Configure repeated and nested objects

Use this quickstart when one application must collect several instances of the same structure and that structure should reuse another object. The example creates repeatable Property details entries and nests the existing Address Object Library definition inside each entry.

For

Product administrators designing repeated, structured application data.

Requires

Object-definition and product-version permissions; Enable product versions; an existing lending product; and a reusable **Address** definition in the Object Library.

Available when

Administration shows Object Library and the product's Product Versions section.

Before you begin

Complete [Configure collected data](lending-data.md), agree the object and field keys, decide the permitted number of properties, and inspect every dependency of the existing Address object.

Expected result

A new application requires between one and three property entries, with a separate nested address and a readable summary for each property.

Quickstart point	This run
Estimated time	About 40 minutes, excluding approval of the data model and product-version activation.
Starting state	The lending product has an active, locked definition, and Address is available as a reusable Object Library definition.
Finish state	Property details is a reusable Many Objects definition with a nested Address field, and a new active product version enforces its entry limits in new applications.

Activating a product version changes the definition used for applications created afterwards. Existing applications and loans keep the definition with which they were created. Perform the activation in a controlled tenant or through the organisation's approved product-change process.

Understand the two layers

Many Objects controls how often the outer structure can occur. An Object field reuses another configured structure inside it.

Layer	Configuration in this example	Result in the application
Outer Object Library definition	Property details, key property, control type Many Objects, minimum 1, maximum 3	The user can enter between one and three properties.
Nested field	Address, key address, field type Object, referencing the existing Address definition	Every property entry contains its own address values using the shared address structure.

Referencing Address does not make different properties share the same saved address. It reuses the field definition and validation; each property entry stores its own values. It also avoids creating another set of street, town, postcode, and country fields with competing keys.

Use a product-local object instead when the complete structure is meaningful to only one product and will not be referenced elsewhere. This example belongs in the Object Library because the same collateral structure can be attached to several secured-lending products.

Workflow

Build the structure

Object LibraryAddress inspected

Reference it→

Many ObjectsProperty details

Set limits→

Reusable definitionOne to three entries

Apply and verify

Product versionCopy active

Attach and activate→

New applicationAdd properties

Save and reopen→

Observable resultEntries and addresses retained

Inspect the nested definition

1. Open Administration → Object Library → Address.
2. Record its stable key, control type, summary template, field order, mandatory fields, and translations.
3. Confirm that its existing meaning and validation suit a collateral-property address. Do not change the shared definition merely to make this example fit.
4. Check queries, decisions, templates, integrations, and other product versions that refer to Address before approving any change to it.

If Address is absent, stop here. Create one reusable Address definition with the organisation's approved fields and keys, test it separately, then return to this procedure. If the existing Address definition has a different business meaning, create an appropriately named reusable object instead of reusing it by name alone.

Create the repeated property object

Open Object Library in Finsaku ↗

1. Open Administration → Object Library, open its more-actions menu, and select Add Object.
2. Enter Property details as the Name and property as the stable Key.
3. Set Object Type to Custom and Control Type to Many Objects.
4. Enter 1 for Minimum elements and 3 for Maximum elements. The minimum makes one property necessary; the maximum prevents an application from collecting more than the product supports.
5. Enter {{propertyReference}} as the Summary Template and select a property-related Icon. A summary gives each repeated entry a compact label after its values are entered.
6. Add the following fields. Use the Move handles to retain this order, then set Number of Columns to 2.

Field	Key	Type and settings
Property reference	propertyReference	String; Used and Mandatory. Use the organisation's value pattern if references follow a controlled format.
Estimated value	estimatedValue	Money; Used and Mandatory.
Construction year	constructionYear	Integer with the approved minimum and maximum; Used and Mandatory.
Address	address	Object; choose Address in the Object selector; Used and Mandatory.

1. Select Add on the object page.
2. Reopen Property details and confirm Many Objects, the minimum and maximum, summary, field order, nested Address reference, and translations.

The nested field's key is the path segment used by downstream configuration. For example, a template or integration can address values beneath property.address. Confirm the real path in Preview Data before using it; do not infer every nested property name from its displayed caption.

Attach it to a product version

1. Open Administration → Products and select the secured-lending product.
2. In Product Versions, open the Active version and select Copy.
3. Give the replacement an approved version name and complete the copy. Confirm that its status is New.
4. Select Add Object, then choose Property details from the existing definitions. Do not select Custom, which would create an unrelated product-local object.
5. Use Up and Down to place the section where applicants should encounter it. Check the neighbouring sections rather than relying only on its numerical position.
6. Select Save, reopen the New version, and review the complete definition.
7. After approval, select Activate and confirm the activation. The replacement becomes Active and locked.

Attaching the reusable object fixes its current definition into this product version. A later Object Library edit does not silently rewrite this locked version. Prepare and approve another product version when the repeated or nested structure changes.

Verify repetition and nesting

1. Open Workspace → New Application and select the configured product. Use a new application because an application started before activation retains its earlier version.
2. Confirm that Property details is in the intended section order and that the application requires at least one property before it can be completed.
3. Complete the first property's reference, value, construction year, and nested Address fields. Confirm that its summary resolves to the property reference.
4. Add a second and third property with distinct controlled values. Confirm that each entry retains its own nested address.
5. At three entries, confirm that another property cannot be added. Remove entries and confirm that the application cannot be completed with fewer than one.
6. Check the two-column layout on a wide screen and the stacked layout on a narrow screen. Pay particular attention to the nested address because its own field layout appears inside the repeated entry.
7. Complete the remaining required application details and save only when creating the controlled record is approved.
8. Reopen the application. Confirm that every property summary, property value, and nested address is retained under the intended entry.
9. If the test is authorised to continue through lending, follow Process a first application, then open the loan and confirm that the repeated property data remains available.

Stop and do not activate for live use if the minimum prevents a legitimate application, the maximum permits more properties than downstream rules support, a nested address field has the wrong meaning, summaries cannot distinguish entries, or a template, decision, query, or integration cannot process repeated paths.

Troubleshooting

What you see	Check
Property details is absent from Add Object	Confirm that the Object Library definition was added, its type is Custom, and the current user can read it; then refresh the product version.
Address is absent from the field's Object selector	Only eligible custom Object Library definitions are listed. Confirm that Address exists in the same tenant and that the current user can read it.
The application permits the wrong number of entries	Reopen the definition attached to the active product version and check Control Type, Minimum elements, and Maximum elements. A later library edit does not change an already locked version.
Nested fields or validation are unexpected	Inspect the referenced Address definition and confirm that the field points to the intended object ID, not a similarly named duplicate. Test the current active product version in a new application.
Repeated data is missing from a document or integration	Inspect Preview Data with at least two saved property entries and configure the consumer to iterate the repeated path. A single-object expression does not automatically handle a collection.

See Objects and fields for all object controls and field types. Continue with Set up documents and communications when templates must render the repeated property collection.