Extending iTop's WebApplication Object with Custom Fields

Chris
How to
December 24, 2025

Table of Contents

SKILL LEVEL: Advanced.

Extending iTop’s WebApplication Object with Custom Fields

iTop is a powerful open-source IT Service Management (ITSM) tool, but sometimes the default object properties don’t capture all the information you need. In this guide, we’ll create a custom extension to add new fields to the WebApplication object, perfect for tracking SaaS subscriptions, costs, and ownership.

What We’re Building

We’ll add the following fields to the WebApplication object:

Field	Type	Purpose
Payment Method	String	How the service is paid
1Password Vault	String	Credential storage location
Action to Take	Dropdown	keep, cancel, unsure, downgrade
Plan Type	Dropdown	monthly, annual, by use
Renewal Date	Date	Next renewal/expiration
Annual Cost	Decimal	Expected yearly cost
Year to Date Cost	Decimal	Spent this year
Accounting Tag	String	Expense tracking tag
Accounting Category	Dropdown	General, Programmatic, Fundraising, Other
Purpose	Text	What the app is used for
Technical Notes	Text	Additional documentation
Technical Owner	Link to Person	Responsible person
Privacy Policy URL	URL	Vendor privacy policy
Terms of Service URL	URL	Vendor ToS

Extension Structure

Create a folder called webapp-extended-attributes with the following files:

webapp-extended-attributes/
├── module.webapp-extended-attributes.php
├── datamodel.webapp-extended-attributes.xml
├── en.dict.webapp-extended-attributes.php
└── extension.xml

Extension Files

module.webapp-extended-attributes.php

<?php
/**
 * Module definition for WebApplication Extended Attributes
 */

SetupWebPage::AddModule(
    __FILE__,
    'webapp-extended-attributes/1.0.0',
    array(
        'label' => 'WebApplication Extended Attributes',
        'category' => 'business',
        'dependencies' => array(
            'itop-config-mgmt/2.0.0',
        ),
        'mandatory' => false,
        'visible' => true,
        'auto_select' => 'SetupInfo::ModuleIsSelected("itop-config-mgmt")',
        'datamodel' => array(
            'datamodel.webapp-extended-attributes.xml',
        ),
        'data.struct' => array(),
        'data.sample' => array(),
        'dictionary' => array(
            'en.dict.webapp-extended-attributes.php',
        ),
        'webservice' => array(),
        'doc.manual_setup' => '',
        'doc.more_information' => '',
    )
);

datamodel.webapp-extended-attributes.xml

Note: Do not include the <?xml version="1.0"?> declaration at the top of this file. Some PHP configurations have short_open_tag enabled, which causes PHP to misinterpret <?xml as a PHP opening tag.

<itop_design xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" version="3.0">
  <classes>
    <class id="WebApplication" _delta="must_exist">
      <fields>
        <!-- Payment & Subscription -->
        <field id="payment_method" xsi:type="AttributeString" _delta="define">
          <sql>payment_method</sql>
          <default_value></default_value>
          <is_null_allowed>true</is_null_allowed>
        </field>

        <field id="onepassword_vault" xsi:type="AttributeString" _delta="define">
          <sql>onepassword_vault</sql>
          <default_value></default_value>
          <is_null_allowed>true</is_null_allowed>
        </field>

        <field id="action_to_take" xsi:type="AttributeEnum" _delta="define">
          <sql>action_to_take</sql>
          <values>
            <value id="keep">
              <code>keep</code>
            </value>
            <value id="cancel">
              <code>cancel</code>
            </value>
            <value id="unsure">
              <code>unsure</code>
            </value>
            <value id="downgrade">
              <code>downgrade</code>
            </value>
          </values>
          <default_value>unsure</default_value>
          <is_null_allowed>true</is_null_allowed>
        </field>

        <field id="plan_type" xsi:type="AttributeEnum" _delta="define">
          <sql>plan_type</sql>
          <values>
            <value id="monthly">
              <code>monthly</code>
            </value>
            <value id="annual">
              <code>annual</code>
            </value>
            <value id="by_use">
              <code>by_use</code>
            </value>
          </values>
          <default_value>monthly</default_value>
          <is_null_allowed>true</is_null_allowed>
        </field>

