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Managing catalog attributes effectively is crucial for a robust e-commerce search and filtering experience. On the Attributes page of the dashboard, you have control over the attributes that are indexed and utilized by the search and browse engine.
Attributes for Product Options, Shopify’s Standard Product Taxonomy Metafields, and Product Metrics are automatically created during catalog syncs. Please contact support if you need assistance managing complex attributes.

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Finding attributes

The Attributes page displays all indexed attributes in a table with the following columns:
  • Name — the human-readable nickname for the attribute
  • Code — the underlying attribute code used by the engine
  • Type — either Catalog or Calculated
  • Used In — badges showing where the attribute is active. In addition to the core capability roles (Filter, Sort, Search, Keyword, Grouping), badges also appear when an attribute is referenced by Sort Rules, Sequences, Families, or Merchandising conditions.
Use the search bar at the top to find attributes by name, code, or label. You can also filter the list using the Type, Used In, and Class dropdowns:
  • Type — narrow the list to Catalog attributes (sourced from your product data) or Calculated attributes (derived from formulas).
  • Used In — show only attributes that are active in a specific role. Select multiple values to broaden the filter (OR logic). Available options:
    • Filter — attribute is enabled as filterable.
    • Sort — attribute is enabled as sortable.
    • Search — attribute is enabled for semantic search.
    • Keyword — attribute has a keyword search weight configured.
    • Grouping — attribute is enabled as groupable.
    • Sort Rules — attribute is referenced by one or more ranking rules.
    • Sequences — attribute is referenced in product sequence conditions.
    • Families — attribute is referenced by a product family.
    • Merchandising — attribute is referenced in merchandising rule conditions.
  • Class — filter by attribute classification: Categorical, Feature, or Price. Select multiple values to show attributes from any of the selected classes. This is useful for reviewing which attributes have been classified and ensuring the right classes are assigned across your catalog. See Attribute classes for more on what each class means.
The Sort Rules, Sequences, Families, and Merchandising filters help you locate attributes that are wired into other parts of the platform, even when they are not directly enabled as a Filter, Sort, or Search field. This is useful before disabling or deleting an attribute, so you can see at a glance which workflows depend on it.

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Foundational architecture

Attributes form the foundation layer of the Layers platform, enabling all higher-level functionality through their core properties. For a visual overview of how attributes connect to search, filtering, and sorting, see Attributes — Core Concepts.

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Attribute types

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Catalog attributes

Catalog attributes come directly from your Shopify product data. They reference fields in your product schema using dot notation, which allows for the targeting of attributes or nested attributes within your data structure. This includes standard fields, product options, taxonomy metafields, and custom metafields. For the full guide on catalog attribute codes, metafield creation, and nested key support, see Catalog attributes.

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Calculated attributes

Calculated Attributes allow you to write formulas using JSONLogic for creating attributes with dynamic values calculated on the fly. See the dedicated Calculated Attributes page for full details on the Derive builder, AI-powered generation, platform defaults, and recipes.

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Customer-facing label

Each attribute has an optional Label field that represents the customer-facing name displayed on your storefront. The attribute code identifies the attribute in configuration, while the label provides a human-readable name (for example, “Material”) for storefront UI elements like filter menus and facet headings. You can set or update the label when creating or editing an attribute on the Attributes page of the dashboard.
The attribute search bar on the Attributes page matches against the attribute code, nickname, and label. If you assign meaningful labels to your attributes, you can quickly locate them by searching for the customer-facing name instead of remembering the underlying code.

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Bulk actions

You can select multiple attributes from the list and perform actions on them at once. To enter selection mode, click Select in the actions column header. Checkboxes appear next to each attribute row. Select the attributes you want to act on, then open the Actions dropdown to choose an action.

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Bulk delete

Select one or more attributes and choose Delete from the Actions dropdown to remove them all at once. A confirmation prompt appears before the deletion proceeds.
You cannot delete an attribute that is currently referenced by another part of the platform. If any selected attribute is in use, the entire operation is blocked and an error message identifies which area is blocking the deletion. Layers checks the following references before allowing a delete:
  • Sort rules — ranking rules that reference the attribute.
  • Sequences — product sequence conditions that reference the attribute.
  • Families — product families that reference the attribute.
  • Merchandising — merchandising rule conditions that reference the attribute.
Remove the attribute from the area identified in the error message, then retry the deletion. The Used In badges and filter on the Attributes page can help you find every place the attribute is referenced.
When you are done selecting, click Actions → Done selecting to exit selection mode.

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Best practices

  • Use clear, descriptive nicknames for attributes to easily manage and identify them on the dashboard.
  • When setting up searchable attributes, consider the search behavior of your customers and which attributes are most relevant to their queries.
  • For filterable attributes, think about the facets that are most useful for customers when browsing your product range.
  • Regularly review and update your attributes to keep up with changes in your product catalog and customer search behavior.

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Next steps