> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://academy.shade.inc/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://academy.shade.inc/automations-and-custom-objects/custom-objects.md). # Custom Objects Custom Objects let you model the structure of your business directly inside Shade. Instead of only storing files, you can define the things you work with - clients, projects, campaigns, players, team members - and the relationships between them. Think of it as a lightweight database, like Notion or Airtable, built natively into Shade and connected to your assets. Custom Objects are managed alongside your assets and views within a drive. Like metadata, object creation is kept intentional, so you define only the object types and fields your workflow actually needs. {% embed url="" %} ### What You Can Do With Custom Objects * Create object types to represent anything in your workflow (e.g. Clients, Projects, Campaigns, Players) * Add custom fields to each object - text, numbers, dates, single- and multi-select, checkboxes, and URLs * Link objects to your assets, and link objects to each other * Surface object data directly onto assets with lookup fields * Build filtered views based on object relationships ### Creating Your First Object To create an object type: * Open the object area within your drive and create a new object type * Give it a name (for example, **Clients**) * Add the fields you want to track on it

Field types include text, number, date, single-select, multi-select, checkbox, and URL, plus two relationship field types covered below. A common structure for an agency looks like a chain: **Client → Project → Asset** To build it, create a **Clients** object and a **Projects** object, then connect each project to a client and each asset to a project. ### Linking Objects: Relation Fields #### Relation fields A **relation field** links one object to another. For example, add a relation field to your **Projects** object that points to a **Client**. Once linked, you can move through the relationship in either direction - from a project to its client, or from a client to all of its projects. You can also link objects to assets. Once an asset is associated with a project, you can open the asset and see which project and client it belongs to, or start from the client and surface every asset created for that account.

### Filtering and Views Because assets and objects are connected, you can build filtered views from those relationships, such as: * All footage tied to a specific client * All assets assigned to a particular editor * All deliverables in a specific production stage

### Using Custom Objects With Automations Custom Objects are powerful on their own, but they become significantly more useful when paired with Automations - because Automations can *run the handoffs for you* based on the structure you’ve modeled. For example: every asset has an **Approval Status** field, and you’ve got a simple **Reviewers** custom object that stores who should get what (internal reviewers, external reviewers, finals - with emails and roles). When a cut moves to **“In review,”** an automation generates the share link and notifies the internal reviewer; when it flips to **“Approved,”** a second automation sends the finalized share link to the external reviewer. Two stages, zero admin - and the workflow is finally connected to the work. --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://academy.shade.inc/automations-and-custom-objects/custom-objects.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.