Metadata¶

Metadata lets Autofile store structured information about documents. It is useful for describing documents consistently, finding them later, applying classification results, and building document indexes.

Metadata Model¶

Autofile uses three related concepts:

• A Document Type describes a class of documents, such as invoices, statements, receipts, letters, or contracts.
• A Metadata Type defines a reusable field, such as Correspondent, Issue Date, or Account Number.
• Document Metadata is the value stored for one metadata field on one document.

The relationship looks like this:

Document
  └── has one Document Type
        └── selects zero or more Metadata Types
              └── marks each field optional or required

Document + Metadata Type
  └── may store at most one metadata value

For example, an Invoice Document Type could use these fields:

The Required setting belongs to the relationship between a Document Type and a Metadata Type. The same Metadata Type can be required for one Document Type and optional for another.

Names And Slugs¶

Document Types and Metadata Types have both a name and a slug:

• The name is the label displayed in the UI, such as Issue Date.
• The slug is a stable identifier, such as issue_date.

Slugs may contain lowercase letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores. They cannot be changed after creation. Classifiers, index templates, by-slug lookups, and document response metadata maps use slugs. Other REST operations generally identify resources by numeric ID.

For example, an index template reads Issue Date metadata with:

{{ doc.metadata["issue_date"] }}

Typical Workflow¶

1. Create reusable Metadata Types.
2. Create a Document Type.
3. Select the Metadata Types that apply to that Document Type.
4. Mark fields required where appropriate.
5. Assign the Document Type when uploading or editing a document.
6. Enter values on the document's Metadata page.
7. Use the values in search, classifiers, and indexes.

Autofile initially provides an Unspecified Document Type and the Correspondent and Issue Date Metadata Types. Correspondent and Issue Date are associated with Unspecified and required by default. These resources can be edited and associated with other Document Types.

Related Features¶

• Document Types explains how to define a document schema and required fields.
• Metadata Types covers String, Date, and Lookup fields.
• Document Metadata explains how to enter, validate, and search values.
• Indexes explains how metadata slugs organize documents into browsable groups.
• Classifier Blocks can select Document Types and populate metadata automatically.
• The API reference documents the related REST resources.