        <field id="renewal_date" xsi:type="AttributeDate" _delta="define">
          <sql>renewal_date</sql>
          <default_value></default_value>
          <is_null_allowed>true</is_null_allowed>
        </field>

        <!-- Cost Information -->
        <field id="annual_cost" xsi:type="AttributeDecimal" _delta="define">
          <sql>annual_cost</sql>
          <default_value></default_value>
          <is_null_allowed>true</is_null_allowed>
          <digits>12</digits>
          <decimals>2</decimals>
        </field>

        <field id="year_to_date_cost" xsi:type="AttributeDecimal" _delta="define">
          <sql>year_to_date_cost</sql>
          <default_value></default_value>
          <is_null_allowed>true</is_null_allowed>
          <digits>12</digits>
          <decimals>2</decimals>
        </field>

        <!-- Accounting -->
        <field id="accounting_tag" xsi:type="AttributeString" _delta="define">
          <sql>accounting_tag</sql>
          <default_value></default_value>
          <is_null_allowed>true</is_null_allowed>
        </field>

        <field id="accounting_category" xsi:type="AttributeEnum" _delta="define">
          <sql>accounting_category</sql>
          <values>
            <value id="general">
              <code>general</code>
            </value>
            <value id="programmatic">
              <code>programmatic</code>
            </value>
            <value id="fundraising">
              <code>fundraising</code>
            </value>
            <value id="other">
              <code>other</code>
            </value>
          </values>
          <default_value>general</default_value>
          <is_null_allowed>true</is_null_allowed>
        </field>

        <!-- Documentation & Purpose -->
        <field id="purpose" xsi:type="AttributeText" _delta="define">
          <sql>purpose</sql>
          <default_value></default_value>
          <is_null_allowed>true</is_null_allowed>
        </field>

        <field id="technical_notes" xsi:type="AttributeText" _delta="define">
          <sql>technical_notes</sql>
          <default_value></default_value>
          <is_null_allowed>true</is_null_allowed>
        </field>

        <!-- Legal URLs -->
        <field id="privacy_policy_url" xsi:type="AttributeURL" _delta="define">
          <sql>privacy_policy_url</sql>
          <default_value></default_value>
          <is_null_allowed>true</is_null_allowed>
          <target>_blank</target>
        </field>

        <field id="tos_url" xsi:type="AttributeURL" _delta="define">
          <sql>tos_url</sql>
          <default_value></default_value>
          <is_null_allowed>true</is_null_allowed>
          <target>_blank</target>
        </field>

        <!-- Technical Owner (link to Person) -->
        <field id="technical_owner_id" xsi:type="AttributeExternalKey" _delta="define">
          <sql>technical_owner_id</sql>
          <target_class>Person</target_class>
          <is_null_allowed>true</is_null_allowed>
          <on_target_delete>DEL_MANUAL</on_target_delete>
          <filter><![CDATA[SELECT Person]]></filter>
        </field>

        <field id="technical_owner_name" xsi:type="AttributeExternalField" _delta="define">
          <extkey_attcode>technical_owner_id</extkey_attcode>
          <target_attcode>friendlyname</target_attcode>
        </field>
      </fields>

      <presentation>
        <details>
          <items>
            <!-- Subscription & Payment fieldset -->
            <item id="fieldset:WebApplication:subscription" _delta="define">
              <rank>30</rank>
              <items>
                <item id="payment_method">
                  <rank>10</rank>
                </item>
                <item id="onepassword_vault">
                  <rank>20</rank>
                </item>
                <item id="action_to_take">
                  <rank>30</rank>
                </item>
                <item id="plan_type">
                  <rank>40</rank>
                </item>
                <item id="renewal_date">
                  <rank>50</rank>
                </item>
              </items>
            </item>

            <!-- Cost fieldset -->
            <item id="fieldset:WebApplication:costs" _delta="define">
              <rank>40</rank>
              <items>
                <item id="annual_cost">
                  <rank>10</rank>
                </item>
                <item id="year_to_date_cost">
                  <rank>20</rank>
                </item>
                <item id="accounting_tag">
                  <rank>30</rank>
                </item>
                <item id="accounting_category">
                  <rank>40</rank>
                </item>
              </items>
            </item>

