Metaobject definitions are templates that define the structure and behavior of metaobjects in Shopify. They allow you to create custom data structures with specific fields, validations, and capabilities that can be used across your store.

Sample File

Download a sample spreadsheet that includes a metaobject definition with fields and validations.

Metaobject Definition Fields

These are all the fields you can import or export for metaobject definitions in Altera.

General

Field	Description	Example Value
ID	Unique definition identifier	gid://shopify/MetaobjectDefinition/6304792762
Type	The metaobject type identifier (Create-only)	celebrity
Command	Action to perform on this definition	MERGE
Name	Display name for the metaobject definition	Celebrity
Description	Description of the metaobject definition	my description
Metaobject Count	Number of metaobjects using this definition (Read-only)	3
Access: Storefront API	Storefront API access level	PUBLIC_READ
Access: Admin API	Admin API access level	PUBLIC_READ_WRITE
Capability: Active-draft status	Whether metaobjects can have active/draft status	true
Capability: Translations	Whether metaobjects support translations	true
Capability: Publish entries as web pages	Whether metaobjects can be published as web pages	false
Capability: Storefronts API access	Whether metaobjects are accessible via Storefronts API	false
Row #	Row number in the export file	1
Top Row	Whether this is the first row for this definition	true

Field Definitions

These fields define the individual fields within your metaobject definition.

Field	Description	Example Value
Field: Key	Unique identifier for the field within the definition (Create-only)	name
Field: Description	Description of what this field stores	my description
Field: Type	Data type of the field (Create-only)	single_line_text_field
Field: Required	Whether this field is required when creating metaobjects	false
Field: Display Name	Whether this field is used as the display name for metaobjects	true

Validations

These fields define validation rules for your metaobject definition fields.

Field	Description	Example Value
Validation: Name	Name of the validation rule	min
Validation: Type	Data type of the validation (Read-only)	number_integer
Validation: Value	Value used for the validation	1

Field Types

Common field types you can use for metaobject definitions:

single_line_text_field - Single line text input
multi_line_text_field - Multi-line text input
number_integer - Integer number
number_decimal - Decimal number
date - Date field
date_time - Date and time field
boolean - True/false field
color - Color picker
file_reference - File reference
url - URL field
json - JSON data
rating - Rating field
dimension - Dimension field
volume - Volume field
weight - Weight field
money - Money field
product_reference - Product reference
variant_reference - Variant reference
page_reference - Page reference
collection_reference - Collection reference
mixed_reference - Mixed reference

Access Levels

Storefront API Access

PUBLIC_READ - Publicly readable
PRIVATE - Private access only

Admin API Access

MERCHANT_READ - Merchant read access
MERCHANT_READ_WRITE - Merchant read and write access
PUBLIC_READ_WRITE - Public read and write access

Validation Rules

Common validation rules that can be applied to fields:

min - Minimum value (for numbers) or length (for text)
max - Maximum value (for numbers) or length (for text)
regex - Regular expression pattern
file_type_options - Allowed file types (for file references)
choices - Predefined choices for the field

Import Notes

Standard Shopify metaobject definitions cannot be created or updated. They can only be deleted if there are no references to them
The type field is required for creation and cannot be changed after creation
Field keys cannot be changed after creation
Multiple rows are used when a field has multiple validation rules

Error and Warning Codes

Metafield Definition Fields

Shop Fields

Metaobject Fields

How to Transfer Metafields Between Shopify Stores

Metaobject Definitions Fields