PString-based types display configuration

Overview and configuration

PString-based attribute types support three display settings that control how text content is edited and displayed. Each setting is optimized for different use cases, from simple product names to formatted marketing descriptions.

Choosing the right display setting

Use this decision flow to select the appropriate display setting for your attribute:

graph LR
    A[Start] --> B{Multiple lines?}
    B -->|No| C[Basic]
    B -->|Yes| D{Need formatting?}
    D -->|No| E[Multiline]
    D -->|Yes| F{Complex HTML?}
    F -->|Yes| E
    F -->|No| G[Rich text]

    C:::basicStyle
    E:::multilineStyle
    G:::richtextStyle

    classDef basicStyle fill:#e3f2fd,stroke:#1976d2,stroke-width:2px
    classDef multilineStyle fill:#f3e5f5,stroke:#7b1fa2,stroke-width:2px
    classDef richtextStyle fill:#e8f5e9,stroke:#388e3c,stroke-width:2px

Basic

Use for simple, single-line text input without formatting or line breaks. This setting provides a streamlined inline editing experience optimized for short text values.

Best for:

• Product names and titles
• SKU codes and identifiers
• Short descriptions (one sentence)
• Reference numbers and codes
• Simple labels and tags

Characteristics:

• Single-line inline input field
• Auto-selects text on focus for quick editing
• Ideal for compact data entry in product grids

When to use Multiline instead: If your content needs multiple lines or manual line breaks.

Multiline

Use for longer text that spans multiple lines, including text with HTML markup that needs to be preserved as plain text. Content is edited in a resizable textarea.

Best for:

• Long descriptions spanning multiple paragraphs
• Content with complex HTML (tables, custom styling, embedded elements)
• Storing HTML code or markup as plain text
• Text requiring manual line breaks
• Any HTML content not supported by the rich text editor

Characteristics:

• Multi-line textarea with vertical resize
• Preserves all HTML content as plain text (no rendering)
• No HTML validation or structure requirements
• Serves as automatic fallback when rich text detects unsupported HTML

When to use Rich text instead: If you need visual formatting tools and your content uses only supported HTML tags.

Rich text

Use for formatted text content that requires visual styling like bold, italic, headings, and lists. Provides a WYSIWYG editor with formatting toolbar.

Best for:

• Marketing descriptions and copy
• Product features and benefits
• Content requiring consistent visual formatting
• Text that needs headings, lists, and emphasis
• Content using only supported HTML tags

Characteristics:

• Visual WYSIWYG editor with formatting toolbar
• Supports specific HTML tags (see Supported Tags)
• Automatically falls back to multiline mode if content has unsupported HTML
• Shows warning when fallback occurs to prevent data loss
• All content is preserved during fallback

Important: If existing content contains unsupported HTML elements, PIM automatically switches to multiline mode to preserve your data. See Rich text editor below for details.

Rich text editor

The rich text editor provides visual formatting tools for text content. It intelligently detects when content cannot be safely represented and automatically falls back to multiline mode to preserve your data.

General behavior

When you configure an attribute with the Rich text display setting, PIM analyzes the content before rendering the editor:

1. Validation: Content is checked against supported HTML tags and structures
2. Safe content: If all HTML is supported, the rich text editor is displayed
3. Unsupported content: If HTML would be lost or modified, PIM automatically falls back to multiline mode
4. Warning displayed: A warning message explains why the fallback occurred with a link to this documentation

Supported tags

The rich text editor supports the following HTML elements:

• <p> - Paragraphs
• <h1>, <h2>, <h3>, <h4>, <h5>, <h6> - Headings
• <strong>, <b> - Bold text
• <em>, <i> - Italic text
• <u> - Underlined text
• <s> - Strikethrough text
• <ol>, <li> - Ordered lists (used for both numbered and bulleted lists)
• <blockquote> - Block quotes, except if they contain other HTML elements
• <a> - Links
• <span> - Inline elements with inline styles only (e.g., style="color: red")
• <br> - Line breaks

