The Generic Multifield is a Coral UI extension for AEM that provides a robust solution for complex multifield dialog
definitions. It serves as a superior alternative when the out-of-the-box
granite/ui/components/coral/foundation/form/multifield lacks the necessary flexibility or fails to provide an adequate
user experience for content authors. This component is particularly effective for dialogs requiring complex UI
elements—such as Rich Text Editors or Image properties—and supports the implementation of custom validation rules.
Furthermore, the Generic Multifield supports nesting, allowing for the management of hierarchical data
structures.
The project contains an example component implementation that demonstrates the usage of the Generic Multifield.
- Resource type: examplecomponent
- Model: ExampleComponent
| Description | Preview |
|---|---|
| Component Dialog |  |
| Multifield Item Dialog |  |
| Repository structure |  |
Add the aem-generic-multifield.all artifact to the <dependencies> section
<dependency>
<groupId>com.merkle.oss.aem</groupId>
<artifactId>aem-generic-multifield.all</artifactId>
<version>4.1.0</version>
<type>zip</type>
</dependency>
Embed the package into your all deployment module using the filevault-package-maven-plugin:
<embedded>
<groupId>com.merkle.oss.aem</groupId>
<artifactId>aem-generic-multifield.all</artifactId>
<target>/apps/{your/install/path}/install</target>
</embedded>
Example property defintion of the Generic Multifield in your component _cq_dialog.xml definition:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<jcr:root>
<!-- Within the component dialog definition -->
<!-- ... -->
<title
jcr:primaryType="nt:unstructured"
sling:resourceType="granite/ui/components/coral/foundation/form/textfield"
fieldLabel="Title"
name="./title"/>
<genericMultifield
jcr:primaryType="nt:unstructured"
sling:resourceType="merkle/generic-multifield/authoring/ui/components/multifield"
itemDialog="/your/project/path/component/item-dialog.xml"
fieldLabel="Generic Multifield"
fieldDescription="A list of generic multifield items"
itemNameProperty="itemTitle"
minElements="2"
maxElements="5"
required="{Boolean}true"
allowItemCopy="{Boolean}true"
itemStorageNode="./items"/>
<!-- ... -->
</jcr:root>| Property | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| itemDialog | Path reference to the dialog definition of a generic multifield item. | - |
| itemNameProperty | Defines the value representation of a generic multifield entry within the component dialog. Must be a reference to an item dialog property. | jcr:title |
| minElements | Defines the minimal amount of generic multifield entries. | - |
| maxElements | Defines the maximal amount of generic multifield entries. | - |
| required | If set to {Boolean}true, the main component dialog will not validate until at least one item hast been defined. |
false |
| allowItemCopy | If set to {Boolean}true, defined multifield entries may be copied to the list. |
false |
| itemStorageNode | Defines the parent node name created within the component node. Generic multifield items will be saved beneath this node. | items |
Example definition of the Generic Multifield item in your components item-dialog.xml referenced
within <genericMultifield> definition via property itemDialog:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<jcr:root xmlns:sling="http://sling.apache.org/jcr/sling/1.0"
xmlns:jcr="http://www.jcp.org/jcr/1.0"
xmlns:nt="http://www.jcp.org/jcr/nt/1.0"
jcr:primaryType="nt:unstructured"
sling:resourceType="cq/gui/components/authoring/dialog"
jcr:title="Generic Multifield Example Item">
<content
jcr:primaryType="nt:unstructured"
sling:resourceType="granite/ui/components/coral/foundation/tabs">
<items
jcr:primaryType="nt:unstructured">
<tabOne
jcr:primaryType="nt:unstructured"
sling:resourceType="granite/ui/components/coral/foundation/fixedcolumns"
jcr:title="Tab 1"
margin="{Boolean}true">
<items
jcr:primaryType="nt:unstructured">
<column
jcr:primaryType="nt:unstructured"
sling:resourceType="granite/ui/components/coral/foundation/container">
<items
jcr:primaryType="nt:unstructured">
<itemTitle
jcr:primaryType="nt:unstructured"
sling:resourceType="granite/ui/components/coral/foundation/form/textfield"
fieldLabel="Item Title"
fieldDescription="Item Title Description"
required="{Boolean}true"
name="./itemTitle"/>
<itemText
jcr:primaryType="nt:unstructured"
sling:resourceType="granite/ui/components/coral/foundation/form/textarea"
fieldLabel="Item Text"
fieldDescription="Item Text Description"
name="./itemText"/>
<itemPath
jcr:primaryType="nt:unstructured"
sling:resourceType="granite/ui/components/coral/foundation/form/pathbrowser"
fieldLabel="Item Path"
fieldDescription="Item Path Description"
name="./itemPath"/>
</items>
</column>
</items>
</tabOne>
<tabTwo
jcr:primaryType="nt:unstructured"
sling:resourceType="granite/ui/components/coral/foundation/fixedcolumns"
jcr:title="Tab 2"
margin="{Boolean}true">
<items
jcr:primaryType="nt:unstructured">
<column
jcr:primaryType="nt:unstructured"
sling:resourceType="granite/ui/components/coral/foundation/container">
<items
jcr:primaryType="nt:unstructured">
<!-- properties definition -->
</items>
</column>
</items>
</tabTwo>
<tabThree
jcr:primaryType="nt:unstructured"
sling:resourceType="granite/ui/components/coral/foundation/fixedcolumns"
jcr:title="Tab 3"
margin="{Boolean}true">
<items
jcr:primaryType="nt:unstructured">
<column
jcr:primaryType="nt:unstructured"
sling:resourceType="granite/ui/components/coral/foundation/container">
<items
jcr:primaryType="nt:unstructured">
<!-- properties definition -->
</items>
</column>
</items>
</tabThree>
</items>
</content>
</jcr:root>Build the full package
mvn clean install -PautoInstallBundle
Build and deploy the full package to a local AEM Author:
mvn clean install -PautoInstallPackage
This tool requires AEM Version 2025.9.x or higher.
- AEM as a Cloud Service (AEMaaCS): This tool is primarily designed and optimized for Cloud Service environments.
- AEM On-Premise / Adobe Managed Services: While the codebase is compatible with standard AEM On-Premise installations, please note that it has not been formally tested in these environments.