Creating a Data Type

Snapshot

The Data Type source creator is a powerful part of Stae that allows you to create a new data source for your city. We recommend you understand how Data Source creation in Stae works before you begin this tutorial.

At the end of this tutorial, you’ll be able to

• Create a new Data Type

A data type created by the community to ingest Pokemon data

1. Navigate to the Data Source Creator

To build your own Data Type, navigate to the data source creator on the Sources Page. Begin the source creator by naming your source, describing it, and choosing whether you’d like it to be public or private. In this example, we’ll be creating a Data Source to digitize Jersey City’s animal control and pet licensing.

View of the Data Source Creator

Data Type Creator

2. Name Your New Data Type

On the next step, search for your data type. When there are no official matches for your data type, you are prompted to create a New Data Type. Click the link and you’ll be able to name and describe your new data type.

Name your new data type and give it a description

3. Define Your Schema

After naming and defining your source, you’ll be prompted to create fields for your new data type. Each field will get a name, a corresponding key, and validations. To build out our new Data Type for Animal Control, we’ll use Jersey City’s existing form for Dog licensing.

The above example uses the form’s fields and transforms it into a new data type. As you build out your data type, you can preview the code to see how it would be accessible through the API. As a general rule of thumb, most schemas in Stae don’t require any fields, but instead require that a field not be empty if you’re submitting information for it. To see how an existing data type is structured, navigate to the Sources page, and click View Data Type. When you’re finished, select the save button.

Schema for Jersey City Pet Licensing Form

4. Select Your New Schema

After selecting save, you’ll be taken back to the Data Type Selector Page. To find your new Data Type, click the Official dropdown menu and select Community. Your new Data Type will show up in a list of community created Data Types. Select it and continue with the source creation process.

Stae Inspired

“The essential characteristic of the city ... is that it demands participation.”
Lawrence Halprin, Cities

Have any questions or running into issues with this feature?
Reach us at: support@stae.co