# Index template requires settings object even if its value is empty

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/index-template-requires-settings-object-even-if-its-value-is-empty/17891>\
**Category:** Elasticsearch\
**Created:** [June 3, 2014, 3:57pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/index-template-requires-settings-object-even-if-its-value-is-empty/17891 "2014-06-03T15:57:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![brian\_yoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f1d935/32.png) [@brian\_yoder](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/brian_yoder)\
**Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 3:57pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/index-template-requires-settings-object-even-if-its-value-is-empty/17891/1 "2014-06-03T15:57:30Z")

</div>

I am not sure if this is a problem or if it's OK.

Working with the ELK stack I have switched direction, and instead of  
locking down the Elasticsearch mappings I am now using its automatic  
mapping functions. And by adding the following JSON template definition to  
the /_path.to.config_/templates/automap.json file I can get numeric fields  
automatically correctly mapped even though logstash always emits their  
values as strings ("45.6" instead of 45.6). Very nice!

{  
"automap" : {  
"template" : "\*",  
_"settings" : { },_  
"mappings" : {  
"_default_" : {  
"numeric\_detection" : true,  
"properties" : {  
"message" : {"type" : "string"},  
"host" : {"type" : "string"},  
"@version" : {"type" : "string"}  
}  
}  
}  
}  
}

When I removed the _"settings":{}_ entirely, it was as if the template did  
not exist; the numeric detection was not enabled and all string values were  
seen as strings even if they contained numbers. Because all of the settings  
are being controlled within elasticsearch.yml and not the template (e.g.  
number of shards, number of replicas, and so on), eliminating the settings  
from the template is desired, even if I have to leave it in but set its  
value to the empty JSON object.

If this is the way it's supposed to work, that's OK. But I couldn't find  
anything in the documentation about it, and just wanted to get a  
verification either way.

Thanks!

Brian

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![spinscale](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/spinscale/32/25011_2.png) [@spinscale](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/spinscale)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 12:03pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/index-template-requires-settings-object-even-if-its-value-is-empty/17891/2 "2014-06-16T12:03:27Z")

</div>

Hey,

which ES version are you using? Seems to work with the latest version. You  
can also use the index template API, so you do not have to fiddle with  
local files (and copy them when adding new nodes).

PUT \_template/automap  
{  
"template": "\*",  
"mappings": {  
"_default_": {  
"numeric\_detection": true,  
"properties": {  
"message": {  
"type": "string"  
},  
"host": {  
"type": "string"  
},  
"@version": {  
"type": "string"  
}  
}  
}  
}  
}

--Alex

On Tue, Jun 3, 2014 at 5:57 PM, Brian [brian.from.fl@gmail.com](mailto:brian.from.fl@gmail.com) wrote:

> I am not sure if this is a problem or if it's OK.
> 
> Working with the ELK stack I have switched direction, and instead of  
> locking down the Elasticsearch mappings I am now using its automatic  
> mapping functions. And by adding the following JSON template definition to  
> the /_path.to.config_/templates/automap.json file I can get numeric  
> fields automatically correctly mapped even though logstash always emits  
> their values as strings ("45.6" instead of 45.6). Very nice!
> 
> {  
> "automap" : {  
> "template" : "\*",  
> _"settings" : { },_  
> "mappings" : {  
> "_default_" : {  
> "numeric\_detection" : true,  
> "properties" : {  
> "message" : {"type" : "string"},  
> "host" : {"type" : "string"},  
> "@version" : {"type" : "string"}  
> }  
> }  
> }  
> }  
> }
> 
> When I removed the _"settings":{}_ entirely, it was as if the template  
> did not exist; the numeric detection was not enabled and all string values  
> were seen as strings even if they contained numbers. Because all of the  
> settings are being controlled within elasticsearch.yml and not the template  
> (e.g. number of shards, number of replicas, and so on), eliminating the  
> settings from the template is desired, even if I have to leave it in but  
> set its value to the empty JSON object.
> 
> If this is the way it's supposed to work, that's OK. But I couldn't find  
> anything in the documentation about it, and just wanted to get a  
> verification either way.
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Brian
> 
> --  
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> "elasticsearch" group.  
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> To view this discussion on the web visit  
> [https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/elasticsearch/ff4afb8e-c3e4-4772-aa48-bd6a651c78e8%40googlegroups.com](https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/elasticsearch/ff4afb8e-c3e4-4772-aa48-bd6a651c78e8%40googlegroups.com)  
> [https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/elasticsearch/ff4afb8e-c3e4-4772-aa48-bd6a651c78e8%40googlegroups.com?utm\_medium=email&utm\_source=footer](https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/elasticsearch/ff4afb8e-c3e4-4772-aa48-bd6a651c78e8%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer)  
> .  
> For more options, visit [https://groups.google.com/d/optout](https://groups.google.com/d/optout).

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![brian\_yoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f1d935/32.png) [@brian\_yoder](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/brian_yoder)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 8:49pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/index-template-requires-settings-object-even-if-its-value-is-empty/17891/3 "2014-06-16T20:49:02Z")

</div>

Alex,

I am running ES version 1.2.1.

It seemed to work (no errors in the logs), but I did it as an on-disk  
template and not via PUT. And without the settings, it behaved as if it  
wasn't there.

