Every asset has a kind (what it is), a code (a short unique name used in paths) and may hold attributes (your own key-value data). This page explains the rules for each and where they matter.
Kinds
The Kind list on the asset form offers:
| Kind | Typical use |
|---|---|
| Site | A plant, a station, a depot: a top-level place with a location |
| Building | A building of a site |
| Floor | A floor of a building |
| Room | A room, a cold room, a plant room |
| Area | A zone of a floor or a yard |
| Line | A production or process line |
| Machine | A machine or a piece of equipment |
| Other | Anything else |
You can also use your own kind: pick Another kind and type a Kind name, for example PUMP_STATION, TANK or KITCHEN. A kind name has 1 to 24 characters: a letter first, then letters, digits and _. It is stored in capital letters. Plant, Region, Zone and Depot are shown with a translated name too.
A new top-level asset starts as Site; a new child starts as Building. Change it before you save.
Where the kind matters
| Place | Effect |
|---|---|
| Sites & Assets | The kind badge and the Kind filter |
| Sites board template | “Sites” are assets of kind Site; The sites of one type narrows them further |
| Drill-down tables (Status under an asset) | Only nodes of these kinds and Only nodes with a node of these kinds below filter by kind, for example ROOM,FLOOR |
| 3D status tint | Items are tinted from Room and Area assets, matched by code |
| Flows (Related data) | The kinds setting keeps only assets of the listed kinds, for example the SITE three levels up |
| Ready solutions | Some use their own kinds, for example zones of kind ZONE in personnel tracking |
Kinds do not limit the tree: any kind can sit under any other.
Codes
The Code names an asset in its path. Rules:
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Characters | letters, digits, ., _, -; the first is a letter or a digit; never / |
| Length | 1 to 32 |
| Case | Stored in capital letters: bld-a becomes BLD-A |
| Unique | Among your organisation’s assets: “Another asset already uses this code.” |
| Empty | Made from the name: accents removed, capitals, other characters turned into -, at most 24 characters, plus -2, -3, … if taken. “Compressor room” becomes COMPRESSOR-ROOM. |
The form’s hint: “Letters, digits, . _ – (at most 32). Leave empty to derive it from the name; changing it later rewrites the paths below.”
Paths
An asset’s Path is the codes from the top down, joined by /:
/IST/BLD-A/GF/COMPRESSOR-ROOMThe path is shown in the drawer’s Overview and used to find everything under an asset. Changing a code rewrites the paths of all assets below it in the same step. A path may be at most 1,024 characters.
Choose codes that last
- Use short, stable codes: a site number, a building letter, a room number (
IST,BLD-A,R101). - In 3D scenes, rooms and areas are matched to scene items by code. If you rename a code, rename the item key too.
- Type codes in any case: they are stored in capitals, so
r101andR101are the same code.
Attributes
Attributes are your own key-value data on an asset: an area, a cost centre, a contract number, a floor-plan image address. The drawer’s Attributes section shows them, read only. You write them through the API:
PATCH /tenant/<tenantId>/api/iot/assets/<assetId>
{ "attributes": { "area_m2": 42, "cost_centre": "CC-4410", "contract": { "number": "M-77", "until": "2027-06-30" } } }A PATCH with attributes replaces the whole attribute object: send every key you want to keep. See Sites and assets API.
| Rule | Value |
|---|---|
| Keys | a letter first, then letters, digits, ., _, -; up to 64 characters |
| Number of keys | at most 100 |
| Size | at most 16 KiB of JSON in all |
| Values | numbers, text, booleans, objects, lists |
Where attributes are used
- Boards: the query One asset (name, kind, counts, attributes) shows them, for example on a site’s header.
- Flows: the Related data block reads an asset’s attributes, for example the tariff of the site a meter stands in. See IoT data blocks.
- Ready solutions: for example the floor-plan image of a sensor region, or the beacon of a personnel tracking zone.
Assets do not store telemetry. Live values belong to devices; an asset shows the values and status of the devices under it.
Other fields
| Field | Set in | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Form | Up to 1,000 characters, shown in the drawer |
| Time zone, Latitude, Longitude | Form | See Locations and time zones |
Address (addressJson) | API | Up to 12 text fields; a site’s page header shows it when the site has no assets above it |
Default dashboard (defaultDashboardId) | API | The drawer’s Open dashboard button opens it |