Category Custom Field for Inventory

Overview

In this article, we’ll cover how category custom fields work in gaiia’s Inventory module. These fields let you define shared attributes that apply across multiple device models, saving you from recreating the same field again and again.

Below, we’ll walk through how to create them, how they appear on models, and how they behave when adding inventory items.

What are category custom fields

Every device model in gaiia can have custom fields—but sometimes, multiple models share the same required fields. That’s where category custom fields come in. When added to a category, those fields are automatically inherited by every model assigned to that category.

Creating category custom fields

To manage categories, go to Inventory > Settings > Categories then click + New Category You can create or edit any category from this screen.

You can control two important properties for each field:

• Required — the field must be filled in when adding an item.
• Unique — the field value must be unique across all items of the same model.

When editing or creating a category, click Add field to define a new custom field for that category.

Uniqueness is enforced per model—not across all models. For example, two different models can share the same MAC address, but two devices of the same model cannot.

Creating models with category custom fields

When you create a new model and assign it a category, any custom fields from that category are automatically included in the model’s configuration.

These inherited fields appear in a locked section labeled Category custom fields. They show up alongside any model-specific custom fields you add manually.

Adding items with category custom fields

Once your model has both category and model-specific fields defined, you can add items to that model.

Click Add items, select the model, and the item form will display all required fields—including those inherited from the category.