Managing custom entity types
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In addition to the built-in entity types, you can also create custom entity types.
Custom entity types are based on regular expressions. If a value matches a configured regular expression for the custom entity type, then it is identified as that entity type.
You can control whether each dataset or pipeline uses each custom entity type.
To display the list of entity types, in the Textual navigation bar, click Custom Entity Types.
For each custom entity type, the list includes:
Entity type name and description.
Regular expressions to identify matching values.
The number of datasets and pipelines that the entity type is active for.
To create a custom entity type, on the Custom Entity Types page, click Create Custom Entity Type.
The dataset details and pipeline details pages also contain a Create Custom Entity Type option.
After you configure the entity type:
To save the new type, but not scan dataset and pipeline files for the new type, click Save Without Scanning Files.
To both save the new type and scan for it, click Save and Scan Files.
To detect new custom entity types in a dataset or pipeline, Textual needs to run a scan. If you do not run the scan when you save the custom entity type, then:
On the dataset details page, you are prompted to run a scan.
On the pipeline details page for an uploaded file pipeline, you are prompted to run a scan.
For a cloud storage pipeline, a new scan runs when you run the pipeline.
To edit a custom entity type, on the Custom Entity Types page, click the edit icon for the entity type.
You can also edit a custom entity type from the dataset or pipeline details page.
For an existing entity type, you can change the description, the regular expressions, and the enabled datasets and pipelines.
You cannot change the entity type name, which is used to produce the identifier to use to configure the entity type handling from the SDK.
After you update the configuration:
To save the changes, but not scan dataset and pipeline files based on the updated configuration, click Save Without Scanning Files.
To both save the new type and scan based on the updated configuration, click Save and Scan Files.
To reflect the changes to custom entity types in a dataset or pipeline, Textual needs to run a scan. If you do not run the scan when you save the changes, then:
On the dataset details page, you are prompted to run a scan.
On the pipeline details page for an uploaded file pipeline, you are prompted to run a scan.
For a cloud storage pipeline, a new scan runs when you run the pipeline.
When you delete a custom entity type, it is removed from the datasets and pipelines that it was active for.
To delete a custom entity type:
On the Custom Entity Types page, click the delete icon for the entity type.
On the confirmation panel, click Delete Entity Type.
The custom entity type configuration includes:
Name and description
Regular expressions to identify matching values. From the configuration panel, you can test the expressions against text that you provide.
Datasets and pipelines to make the entity type active for. You can also enable and disable custom entity types from the dataset and pipeline details pages.
In the Name field, provide a name for the entity type. Each custom entity type name:
Must be unique.
Can only contain alphanumeric characters and spaces. Custom entity type names cannot contain punctuation or other special characters.
After you save the entity type, you cannot change the name. Textual uses the name as the basis for the identifier that you use to refer to the entity type in the SDK.
In the Description field, provide a longer description of the custom entity type.
Under Keywords, Phrases, or Regexes, provide expressions to identify matching values for the entity type.
An entry can be as simple as a single word or phrase, or you can provide a more complex regular expression to identify the values.
Textual maintains an empty row at the bottom of the list. When you type an expression into the last row, Textual adds a new empty row.
To add an entry, begin to type the value in the empty row.
To edit an entry, click the entry field, then edit the value.
To remove an entry, click its delete icon.
Under Test Entry, you can check whether Textual correctly identifies a value as the entity type based on the provided expression.
To test an expression:
From the dropdown list, select the entry to test.
In the text area, provide the text to test.
As you enter the text, Textual automatically scans the text for matches to the selected expression. The Result field displays the input text and highlights the matching values.
Under Activate custom entity, you identify the datasets and pipelines to make the entity active for. From the pipeline details or dataset details, you can also enable and disable custom entity types for that pipeline or dataset.
To make the entity active for all current and future datasets and pipelines, check Automatically activate for all current, and new pipelines and datasets.
To make the entity active for specific pipelines and datasets, set the toggle for the dataset or pipeline to the on position.
To filter the list based on the pipeline or dataset name, in the filter field, begin to type text from the name. Textual updates the list to only include matching datasets and pipelines.
To update all of the currently displayed datasets and pipelines, click Bulk action, then click Enable or Disable.
You can also enable and disable custom entity types from within a dataset or pipeline. For more information, go to .
