Ever caught yourself typing the same complex JSON or permission rule over and over? Directus has a feature that can save you a ton of time and reduce mistakes: the Copy/Paste raw value buttons. Here’s how I’ve been using them.
Where to Find It
Next to most fields, you’ll see a small downward arrow icon; click on that and a dropdown will appear:
- Copy raw value
- Paste raw value
They look simple, but for anyone working with complex configurations, they’re incredibly powerful.
Example: Permissions
Imagine you’re building an employee management system where users should only update or delete documents they uploaded. Instead of recreating the same rule multiple times:
Step 1: Create your Read permission rule:
{
"_and": [
{
"absences": {
"absence_id": {
"submitted_by": {
"_eq": "$CURRENT_USER"
}
}
}
}
]
}
Step 2: Copy the raw value.
Step 3: Go to Update/Delete permissions and paste the raw value.
And that’s it — consistent permissions in seconds.
Other Great Uses
- Template fields
Copy template structures between similar fields:
{{first_name}} {{last_name}} {{role.name}}
When to Use This
- Permission rules across multiple actions
- Similar field configurations in different collections
- Complex validation rules
- Interface option setups
- Default value patterns
- Translation objects
- Conditional logic rules
This small feature has saved me countless hours of re-typing and prevented more mistakes than I can count. If you haven’t tried it yet, give it a shot the next time you’re working with complex permissions in Directus.
What about you? Have you found creative ways to use the copy/paste raw value feature? Share your tips, I’d love to learn more!