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Catalog attributes determine how shoppers can search, filter, and sort your products. On the Attributes page of the dashboard, you control which attributes the search and browse engine indexes and uses.
Attributes for Product Options, Shopify’s Standard Product Taxonomy Metafields, and Product Metrics are automatically created during catalog syncs. Contact support if you need help 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 attribute’s name. Click it to open the attribute’s settings. A small dot next to the name means an AI suggestion is available, and computed attributes show their build status.
  • Source — where the attribute comes from. Layers covers computed attributes, Shopify covers attributes synced from your catalog, and each connected integration that writes attributes (for example, review providers like PowerReviews or Reviews.io) appears with its own name and logo.
  • Filter — a check mark when the attribute is enabled as a storefront filter.
  • AI Search — a check mark when the attribute is included in AI search. Hover the check mark to see whether you included it or Layers’ AI did.
  • Keyword Search — a check mark when the attribute has a keyword search weight configured.
Rows are grouped by where the attribute lives in your product data: Product, Options, Product Metafields, Variants, Variant Metafields, Named Tags, and Computed. Metafield groups are further split by namespace. Click Search in the toolbar to find attributes by name, code, label, or type. You can also narrow the list with the toolbar filters:
  • Source — show only attributes from Layers, Shopify, or a specific connected integration.
  • Filter — Yes shows attributes enabled as storefront filters, No shows the rest.
  • AI Search — Yes shows attributes included in AI search, No shows the rest.
  • Keyword Search — Yes shows attributes with a keyword search weight, No shows the rest.
Select All in any filter to clear it. Use Sort by to order the list by Attribute name, Attribute code, Created, or Updated. Each row’s actions menu includes:
  • Select — start selecting rows for bulk actions.
  • Manage Facet Values — open the facet values for an attribute enabled as a filter.
  • Edit Function or Edit Logic — open the code or logic editor for a computed attribute.
  • Copy Code — copy the attribute code to your clipboard.
  • Delete — delete a computed attribute.

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Display-only sub-fields are hidden

Some metafield attributes expand into sub-field rows so their values can be stored and returned by the API. For example, a metaobject reference metafield like metafields.custom.frame_color also produces sub-fields such as metafields.custom.frame_color.display_name and metafields.custom.frame_color.fields.swatch_image.url. These sub-fields carry display data, can never become facets, and have nothing to configure, so the Attributes table hides them. Hidden sub-fields include:
  • Sub-fields whose path ends in .url, or that target a reference’s display_name or handle.
  • Sub-fields resolved to the color, file_reference, rich_text_field, or json field types.
  • Sub-fields of a metaobject reference whose base attribute is the configurable facet. Configure the base attribute instead.
  • Supporting parts of structured metafields, such as a money value’s currency_code, a measurement’s unit, or a rating’s scale_min and scale_max. The primary value (for example, a money value’s amount) stays visible.
Hiding these rows only affects the table. The attributes still exist, their values are still stored during syncs, and API responses still include them, so a swatch image URL keeps resolving for your storefront. Hidden rows also don’t appear in the attribute search bar results.
A sub-field that is enabled as a storefront facet, marked searchable, or has a keyword search weight always stays visible in the table, so you can still open it and turn those settings off.

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Foundational architecture

Attributes are the foundation layer of Layers. Search, filtering, sorting, and other higher-level features all build on attribute 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 lets you target 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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Computed attributes

Computed attributes let you create dynamic values from existing product data. See the dedicated Computed attributes page for details on Functions, the Derive builder, 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, name, and label. If you assign meaningful labels to your attributes, you can find 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 start selecting, open a row’s actions menu and click Select. Checkboxes appear next to each attribute row, and the toolbar shows how many rows are selected along with the Edit and Delete buttons. Click the selected count to open a menu with Select all results (or Select all in this store when no search or filter is active) and Unselect all.

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Bulk edit

Select the attributes you want to change and click Edit to update them together. You can edit Name, Filter, AI Search, Label, Value type, and Visible on storefront.

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Bulk delete

Select one or more attributes and click Delete in the toolbar 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.
When you are done, click the selected count and choose Unselect all to clear the selection.

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Best practices

  • Use clear, descriptive attribute names so you can 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