Attributes
Understand how attributes work in Emfas
Attributes are the fields that store information about your catalog items like descriptions, prices, sizes, colors, and technical specifications.
External vs Emfas
Emfas works with two types of attributes. Understanding the difference helps you decide where to create new attributes.
External Attributes
External Attributes come from your connected platforms like Shopify or Centra. When you connect a platform, Emfas automatically mirrors all existing attributes from that system.
Changes sync immediately in both directions. Update an External Attribute in Emfas and it changes in your store. Update it in your store and Emfas reflects it right away.
This lets your team keep working in their existing tools while you use Emfas to enrich content with AI. No conflicting data, no waiting for scheduled syncs.
Emfas Attributes
Emfas Attributes are created in Emfas and can sync to your connected platforms. Use these when you need attributes that don't exist in your platform yet, or for data that shouldn't sync anywhere.
Common use cases:
- Marketplace-specific data for Zalando, Amazon, or other platforms
- Internal information like content briefs or workflow status
- Any data that doesn't belong in your ecommerce platform
Finding Attributes
Access attribute settings in two ways:
From the side menu - Click Attributes in the left menu to see all attributes. Use the search to quickly find specific attributes by name.
From a catalog item - When viewing a product, variant, or other catalog item, click any attribute label to open its settings.
Keyboard shortcuts
Press A from anywhere in Emfas to open the attribute search. This gives you instant access to any attribute without navigating through menus.
Creating Attributes
Navigate to the Attributes settings page from the side menu and click + New attribute in the top right.
This opens a form where you configure:
- Name - The display name for the attribute
- Type - What kind of data it stores (text, number, select, etc.)
- Allow multiple values - Whether the attribute can hold multiple values (available for all types)
- Target - Which catalog items it applies to (products, variants, etc.)
After creating an attribute, it becomes available on the entity types you selected. You can start filling in values manually or use AI to generate them.
Where attributes are created
Creating an attribute in Emfas always makes it an Emfas Attribute. To create an External Attribute, create it in your connected platform and it will sync to Emfas.
Types
When you create an attribute in Emfas, you choose which type it should be. When Emfas connects with external systems like Shopify or Centra, attribute types are automatically applied based on the field type in that platform.
| Type | Description | Common Uses |
|---|---|---|
| Text (Plain) | Standard text without formatting | Titles, short descriptions, SKU codes |
| Text (HTML) | Rich text with formatting support | Product descriptions, long-form content with paragraphs and lists |
| Number | Numeric values | Measurements, stock levels, product specifications |
| Price | Monetary values with currency support | Product pricing, MSRP, cost information |
| Weight | Weight values with unit support | Shipping weight, item weight, package weight |
| Boolean | True or false values | "Is featured", "On sale", "In stock" |
| Select | Dropdown list with predefined options | Sizes, materials, status values |
| URL | Web addresses | Links to size guides, care instructions, external resources |
| Image | Product images | Hero images, detail shots, lifestyle photos |
| Color | Color values | Product colors, color swatches |
| Category | Product categories with hierarchy support | Collections, taxonomies |
| Category with Canonical | Categories with one marked as primary | Multiple categories with one main category |
| Shopify Taxonomy | Shopify's standard product taxonomy | Shopify product classification |
| Country | Country selection | Country of origin, shipping restrictions, market availability |
| Metaobject | Custom data objects | Corresponds to Shopify Metaobjects or Centra Mapped Attributes |
Settings
Attribute settings are organized into two tabs for easier navigation:
- General - Basic configuration like translatable status, groups, and completeness requirements
- Instructions - AI generation settings like guidelines, character limits, and which context to use
Configure how attributes work using these settings. Some settings are only available for Emfas Attributes, while others work for both Emfas and External Attributes. Settings marked "Generatable only" require the attribute to be generatable.
| Setting | Description | Emfas | External | Generatable only |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Is translatable | Attribute can have different values per language | ✓ | - | - |
| Required for completeness | Attribute counts towards catalog completeness | ✓ | ✓ | - |
| Group name | Organize attributes into groups in the catalog view | ✓ | ✓ | - |
| Use images | AI uses images to help generate this attribute | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Use deep research | AI searches the web for information to generate this attribute | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Character limits | Enforce minimum and maximum character length | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Make Emfas the master source | Changes only flow from Emfas to external systems | - | ✓ | - |
Translation for External Attributes
External Attributes can be translated. Whether an External Attribute is translatable is determined automatically based on how it's configured in the connected platform.
