Managing Shapes

This section explains what shapes are and how to view, create, edit, or delete them.

What is a Shape

Shapes are the primary vehicle for data exchange between SyncHive and external systems. They define the structure for inbound and outbound data messages.

SyncHive Default Shapes

When your new SyncHive instance is created, it comes with a set of default shapes, which can be modified to suit your needs.

Interacting with a Shape

When you click on a shape, you’ll be taken to its main view. Initially, this screen will be empty, data will appear once records have been transferred through this shape.

Among the available options, you can:

1. View shape definition
2. View and edit shape

1. View Shape Definition

A shape definition describes the structure of the message that this shape sends or receives.

You can use the shape definition to:

• Understand the precise structure of incoming or outgoing data.
• Verify that your system or integration matches the shape’s expected format.
• Copy or reference the definition when building mappings, validations, or external integrations.

The shape definition is presented in JSON format, which you can search and copy.

2. View and Edit Shapes

The View/Edit Shape screen is where you design and build shapes.

All shape modifications take place in the View / Edit Shape screen.

Here, you can:

• Navigate through the shape’s hierarchy.
• Inspect individual properties to understand how data flows through the shape.
• Make adjustments to names, fields and definitions as needed.

Creating Shapes

You can create a new shape in two ways:

1. Copy an existing shape
2. Create a new shape

1. Copy an Existing Shape

1. Navigate to the shape you want to copy, then select Copy as new shape.

2. In the screen that opens:

   • Provide the shape’s name (required): must be unique across your SyncHive instance.
   • Provide the shape’s description (required): explain what this shape is for.
   • Save.

3. The new shape appears under the same entity. It will not include any properties.

Tip: Choose a clear, descriptive name that reflects the shape’s purpose, for example, CustomerProfile or InvoiceLine. Use a consistent naming style (like PascalCase) without spaces or special characters.

The new shape appears under the same entity. It will inherit the components from the original shape and you can modify it from there.

Editing Shapes

Editing shapes involves:

1. Adding properties

2. Editing properties

3. Renaming fragments

1. Adding Properties

You can add properties to a shape using the property picker available in the shape schema viewer.

1. Click Pick properties to open the property selection panel.

2. You’ll see all properties available within the entity.

3. Select the properties you want to include, then confirm your selection.

Tip: If you don’t see a property you expect, check that it’s defined in the entity, shapes can only display properties that already exist at the entity level. Details here.

2. Editing Properties

You can edit a property to update its display name, example value, or description. To make changes:

1. Click the property in the schema viewer to open its details,

2. In the pop-up update the fields as needed,

3. Click Save to apply your changes.

3. Renaming Fragments

In the shape schema viewer, fragments can appear either as prefixes before property names or as headers above groups of properties.

To rename a fragment:

1. Click its prefix or header,
2. A pop-up will appear where you can enter a new name,
3. Save your changes.

When you rename a fragment, all related property names in the shape are automatically updated to reflect the change.

After editing, remember that all changes (including renamed fragments) must be saved before leaving the shape viewer screen.