Nameonly

Nameonly is a concept used in software and data contexts to describe a mode or approach where only the name component of an entity is returned, displayed, or processed, with other attributes such as identifiers, descriptions, or metadata omitted. The term is not standardized and tends to appear as informal documentation or configuration shorthand across different systems. It is typically invoked to produce minimal, label-focused output.

In practice, nameOnly can appear as a boolean option or flag in APIs, command-line tools, and serialization schemas. When enabled, responses or renderings include only the name field of an item—such as the name of a user, product, or category—rather than the full object with multiple fields. This can apply to data exports, UI lists, or search results where a compact representation is desirable.

Common examples include APIs that offer a nameOnly mode to return lightweight representations, or user interfaces that populate dropdowns with item names while deferring detailed data to separate requests. In export or indexing workflows, a nameOnly configuration may produce a single-column list of names or index only the display label for faster processing and reduced payload size.

Implications and limitations: while nameOnly can reduce data transfer and simplify results, it may obscure necessary context and disambiguation. If multiple items share identical names, additional identifiers or metadata may be required elsewhere in the system.

See also: name field, display name, label, identifier, slug.