Set the data type or category of a custom attribute

Set the data type or category of a custom attribute being passed to the runtime security services. Setting the data type or category ensures the runtime security services use the data accurately when evaluating the policy.

The default data type of an attribute is string. The default category of an attribute is Environment. Use the following procedure to change the type and the category.

Steps

1. Open the WebSEAL configuration file.

2. Optional: Create one or more entries in the [azn-decision-info] stanza for custom attributes, if they do not already exist.

3. Set the data type or category of a custom attribute by using the [user-attribute-definitions] stanza and entry. Add the stanza if it does not already exist.

   data type

   Define the data type using the following syntax:

   [user-attribute-definitions]
   attr_ID.datatype = data_type

   category

   Define the category using the following syntax:

   [user-attribute-definitions]
   attr_ID.category = category_name

   The value we use for attr_ID must match the attribute identifier we defined in the [azn-decision-info] stanza.

   See [user-attribute-definitions] stanza for the list of values we can use for data type and category.

4. Save the file.
5. Restart the WebSEAL server for the changes to take effect.

Parent topic: Custom attributes for the authorization service

Related reference

• [user-attribute-definitions] stanza
• [azn-decision-info] stanza