Field Types - Hiveku Builder

The CMS form editor is built directly from the field definitions in your manifest. Each field’s type decides what the input control looks like, how data is validated, and how the value is stored on disk. This page is the full reference. Pick the type that matches the kind of data, and the editor takes care of the rest.

Common Field Properties

Every field type accepts these properties:

Property	Type	Description
`name`	string	Required. The key under which the value is stored. camelCase by convention.
`type`	string	Required. One of the types listed below.
`label`	string	Optional human-readable label shown in the form. Defaults to the field name.
`help`	string	Optional short help text shown below the label.
`section`	string	Optional section label. Fields sharing a `section` group together under a collapsible header in the entry editor.
`required`	boolean	If `true`, the entry won’t save without a value.
`default`	any	Default value for new entries.
`validation`	object	Optional validation rules — see below.

Validation Rules

Validation rules live under a field’s validation object and run on both the client (inline, as you type) and the server (on save):

Rule	Applies to	Description
`pattern`	`string`, `markdown`, `image`	Regex the value must match (JS flavor)
`minLength` / `maxLength`	`string`, `markdown`	Character count bounds
`min` / `max`	`number`	Numeric bounds
`minItems` / `maxItems`	`array`	Item count bounds
`message`	any	Custom message shown when a rule fails

{ "name": "excerpt", "type": "string", "validation": { "maxLength": 280 } }

Type-specific properties (like options for select or referenceCollection for reference) are documented per type below.

string

A short text value. UI: A text input. Stores: A JSON string in the entry file.

{ "name": "title", "type": "string", "required": true, "validation": { "maxLength": 80 } }

number

A numeric value (integer or floating point). UI: A numeric input. Stores: A JSON number.

{ "name": "price", "type": "number", "required": true, "validation": { "min": 0 } }

boolean

A true/false value. UI: A toggle switch. Stores: true or false JSON literal.

{ "name": "featured", "type": "boolean", "default": false }

date

An ISO-8601 date or datetime. UI: A date picker (or a datetime picker with withTime: true). Stores: A JSON string — YYYY-MM-DD, or full ISO format when withTime is set.

Property	Description
`withTime`	If `true`, capture time as well as date

{ "name": "publishedAt", "type": "date", "withTime": true, "required": true }

Two date field names carry publish meaning by convention: a publishAt date on a published entry keeps it hidden on the site until the date passes — that’s what powers scheduled publishing.

markdown

Long-form Markdown content. UI: A split-pane editor with live preview, syntax highlighting, image drop, and shortcuts. The same control is used for the body of MDX entries when isBody: true. Stores: Markdown source — either as a JSON string (for JSON collections) or as the body of the MDX file (when isBody: true).

Property	Description
`isBody`	When `true` on an MDX collection, this field becomes the body of the file. Exactly one body field per MDX collection.

{ "name": "body", "type": "markdown", "isBody": true }

MDX bodies support React components imported from your project — useful for embedding charts, callouts, or custom layouts inside long-form content.

html

Raw HTML content — for hand-authored or imported markup with custom classes, embeds, or structured-data script blocks that Markdown would mangle. UI: A code editor with HTML syntax highlighting and autocomplete, paired with a sandboxed live preview (styles and images render; scripts don’t execute in the editor). Stores: The HTML source as a JSON string, byte-for-byte.

{ "name": "embedHtml", "type": "html" }

color

A color value. UI: A color picker with hex input. Stores: A JSON string in #rrggbb or #rrggbbaa form.

{ "name": "accent", "type": "color", "default": "#3b82f6" }

url

A URL. UI: A text input with URL validation. Stores: A JSON string. Validated against URL syntax on save.

{ "name": "website", "type": "url" }

image

An image asset. UI: An upload dropzone with drag-and-drop, paste support, and a Choose existing button that opens the project’s Assets library. Served through Hiveku’s image CDN automatically. Stores: A JSON string with the uploaded file’s path (e.g. /uploads/hero.jpg) — or a { "url", "alt" } object once you add alt text in the editor.

{ "name": "heroImage", "type": "image" }

file

A non-image file asset (PDF, video, audio, archives). UI: Same upload dropzone as image, with a generic file preview. Stores: A JSON string with the upload path.