            <!-- Documentation fieldset -->
            <item id="fieldset:WebApplication:documentation" _delta="define">
              <rank>50</rank>
              <items>
                <item id="purpose">
                  <rank>10</rank>
                </item>
                <item id="technical_notes">
                  <rank>20</rank>
                </item>
                <item id="technical_owner_id">
                  <rank>30</rank>
                </item>
                <item id="privacy_policy_url">
                  <rank>40</rank>
                </item>
                <item id="tos_url">
                  <rank>50</rank>
                </item>
              </items>
            </item>
          </items>
        </details>

        <search>
          <items>
            <item id="action_to_take" _delta="define">
              <rank>110</rank>
            </item>
            <item id="accounting_category" _delta="define">
              <rank>120</rank>
            </item>
            <item id="plan_type" _delta="define">
              <rank>130</rank>
            </item>
            <item id="technical_owner_id" _delta="define">
              <rank>140</rank>
            </item>
            <item id="renewal_date" _delta="define">
              <rank>150</rank>
            </item>
          </items>
        </search>

        <list>
          <items>
            <item id="action_to_take" _delta="define">
              <rank>110</rank>
            </item>
            <item id="renewal_date" _delta="define">
              <rank>120</rank>
            </item>
            <item id="annual_cost" _delta="define">
              <rank>130</rank>
            </item>
          </items>
        </list>
      </presentation>
    </class>
  </classes>
</itop_design>

en.dict.webapp-extended-attributes.php

<?php
/**
 * English dictionary for WebApplication Extended Attributes
 */

// Fieldset labels
Dict::Add('EN US', 'English', 'English', array(
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:fieldset:subscription' => 'Subscription & Payment',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:fieldset:costs' => 'Cost Information',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:fieldset:documentation' => 'Documentation & Ownership',
));

// Field labels
Dict::Add('EN US', 'English', 'English', array(
    // Subscription & Payment
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:payment_method' => 'Payment Method',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:payment_method+' => 'How this service is paid for (e.g., credit card, invoice)',

    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:onepassword_vault' => '1Password Vault',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:onepassword_vault+' => 'Name of the 1Password vault containing credentials',

    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:action_to_take' => 'Action to Take',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:action_to_take+' => 'Planned action for this subscription',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:action_to_take/Value:keep' => 'Keep',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:action_to_take/Value:keep+' => 'Continue the subscription',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:action_to_take/Value:cancel' => 'Cancel',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:action_to_take/Value:cancel+' => 'Cancel the subscription',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:action_to_take/Value:unsure' => 'Unsure',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:action_to_take/Value:unsure+' => 'Decision pending',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:action_to_take/Value:downgrade' => 'Downgrade',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:action_to_take/Value:downgrade+' => 'Downgrade to a lower tier',

    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:plan_type' => 'Plan Type',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:plan_type+' => 'Billing cycle for this service',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:plan_type/Value:monthly' => 'Monthly',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:plan_type/Value:monthly+' => 'Billed monthly',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:plan_type/Value:annual' => 'Annual',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:plan_type/Value:annual+' => 'Billed annually',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:plan_type/Value:by_use' => 'By Use',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:plan_type/Value:by_use+' => 'Billed based on usage',

    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:renewal_date' => 'Renewal Date',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:renewal_date+' => 'Next renewal or expiration date',

    // Cost Information
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:annual_cost' => 'Annual Cost',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:annual_cost+' => 'Expected annual cost for this service',

    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:year_to_date_cost' => 'Year to Date Cost',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:year_to_date_cost+' => 'Amount spent this year so far',

    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:accounting_tag' => 'Accounting Tag',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:accounting_tag+' => 'Tag used for accounting/expense tracking',

    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:accounting_category' => 'Accounting Category',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:accounting_category+' => 'Category for financial reporting',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:accounting_category/Value:general' => 'General',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:accounting_category/Value:general+' => 'General operating expense',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:accounting_category/Value:programmatic' => 'Programmatic',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:accounting_category/Value:programmatic+' => 'Program-related expense',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:accounting_category/Value:fundraising' => 'Fundraising',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:accounting_category/Value:fundraising+' => 'Fundraising expense',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:accounting_category/Value:other' => 'Other',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:accounting_category/Value:other+' => 'Other category',

    // Documentation & Ownership
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:purpose' => 'Purpose',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:purpose+' => 'What this application is used for',

