Attribute Fields

Product attributes in Makaira are stored as nested arrays, organized by data type. This structure enables flexible filtering and faceted search.

Attribute Types

Attribute Structure

Each attribute entry contains:

Example

{
  "id": "product-123",
  "type": "product",
  "attributeStr": [
    {"id": "color", "title": "Color", "value": "Blue"},
    {"id": "material", "title": "Material", "value": "Cotton"},
    {"id": "brand", "title": "Brand", "value": "Nike"}
  ],
  "attributeInt": [
    {"id": "weight_g", "title": "Weight (g)", "value": 200},
    {"id": "pack_size", "title": "Pack Size", "value": 1}
  ],
  "attributeFloat": [
    {"id": "rating", "title": "Rating", "value": 4.5},
    {"id": "discount_percent", "title": "Discount %", "value": 15.0}
  ]
}

Multi-Value Attributes

For attributes with multiple values, use the # separator:

{
  "attributeStr": [
    {"id": "color", "title": "Color", "value": "Blue#Red#Green"},
    {"id": "size", "title": "Size", "value": "S#M#L#XL"}
  ]
}

During import, these are split into individual values for filtering.

Attribute Sub-Fields

Each attribute value has these sub-fields for different query types:

Variant Attribute Aggregation

When using the Persistence Layer, attributes from variants are automatically aggregated to the parent product.

How It Works

1. All variants with active: true AND onstock: true are included
2. Attributes are merged and deduplicated
3. Result is stored in the attributes field on the parent product

Example

Variant 1:

{"attributeStr": [{"id": "size", "value": "S"}, {"id": "color", "value": "Blue"}]}

Variant 2:

{"attributeStr": [{"id": "size", "value": "M"}, {"id": "color", "value": "Blue"}]}

Variant 3 (inactive):

{"attributeStr": [{"id": "size", "value": "L"}, {"id": "color", "value": "Red"}]}

Parent Product (aggregated):

{
  "attributes": [
    {"id": "size", "value": ["S", "M"]},
    {"id": "color", "value": ["Blue"]}
  ]
}

Note: Variant 3's attributes are excluded because it's inactive.

Without Persistence Layer: You must manually aggregate attributes in your import data.

Using Attributes in Product Streams

Attributes can be used in stream filters with this field format:

Example Stream Filter

{
  "field": "attributeStr::color",
  "type": "nested",
  "operator": "eq",
  "value": "Blue"
}

Best Practices

1. Use correct types - Put numeric values in attributeInt or attributeFloat, not attributeStr.

2. Consistent IDs - Use the same attribute id across all products for proper filtering.

3. Meaningful titles - The title field is used in filter displays.

4. Multi-values with # - Use the # separator for multi-value attributes.

5. Keep variants active - Only active and in-stock variants are aggregated to the parent.