Property definition row action extension for Document Type editor

[mattbrailsford]

Summary

Introduce a new backoffice extension type that allows packages to register row actions for property definitions in the Document Type editor.

This enables extensions to attach metadata and tooling to schema elements (Document Types + their property definitions) in a safe, design-time way, similar in spirit to existing propertyActions in the Content editor.

Motivation / Problem

Umbraco currently supports propertyAction extensions that operate on property values when editing content.
However, there is no equivalent extension point for operating on property definitions while editing a Document Type.

This limits the ability for packages to:

• Attach custom metadata to property definitions
• Enforce or assist with schema conventions
• Configure property-specific tooling that should be defined at design time
• Provide structured configuration that later affects the Content editing experience

Packages are forced to either:

• build entirely custom Document Type UIs, or
• rely on brittle alias-based heuristics without a supported extension surface.

Proposal

Add a new manifest extension type:

type: "propertyDefinitionAction"

This extension type contributes row actions to the property list in the Document Type editor.

Each action operates on a single property definition and is invoked from the property row context menu (kebab menu).

Scope

In scope

• New extension type propertyDefinitionAction
• Rendered as a row action in the Document Type editor property list
• Action receives the current Document Type and Property Definition context
• Actions are ordered using existing weight semantics
• No persistence logic owned by the extension system

Out of scope

• Schema persistence APIs beyond invoking the action
• Content editor UI changes
• Automatic cleanup of extension data (handled by packages server-side)

Manifest example

{
  "type": "propertyDefinitionAction",
  "alias": "Acme.ConfigureAiPrompt",
  "name": "Configure AI prompt",
  "weight": 100,
  "meta": {
    "label": "AI prompt",
    "icon": "icon-robot"
  },
  "api": () => import("./configure-ai-prompt.action.js")
}

Action contract

Actions are invoked with a minimal, design-time focused argument object:

export interface UmbPropertyDefinitionActionArgs {
  contentType: {
    key: string;     // stable identifier
    name: string;    // display
    alias: string;   // display (can change during edit)
    isElement?: boolean;
  };
  property: {
    key: string;        // property definition key (stable)
    name: string;       // label
    alias: string;      // can change during edit
    dataTypeKey: string;
    containerKey?: string;
    variesByCulture?: boolean;
    variesBySegment?: boolean;
  };
}

Notes:

• Keys are the primary identifiers and should be used for persistence.
• Alias/name are provided for display only and may change before save.
• No host mutation API is required for the initial implementation.

UI behavior

• All registered propertyDefinitionAction extensions are resolved when rendering the Document Type editor
• Actions appear in the property row context menu
• Visibility and enablement can be handled internally by the action module if needed
• Actions are invoked with the current context at click time

Deletion & lifecycle

This feature does not manage persistence.
Packages can handle cleanup using existing server-side notifications:

• On Document Type delete → remove related metadata
• On Document Type save → detect removed property definition keys and clean up

Benefits

• Enables a new class of schema-aware extensions
• Keeps the core change small and composable
• Avoids alias-based fragility by relying on property definition keys
• Fits naturally into Umbraco’s existing extension system