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Each attribute in Layers can be configured with a set of options that control where and how it is used across the platform. These options are available on the attribute’s edit page in the dashboard.

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Searchable attributes

By marking an attribute as Searchable, your products can be found in search results if the search query matches the attribute’s value. This is ideal for text-based attributes such as product names, descriptions, or categories. Attributes that are marked as Searchable and contain an Image URL are automatically used for Image Search.

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Partial matching

The Allow Partial Matching option determines whether a product can match search queries that only partially match the attribute’s value. For instance, if you want customers to find a product by typing just a part of the SKU or style code, enable this option. If exact matches are preferred, such as for specific codes, you can disable it.

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Keyword search weight

The Keyword Search Weight option allows you to control how much influence a searchable attribute has on keyword-based search ranking. When set, the attribute is included as a keyword field in the search ranking model, and its weight determines how much it contributes relative to other keyword fields.
  • What it does: Assigns a weight to the attribute for keyword matching techniques (full-text search, word similarity, and trigram matching). The weight is proportionally distributed across all keyword-enabled attributes.
  • When to use: When you want to prioritize certain attributes over others in keyword search. For example, giving a product title a higher weight than the description ensures that title matches rank higher.
  • How it works: The total keyword weight budget from the ranking model is distributed proportionally across all attributes with a keyword search weight. Each field’s share is further split across three matching techniques using a fixed profile ratio.
Keyword Search Weight is only available for attributes that are marked as Searchable. The weight value is a relative number: what matters is the ratio between keyword-enabled attributes, not the absolute value.

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Filterable attributes

Setting an attribute as Filterable enables it to be used as a facet on category or search result pages. This allows customers to refine their searches based on specific product characteristics like size, color, or brand. Learn more in Filters / Facets.

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Sortable attributes

Sortable attributes can be used to create custom Sort Orders for your product catalog. This is useful for allowing customers to sort products according to different criteria, such as price, popularity, or relevance.
You cannot disable sorting on an attribute that is currently used in a sort order. To disable sorting, first remove the attribute from all sort orders that reference it.

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Visible in API responses

The Visible in API Responses option controls whether an attribute can be used in storefront API requests. When set to off, the attribute is excluded from customer-facing API operations. What it does:
  • Prevents the attribute from being used in request-level filters
  • Blocks the attribute from being requested in the attributes parameter
  • Excludes the attribute from API responses
  • Filters nested properties from JSON response data
When to use it:
  • For attributes you only need in dashboard configuration
  • For sensitive data that should not be exposed to the storefront
Default behavior:
  • All attributes default to visible in API responses
  • Calculated attributes automatically default to not visible in API responses
Nested property filtering: When an attribute with nested properties is marked as non-visible, the system recursively filters those properties from JSON objects in API responses. For example, if you have two calculated attributes and only one is marked as visible, requesting the parent object will return only the visible property.
Attributes marked as non-visible in API responses can still be used in merchandising rules, sort orders, and dashboard analytics. They are simply hidden from customer-facing API requests.

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Enable as storefront facet

The Enable as Storefront Facet option controls whether a filterable attribute is synced to Shopify as a metaobject for use in storefront filtering. This setting is independent of the Visible in API Responses option and only applies to attributes marked as Filterable. What it does:
  • When enabled, creates and syncs a metaobject in Shopify for the filterable attribute
  • When disabled, deletes the metaobject from Shopify (if it exists)
  • Controls whether the attribute can be used for native Shopify storefront filtering
When to use it:
  • Enable for filterable attributes that should be available for Shopify storefront filtering
  • Disable for filterable attributes that should not be available in Shopify storefront filtering
Default behavior:
  • All filterable attributes default to enabled as storefront facets
  • Non-filterable attributes cannot be enabled as storefront facets
How it works with other settings: The two visibility options work independently:
  • Visible in API Responses: Controls whether the attribute appears in Layers API responses
  • Enable as Storefront Facet: Controls whether the attribute is synced to Shopify metaobjects
For example, you might have an attribute that is:
  • Visible in API responses but not enabled as a storefront facet (available through Layers API only)
  • Enabled as a storefront facet but not visible in API responses (available for Shopify filtering only)
  • Both enabled (available through both Layers API and Shopify filtering)
Metaobject sync only occurs for attributes marked as Filterable. The Enable as Storefront Facet toggle only appears for filterable attributes. Learn more about metaobject syncing in Metaobjects & Metafields.

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Next steps