# Optional USER\_INPUTS attributes

**URL:** <https://forum.opennebula.io/t/optional-user-inputs-attributes/1997>\
**Category:** Product Support\
**Created:** [March 26, 2016, 5:09pm UTC](https://forum.opennebula.io/t/optional-user-inputs-attributes/1997 "2016-03-26T17:09:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![carletes](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/forum.opennebula.io/carletes/32/4618_2.png) [@carletes](https://forum.opennebula.io/u/carletes)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 5:09pm UTC](https://forum.opennebula.io/t/optional-user-inputs-attributes/1997/1 "2016-03-26T17:09:56Z")

</div>

When custom attributes for a VM template are defined with `USER_INPUTS`, is there a way of making them _optional_?

I’m trying to let users specify _optional_ `cloud-init` user data for my [CoreOS image](https://github.com/carletes/coreos-opennebula-image). I tried this in my VM template:

```
USER_INPUTS = [
    USER_DATA = "M|text|User data for `cloud-config`"
]
CONTEXT = [
  USER_DATA = "$USER_DATA"
]

```

If the user provides some `cloud-init` data, everything works fine. If the input field is left empty, however, Sunstone complains with a warning.

Is there a way of making that attribute non-mandatory? (I already tried replacing the `M` in `"M|text|User data for 'cloud-config'"` with an `O`, but it did not work.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cmartin](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/forum.opennebula.io/cmartin/32/4278_2.png) [@cmartin](https://forum.opennebula.io/u/cmartin)\
**Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 10:24am UTC](https://forum.opennebula.io/t/optional-user-inputs-attributes/1997/2 "2016-03-29T10:24:58Z")

</div>

The ‘M/O’ was a placeholder. I’m afraid there is no way to make the user inputs optional in 4.14.

We will however include optional user inputs in 5.0

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![carletes](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/forum.opennebula.io/carletes/32/4618_2.png) [@carletes](https://forum.opennebula.io/u/carletes)\
**Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 10:27am UTC](https://forum.opennebula.io/t/optional-user-inputs-attributes/1997/3 "2016-03-29T10:27:49Z")

</div>

> We will however include optional user inputs in 5.0

Looking forward to it — thanks, Carlos!