    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:technical_notes' => 'Technical Notes',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:technical_notes+' => 'Additional technical information or notes',

    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:technical_owner_id' => 'Technical Owner',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:technical_owner_id+' => 'Person responsible for technical oversight',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:technical_owner_name' => 'Technical Owner Name',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:technical_owner_name+' => 'Name of the technical owner',

    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:privacy_policy_url' => 'Privacy Policy URL',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:privacy_policy_url+' => 'Link to the vendor\'s privacy policy',

    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:tos_url' => 'Terms of Service URL',
    'Class:WebApplication/Attribute:tos_url+' => 'Link to the vendor\'s terms of service',
));

extension.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<extension format="1.0">
    <extension_code><![CDATA[webapp-extended-attributes]]></extension_code>
    <company><![CDATA[]]></company>
    <author><![CDATA[Custom Extension]]></author>
    <label><![CDATA[WebApplication Extended Attributes]]></label>
    <description><![CDATA[Adds additional properties to WebApplication objects including payment information, cost tracking, accounting categories, ownership, and legal documentation links.]]></description>
    <version><![CDATA[1.0.0]]></version>
    <release_date><![CDATA[2024-12-23]]></release_date>
    <itop_version_min><![CDATA[3.0.0]]></itop_version_min>
    <status>stable</status>
    <mandatory>false</mandatory>
    <more_info_url><![CDATA[]]></more_info_url>
</extension>

Installation

Copy the webapp-extended-attributes folder to your iTop extensions/ directory
Run the setup wizard at https://your-itop/setup/
Select “WebApplication Extended Attributes” in the extensions list
Complete the setup wizard

Your WebApplication objects will now display three new fieldsets: Subscription & Payment, Cost Information, and Documentation & Ownership.

Bonus: Syncing Production to Development

If you maintain separate production and development iTop instances, you can use this script to sync your production database to development. This is useful for testing with real data.

sync-prod-to-dev.sh

#!/bin/bash
# Sync iTop production database to development
# Runs unattended for cron scheduling

set -e

DB_PASSWORD='your-database-password'
BACKUP_DIR="/tmp"
TIMESTAMP=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)

echo "=== iTop Production to Dev Sync - $TIMESTAMP ==="

# Step 1: Backup dev (safety net)
echo "[$(date)] Backing up dev database..."
docker exec itop-dev-db mariadb-dump -u root -p"$DB_PASSWORD" itop > "$BACKUP_DIR/dev_backup_$TIMESTAMP.sql"

# Step 2: Export production
echo "[$(date)] Exporting production database..."
docker exec itop-db mariadb-dump -u root -p"$DB_PASSWORD" itop > "$BACKUP_DIR/prod_export.sql"

# Step 3: Stop dev iTop
echo "[$(date)] Stopping dev iTop..."
docker stop itop-dev

# Step 4: Import to dev
echo "[$(date)] Importing to dev database..."
cat "$BACKUP_DIR/prod_export.sql" | docker exec -i itop-dev-db mariadb -u root -p"$DB_PASSWORD" itop

# Step 5: Start dev and clear cache only (don't touch env-production)
echo "[$(date)] Starting dev iTop and clearing cache..."
docker start itop-dev
sleep 10

docker exec itop-dev rm -rf /var/www/html/data/cache-*

# Step 6: Cleanup temp export file (keep backups)
rm -f "$BACKUP_DIR/prod_export.sql"

# Step 7: Cleanup old backups (keep last 7 days)
find "$BACKUP_DIR" -name "dev_backup_*.sql" -mtime +7 -delete 2>/dev/null || true

echo "[$(date)] === Sync complete ==="
echo "Dev backup saved to: $BACKUP_DIR/dev_backup_$TIMESTAMP.sql"

Setting Up Automated Sync

Make the script executable:

chmod +x sync-prod-to-dev.sh

Add a cron job for nightly sync at 2 AM:

crontab -e

Add this line:

0 2 * * * /path/to/sync-prod-to-dev.sh >> /var/log/itop-sync.log 2>&1

Prerequisites:

Both instances must have the same iTop version
Both instances must have the same extensions installed
Adjust container names (itop, itop-db, itop-dev, itop-dev-db) to match your environment