---
schema_version: "1"
id: c36784d1e0f6d9bf39a29e928fd8e1d5e966d06fe57f78d9eabfbef370caa957
title: Metadata
collection: legacydeveloper
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/legacydeveloper/current/en-us/api_meta/metadata.md
canonical_url: https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.api_meta.meta/api_meta/metadata.htm
source_site: developer.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 4465a4b9f0f80b23789186302e07fbe8b08f6e4133c5dea0902165519b70bc2b
description: The base class for all metadata types. You can’t edit this object. A component is an instance of a metadata type.
---
# Metadata

The base class for all metadata types. You can’t edit this object. A component is an instance of a metadata type.

Metadata is analogous to sObject , which represents all standard objects. Metadata represents all components and fields in the Metadata API. Instead of identifying each component with an ID, each custom object or custom field has a unique fullName, which must be distinct from standard object names, as it must be when you create custom objects or custom fields in the Salesforce user interface.

## Version

Metadata components are available in API version 10.0 and later.

## Fields

<table class="featureTable sort_table" summary="">



          <thead class="thead sorted" align="left">
            <tr>
              <th class="featureTableHeader  " id="d1040952e75">Field Name</th>

              <th class="featureTableHeader  " id="d1040952e78">Field Type</th>

              <th class="featureTableHeader  " id="d1040952e81">Description</th>

            </tr>

          </thead>

          <tbody class="tbody">
            <tr>
              <td class="entry" headers="d1040952e75" data-title="Field Name"><span class="keyword parmname" id="meta_fullname"><a name="meta_fullname"><!-- --></a>fullName</span></td>

              <td class="entry" headers="d1040952e78" data-title="Field Type">string</td>

              <td class="entry" headers="d1040952e81" data-title="Description">Required. The name of the component. For components with parent objects, such
                as fields and list views, the name must specify the name of the parent, for example
                <samp class="codeph nolang">Account.FirstName</samp>. The __c suffix must be
                appended to custom object names and custom field names when you’re setting the
                <span class="keyword parmname">fullName</span>. For example, a custom field in a custom object
                could have a <span class="keyword parmname">fullName</span> of <samp class="codeph nolang">MyCustomObject__c.MyCustomField__c</samp>.<p class="p">To reference a component in a
                  package, prepend the package’s namespace prefix to the component name in the
                  <span class="keyword parmname">fullName</span> field. Use the following syntax: <samp class="codeph nolang"><var class="keyword varname">namespacePrefix</var>__<var class="keyword varname">ComponentName</var></samp>.
                  For example, for the custom field component <samp class="codeph nolang">MyCustomObject__c.MyCustomField__c</samp> and the namespace <samp class="codeph nolang">MyNS</samp>, the full name is <samp class="codeph nolang">MyNS__MyCustomObject__c.MyCustomField__c</samp>.
                </p>
                <p class="p">A namespace prefix
                  is a 1-character to 15-character alphanumeric identifier that distinguishes your
                  package and its contents from other publishers’ packages. For more information,
                  see Create and Register Your Namespace for Second-Generation Managed
                  Packages.</p>
              </td>

            </tr>

          </tbody>

        </table>

## Wildcard Support in the Manifest File

This metadata type doesn’t support the wildcard character \* (asterisk) in the package.xml manifest file. For information about using the manifest file, see [Deploying and Retrieving Metadata with the Zip File](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.264.0.api_meta.meta/api_meta/file_based_zip_file.htm).

#### See Also

- [CustomObject](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.api_meta.meta/api_meta/customobject.htm "Represents a custom object that stores data unique to your org or an external object that maps to data stored outside your org.")
- [CustomField](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.api_meta.meta/api_meta/customfield.htm "Represents the metadata associated with a field. Use this metadata type to create, update, or delete custom field definitions on standard, custom, and external objects or standard field definitions on standard objects.")
- [MetadataWithContent](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.api_meta.meta/api_meta/meta_metadatawithcontent.htm "MetadataWithContent is the base type for all metadata types that contain content, such as documents or email templates. It extends Metadata. You can’t edit this object.")