Object Columns
Complete reference for objects.csv columns with bilingual column name support. For column normalization and dual header support, see Project Columns.
Objects CSV (objects.csv / objetos.csv)
Catalogs all objects used in stories and displayed in the gallery.
Location: components/structures/objects.csv or components/structures/objetos.csv
Columns
| English | Spanish | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
object_id |
id_objeto |
Yes | Unique identifier (lowercase, hyphens, underscores) |
title |
titulo |
Yes | Object title |
description |
descripcion |
No | Long-form description (markdown supported) |
source_url |
url_fuente |
No | IIIF image info.json or manifest URL |
creator |
creador |
No | Creator or artist name |
period |
periodo |
No | Historical period |
year |
año |
No | Year created or dated (used for gallery sorting) |
medium |
medio |
No | Material or medium |
dimensions |
dimensiones |
No | Physical dimensions |
source |
fuente |
No | Location or repository (renamed from location in v0.8.0) |
credit |
credito |
No | Attribution or credit line |
thumbnail |
miniatura |
No | Path to thumbnail image |
object_type |
tipo_objeto |
No | Object classification (used for gallery filter) |
subjects |
temas |
No | Topical subjects, comma-separated (used for gallery filter) |
featured |
destacado |
No | Set to yes to feature on homepage |
Example
English:
object_id,title,description,creator,year,object_type,subjects,source,credit,featured,source_url
textile-001,Colonial Textile,A woven fragment showing complex patterns...,Unknown,1650,textile,"weaving, colonial",National Museum,Public Domain,yes,
map-lima,Map of Lima,Early colonial map showing city layout,Juan de Cuellar,1685,map,"cartography, Lima",British Library,,no,https://example.org/iiif/map/info.json
Spanish:
id_objeto,titulo,descripcion,creador,año,tipo_objeto,temas,fuente,credito,destacado,url_fuente
textil-001,Textil Colonial,Un fragmento tejido con patrones complejos...,Desconocido,1650,textil,"tejido, colonial",Museo Nacional,Dominio Público,si,
mapa-lima,Mapa de Lima,Mapa colonial temprano...,Juan de Cuellar,1685,mapa,"cartografía, Lima",Biblioteca Británica,,no,https://ejemplo.org/iiif/mapa/info.json
Field Notes
object_id / id_objeto
- Unique across all objects
- Referenced in story CSVs
- Used in URLs:
/objects/{object_id}/ - Format: lowercase, hyphens, underscores
description / descripcion
- Markdown supported
- Displayed on object pages
- Can include headings, lists, links, emphasis
source_url / url_fuente
- URL to IIIF Image API info.json or IIIF Presentation API manifest
- Use for objects from external IIIF servers
- Leave empty for self-hosted images (tiles generated automatically)
- v0.5.0+: Preferred over the legacy
iiif_manifestcolumn (which still works)
year / año
- New in v0.8.0
- Used for sorting objects in the gallery (sort by year)
- Flexible format:
1650,1685,1750 - Accepts
añoorano(without tilde) as Spanish aliases
source / fuente
- Renamed in v0.8.0 from
location - Current location or holding repository
- The old column name
location(and Spanish aliasesubicacion,locacion) still works for backward compatibility
object_type / tipo_objeto
- New in v0.8.0
- Object classification used as a facet in the gallery filter sidebar
- Examples:
map,textile,photograph,painting - Appears as a filter category when
browse_and_search: true
subjects / temas
- New in v0.8.0
- Comma-separated topical subjects used as facets in the gallery filter sidebar
- Examples:
"weaving, colonial, textiles","cartography, Lima, urban planning" - Also accepts Spanish aliases:
materias,materia
featured / destacado
- New in v0.8.0
- Set to
yesto feature this object on the homepage - Featured objects are prioritized when
show_sample_on_homepage: truein config - The number shown is controlled by
featured_count(default: 4)
credit / credito
- Displayed as badge in top-right corner of object images (if
show_object_credits: true) - Also shown in metadata table
- Use for attribution:
Public Domain,CC BY 4.0,Courtesy of National Archive
thumbnail / miniatura
- Path to a thumbnail image file
- Relative to the repository root
- If omitted, Telar generates thumbnails from the IIIF source
Column Aliases
| Normalized | Accepts |
|---|---|
object_id |
object_id, id_objeto, objeto, object, id |
title |
title, titulo |
description |
description, descripcion |
creator |
creator, creador |
period |
period, periodo |
year |
year, año, ano |
medium |
medium, medio |
dimensions |
dimensions, dimensiones |
source |
source, fuente, location, ubicacion |
credit |
credit, credito |
thumbnail |
thumbnail, miniatura |
object_type |
object_type, tipo_objeto |
subjects |
subjects, temas, materias, materia |
featured |
featured, destacado |
source_url |
source_url, url_fuente |
iiif_manifest |
iiif_manifest, manifiesto_iiif (legacy) |
Gallery Metadata Tips
For the best gallery experience with browse, search, and filter:
- Fill in
object_typefor every object — this powers the type filter - Add
subjectswith 2-4 comma-separated terms — this powers the subjects filter - Include
yearfor chronological sorting - Mark 4-6 objects as
featured: yesfor the homepage sample - Write meaningful
descriptionfields — the search indexes these for full-text search
File Organization
components/structures/
├── project.csv # Story metadata
├── objects.csv # Object catalog
├── colonial-textiles.csv # Story steps (using story_id)
├── trade-routes.csv # Another story
└── glossary.csv # Glossary terms (optional)
Migration from v0.7.x to v0.8.0
New columns (optional)
Add these to your objects.csv if you want gallery filtering and sorting:
| Column | Purpose |
|---|---|
year |
Enables sort-by-year in gallery |
object_type |
Enables type filter in sidebar |
subjects |
Enables subjects filter in sidebar |
featured |
Controls homepage object sample |
Renamed columns
| Old (v0.7.x) | New (v0.8.0) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
location |
source |
Old name still works |
No breaking changes. All v0.7.x CSVs work without modification.
Validation
Telar validates object CSV data during build:
Errors (build fails):
- Missing required columns (
object_id,title) - Duplicate
object_idvalues
Warnings (build succeeds):
- Missing optional columns
- Empty descriptions
- Unrecognized column names (ignored)
- Missing thumbnails
Check build output for validation messages.
See Also
- Project Columns — Project CSV column reference
- Story Columns — Story step CSV columns
- Objects — Defining objects and object pages
- Objects Gallery — Gallery browse, search, and filter
- Configuration Reference — Collection interface settings