Properties categorize data into types (such as text, integer, or date). Properties are used to represent variables in Data Entry Templates and Presenation Templates that are processed to create content items.

When you create a property, you assign a property type to specify the type of information the property should hold. For a full list of property types, see Publisher Property Types. For details on creating properties, see Creating Publisher Properties Using IDK Remote APIs.

Content items are created from properties defined in a Data Entry Template. The formatting of the properties in the content item is defined by the Presentation Template attached to the Data Entry Template.

Selection lists are a special type of property that limits fields to specific entries and is implemented in Data Entry Templates as a drop-down list. You define the list of static entries, ensuring uniformity and eliminating misspellings. You must create and define a selection list before you can add it to a Data Entry Template. For details on creating selection lists, see Creating Publisher Selection Lists Using IDK Remote APIs.

The remote Publisher API cannot be used to modify properties in an existing Data Entry Template.

Removing properties from a Data Entry Template also deletes any associated property values from the Publisher system. Only published content items will retain the deleted properties. (Existing content items that have not been published will no longer contain the deleted properties.) To remove deleted properties from published content items, you must republish the content items. Selection lists are the exception; a selection list can only be deleted if it is not currently being used by a Data Entry Template.