Unsupported elements and patterns:

The following will trigger automatic fallback to multiline mode:

• Structural elements: <div>, <table>, <tr>, <td>, <tbody>, etc.
• Media elements: <img>, <video>, <iframe>
• Semantic HTML5 elements: <article>, <section>, <aside>, <nav>, <header>, <footer>
• Custom attributes: Any custom data attributes or non-standard attributes (e.g., data-*, custom IDs)
• <span> with custom attributes: Only inline styles are supported (e.g., style="color: red"). Spans with attributes like data-*, class, or id will trigger fallback
• <ul> (unordered lists): Content with <ul> tags will trigger fallback
• <blockquote> containing other HTML elements: Simple blockquotes work, but nested or complex blockquotes will trigger fallback
• Complex nested structures: Deeply nested or unusual HTML structures

Examples

Supported content - uses rich text editor:

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<p>This is a <strong>product description</strong> with <em>emphasis</em>.</p>
<h2>Features</h2>
<ol>
    <li>Feature one</li>
    <li>Feature two</li>
</ol>
<blockquote>Customer testimonial text</blockquote>
<p>Visit our <a href="https://example.com">website</a> for more info.</p>

✓ This content renders in the rich text editor with full formatting support.

Unsupported content - falls back to multiline:

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<p><strong>Product Description</strong></p>
<table>
    <tr>
        <td>Property</td>
        <td>Value</td>
    </tr>
</table>
<div class="custom-wrapper">Content in a div</div>
<span data-custom="value">Text with custom attribute</span>

✗ This content triggers fallback because it contains <table>, <div>, and <span> with custom attributes. Content is preserved in multiline mode.

Plain text - uses rich text editor:

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This is plain text without any HTML tags.

✓ Plain text works in rich text mode. The editor will wrap it in <p> tags automatically.

Multiline text editor

The multiline text editor provides a simple textarea for longer text content that spans multiple lines. It preserves all HTML as plain text without any rendering or validation.

When to use multiline

Choose multiline when you need:

• Multiple lines or paragraphs: Text that naturally spans multiple lines
• Manual line breaks: Control over where lines break
• Complex HTML preservation: Tables, custom attributes, or structural elements that rich text doesn't support
• HTML as plain text: Storing HTML code or markup without rendering it
• No formatting restrictions: Freedom to use any HTML without validation

Behavior

• Content is edited in a resizable textarea
• All HTML is treated as plain text (not rendered)
• No HTML structure requirements or limitations
• Automatically used when rich text detects unsupported HTML
• In Mass Edit, opens an expanded popover for comfortable editing

Fallback from rich text:

When an attribute is configured as Rich text but the content has unsupported HTML, the multiline editor is used automatically with a warning message. This ensures your HTML is preserved exactly as-is without any modifications or data loss.

Resolving rich text warnings

If you see the "Content has HTML tags not supported by the rich text editor" warning, you have two options:

Option 1: Simplify the HTML

Remove unsupported HTML elements and recreate the content using the rich text editor's formatting tools:

Example:

If your content has a table:

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<table>
    <tr>
        <td>Content in a table</td>
    </tr>
</table>

1. Remove the table HTML from the textarea
2. Click outside the field (or press Tab) to trigger validation
3. The rich text editor will automatically become available
4. Use the formatting toolbar to recreate the content with supported formatting (paragraphs, lists, headings, etc.)

The rich text editor will automatically apply the correct HTML tags with proper styling.

Option 2: Keep using multiline

If you need to preserve the complex HTML structure, keep the attribute configured as Multiline instead of Rich text. This removes the rich text editor but preserves all your HTML content without restrictions.

To change the setting:

1. Go to attribute configuration
2. Find the Display settings section
3. Change from Rich text to Multiline
4. Save the attribute configuration

Related documentation

• Attributes - Main attribute documentation
• Data types - Available data types for attributes
• Mass edit - Editing multiple products at once