read_only`	boolean	`false`	Display as non-editable.
`primary_key`	boolean	`false`	Mark as a key field used for row identification.

Select

Select fields represent controlled choice lists.

Config	Type	Default	Description
`allow_multiple`	boolean	`false`	Allow selecting multiple values.
`default_value`	string	none	Pre-selected value.
`read_only`	boolean	`false`	Display as non-editable.
`primary_key`	boolean	`false`	Mark as a key field used for row identification.

The SQL API accepts either string options:

{
  "values": ["Open", "Closed", "Needs Review"]
}

or object options:

{
  "values": [
    {"title": "Open", "value": "O"},
    {"title": "Closed", "value": "C"}
  ]
}

Stored values are normalized to objects with at least title and value. Invalid option elements return ERR_VALIDATION instead of persisting malformed field metadata.

Label

Label fields are display-oriented, not input-oriented.

Config	Type	Default	Description
`default_value`	string	none	Starting display text when used as a static label.
`read_only`	boolean	`true`	Labels are display-oriented in the live form.
`primary_key`	boolean	`false`	Supported by the shared field model but rarely useful for labels.

Variant

Variant fields are used for Snowflake VARIANT, OBJECT, or ARRAY source values.

Config	Type	Default	Description
`read_only`	boolean	`true`	Variant fields are treated as display-only in the live form.
`default_value`	string	none	Rarely used; generally source-driven.
`primary_key`	boolean	`false`	Available in the shared field model but uncommon for Variant.

Use EXTRACT_VARIANT_FIELDS to create operational fields from known JSON paths. SQL API extraction does not discover paths by sampling source rows.

Validation example

CALL ENTRYLAYER.API.SET_FIELD_VALIDATION(
  'proj_123',
  'field_amount',
  PARSE_JSON('{"required":true,"min":0,"max":100000,"format":"currency"}')
);