Families
For product, variant, and SKU-level attributes, the settings page includes a Families section. This lets you control which families the attribute appears in without leaving the attribute settings.
Check or uncheck individual families to add or remove the attribute. Use the Select all link to quickly add the attribute to every family at once. Changes save automatically.
This is an alternative to managing attributes from the family settings page. Both approaches achieve the same result — use whichever is more convenient for your workflow.
Groups
Organize attributes into groups to keep related attributes together in the catalog view. For example, create a group called "SEO" for meta titles, meta descriptions, and keywords.
When you assign a group to an attribute, all attributes in that group appear together when viewing catalog items. This makes it easier to find and work with related attributes.
Groups are flexible. Create new groups by typing a name when configuring an attribute, or select from existing groups.
Instruction Examples
When configuring generation instructions for an attribute, Emfas can suggest example templates to help you get started. Click Show examples in the Instructions tab to browse templates tailored to common attribute types.
For example, if you're setting up a "Description" attribute, you'll see templates for:
- Comprehensive product overviews with structured formatting
- Marketing-focused narratives
- Technical specifications
Templates are matched based on the attribute name and type, so you'll see relevant examples for "Meta Description", "Product Title", "Features", and other common attributes.
Each template shows:
- The intended use case (e.g., "Search-Optimized Page Description")
- Key characteristics through tags (e.g., "Keyword focused", "Persuasive")
- Full instruction text you can copy to clipboard
This helps you write effective instructions without starting from scratch, especially if you're new to AI content generation.
References
References let you show Emfas exactly how you want an attribute to look by providing real examples. When you add references, the AI uses them as a guide to match your tone, style, and format.
How References Work
Add references on a per-language basis in the Instructions tab. When you configure instructions for a specific language like English or Swedish, you can attach example content that demonstrates what good output looks like for that language.
For example, if you're generating product descriptions in English, you might add a few of your best existing descriptions as references. The AI will analyze these examples and generate new content that matches the same writing style, structure, and level of detail.
Language-Specific References
References must be added to specific language instructions. They're not available when configuring instructions for "All languages" because good examples need to match the language they're written in.
A reference that works well for English content won't help generate Swedish content, and vice versa. Keep your references in the same language as the content you're generating.
When to Use References
References work best when:
- You have a specific tone or style that's hard to describe in instructions
- Your brand has unique formatting requirements
- You want consistent output that matches existing content
- You're generating content for multiple markets with different styles
- Your existing product content is outdated and you're taking a new direction
References are especially powerful when you don't want the AI to learn from your current catalog. If your existing content is outdated or doesn't match your new brand direction, references let you provide fresh examples that show exactly where you want to go.
The more consistent and high-quality your reference examples are, the better the AI can match your expectations.
Renaming and Deleting
Rename or delete Emfas Attributes from the Attributes settings page. Open the attribute settings and click the ... menu in the top right corner to access these options.
Renaming applies changes immediately across your catalog. Deleting removes all values for that attribute.
Deleting attributes is only available for Emfas Attributes. External Attributes are managed in your connected platform.
Renaming External Attributes
You can rename both Emfas Attributes and External Attributes in Emfas. When you rename an External Attribute, the display name changes in Emfas but the underlying field key in your connected platform remains the same.
Scope
When you create an attribute, you choose which catalog items it applies to. Attributes can work at different levels depending on where the information belongs:
- Products - Information about the overall product. For example, a product description that applies to all variants of "Running Shoes".
- Variants - Information specific to each variant. For example, a color description that's different for each color variant.
- SKUs - Information unique to each inventory item. For example, warehouse location codes that differ by size.
- Assets - Information about media files. For example, alt text for images or captions for videos.
- Other types - Attributes can also apply to bundles, categories, and other catalog items depending on your needs.