The question is now moot, because I actually need the following setting:

"settings" : {  
"index.mapping.ignore\_malformed" : true,  
"index.query.default\_field" : "message"  
},

I don't have a problem fiddling with local files; Elasticsearch, the  
wrapper script, and everything else I need is stored in a single zip  
archive that our operations team can easily install. So once I install it  
on my laptop and verify that it's working, it's 100.0000% repeatable when  
installed on any QA or production server.

I also configure logstash's elasticsearch\_http as follows:

manage\_template =\> false

That way, I don't have to depend on logstash (or anything else) doing that  
for me. It's already done by the base ES install package.

Brian

On Monday, June 16, 2014 8:03:33 AM UTC-4, Alexander Reelsen wrote:

> Hey,
> 
> which ES version are you using? Seems to work with the latest version. You  
> can also use the index template API, so you do not have to fiddle with  
> local files (and copy them when adding new nodes).
> 
> PUT \_template/automap  
> {  
> "template": "\*",  
> "mappings": {  
> "_default_": {  
> "numeric\_detection": true,  
> "properties": {  
> "message": {  
> "type": "string"  
> },  
> "host": {  
> "type": "string"  
> },  
> "@version": {  
> "type": "string"  
> }  
> }  
> }  
> }  
> }
> 
> --Alex
> 
> On Tue, Jun 3, 2014 at 5:57 PM, Brian \<[brian....@gmail.com](mailto:brian....@gmail.com) \<javascript:\>\>  
> wrote:
> 
> > I am not sure if this is a problem or if it's OK.
> > 
> > Working with the ELK stack I have switched direction, and instead of  
> > locking down the Elasticsearch mappings I am now using its automatic  
> > mapping functions. And by adding the following JSON template definition to  
> > the /_path.to.config_/templates/automap.json file I can get numeric  
> > fields automatically correctly mapped even though logstash always emits  
> > their values as strings ("45.6" instead of 45.6). Very nice!
> > 
> > {  
> > "automap" : {  
> > "template" : "\*",  
> > _"settings" : { },_  
> > "mappings" : {  
> > "_default_" : {  
> > "numeric\_detection" : true,  
> > "properties" : {  
> > "message" : {"type" : "string"},  
> > "host" : {"type" : "string"},  
> > "@version" : {"type" : "string"}  
> > }  
> > }  
> > }  
> > }  
> > }
> > 
> > When I removed the _"settings":{}_ entirely, it was as if the template  
> > did not exist; the numeric detection was not enabled and all string values  
> > were seen as strings even if they contained numbers. Because all of the  
> > settings are being controlled within elasticsearch.yml and not the template  
> > (e.g. number of shards, number of replicas, and so on), eliminating the  
> > settings from the template is desired, even if I have to leave it in but  
> > set its value to the empty JSON object.
> > 
> > If this is the way it's supposed to work, that's OK. But I couldn't find  
> > anything in the documentation about it, and just wanted to get a  
> > verification either way.
> > 
> > Thanks!
> > 
> > Brian
> > 
> > --  
> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups  
> > "elasticsearch" group.  
> > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an  
> > email to [elasticsearc...@googlegroups.com](mailto:elasticsearc...@googlegroups.com) \<javascript:\>.  
> > To view this discussion on the web visit  
> > [https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/elasticsearch/ff4afb8e-c3e4-4772-aa48-bd6a651c78e8%40googlegroups.com](https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/elasticsearch/ff4afb8e-c3e4-4772-aa48-bd6a651c78e8%40googlegroups.com)  
> > [https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/elasticsearch/ff4afb8e-c3e4-4772-aa48-bd6a651c78e8%40googlegroups.com?utm\_medium=email&utm\_source=footer](https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/elasticsearch/ff4afb8e-c3e4-4772-aa48-bd6a651c78e8%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer)  
> > .  
> > For more options, visit [https://groups.google.com/d/optout](https://groups.google.com/d/optout).

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![brian\_yoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f1d935/32.png) [@brian\_yoder](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/brian_yoder)\
**Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 12:54pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/index-template-requires-settings-object-even-if-its-value-is-empty/17891/4 "2014-06-17T12:54:00Z")

</div>

By the way, I got a little ahead of myself in the previous post. In  
particular:

"settings" : {  
"index.mapping.ignore\_malformed" : true\*,\*  
_"index.query.default\_field" : "message"_  
},

Apparently, when added the setting above in red, and then removed the  
following option from my ES 1.2.1 start-up script, Kibana was no longer  
able to search on HTTP and it required message:HTTP because the \_all field  
has also been disabled:

-Des.index.query.default\_field=message

So I put the configuration option (above) back into my ES start-up script,  
and removed the index configuration option in red above (as it didn't seem  
to work). Not sure if this is a problem with my understanding (most likely)  
or a bug in ES (very unlikely). But I offer it to the experts for comment  
and correction.

But however it should be, ES rocks and I've managed to get several people  
up and running with a one-button (as it were) build, install, load, and  
test. Awesome job, [Elasticsearch.com](http://Elasticsearch.com)! You make me look good!

Brian

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 1:21am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/index-template-requires-settings-object-even-if-its-value-is-empty/17891/5 "2017-07-06T01:21:52Z")

</div>