{ "name": "datasheet", "type": "file" }

select

One of a fixed set of values. UI: A dropdown. Stores: A JSON string matching one of the option values.

Property	Description
`options`	Array of option strings

{
  "name": "status",
  "type": "select",
  "options": ["draft", "published"],
  "default": "draft"
}

For a multi-select, use an array of string instead — select stores exactly one value.

array

A list of values, all of the same shape. UI: A reorderable list with add/remove buttons. Each row renders the editor for the items type. Stores: A JSON array.

Property	Description
`items`	The element type — any type except another `array`
`fields`	Required when `items` is `"object"`: the sub-fields of each row
`itemReferenceCollection`	Required when `items` is `"reference"`: the target collection’s `id`
`itemImageOptions`	Optional when `items` is `"image"`: `{ "allowAlt": true, "allowCaption": false }` gallery tuning

Three flavors cover most needs:

{ "name": "tags", "type": "array", "items": "string" }

{ "name": "gallery", "type": "array", "items": "image", "validation": { "maxItems": 12 } }

{
  "name": "features",
  "type": "array",
  "items": "object",
  "fields": [
    { "name": "title", "type": "string", "required": true },
    { "name": "icon", "type": "string" },
    { "name": "description", "type": "string" }
  ]
}

Gallery items store as { "src", "alt", "caption" } objects; a multi-reference (items: "reference") stores an array of entry slugs and renders as removable chips. Nested arrays-of-arrays aren’t supported — wrap the inner list in a named object row instead.

object

A grouped set of fields edited together. UI: A nested card of form controls. An object field declared without fields renders as a raw JSON editor with syntax checking — a legacy escape hatch for free-form data. Stores: A nested JSON object.

Property	Description
`fields`	The list of nested fields, each a normal field definition

{
  "name": "seo",
  "type": "object",
  "fields": [
    { "name": "title", "type": "string", "validation": { "maxLength": 60 } },
    { "name": "description", "type": "string", "validation": { "maxLength": 160 } },
    { "name": "ogImage", "type": "image" }
  ]
}

Sub-fields can nest up to four levels deep (an object inside a repeater inside an object, for example).

reference

A pointer to another collection’s entry. UI: A searchable picker listing the target collection’s entries. If the entry you need doesn’t exist yet, you can create it inline without leaving the form. Stores: A JSON string with the referenced entry’s slug.

Property	Description
`referenceCollection`	Required. The target collection’s `id`.

{ "name": "author", "type": "reference", "referenceCollection": "authors", "required": true }

For a list of references (related posts, linked products), use an array:

{
  "name": "relatedPosts",
  "type": "array",
  "items": "reference",
  "itemReferenceCollection": "blog"
}

See Linking Collections with References for full examples and how to render referenced data on the page.

Choosing a Type

A few rules of thumb:

Long-form prose with formatting? markdown (and isBody: true if it’s the main body of an MDX entry). Reach for html only when the markup itself matters.
Short text? string.
A fixed set of choices? select. Need several at once? An array of string.
A list of similar things? array. Set items to a primitive, "image" for a gallery, "object" for richer rows, or "reference" for a multi-reference.
A pointer to another piece of content? reference. Don’t duplicate fields across collections — link them.
Something that should just be one record? Make a collection for it and keep a single entry (site settings, homepage hero).

Once an entry has data for a field, removing the field from the manifest hides it from the form but leaves the value in the file. Re-adding the field restores the editor. Renaming a field is more invasive — ask the AI to migrate the data.

What’s Next?

The Manifest

How fields fit into the larger manifest schema

Collections

Reusable patterns for blog, products, and more

References

Link collections together with reference fields

Editing Content

See how each field type renders in the CMS panel

​Common Field Properties

​Validation Rules

​string

​number

​boolean

​date

​markdown

​html

​color

​url

​image

​file

​select

​array

​object

​reference

​Choosing a Type

​What’s Next?

The Manifest

Collections

References

Editing Content

Common Field Properties

Validation Rules

string

number

boolean

date

markdown

html

color

url

image

file

select

array

object

reference

Choosing a Type

What’s Next?