# PropertyMask

- [JSON representation](https://docs.cloud.google.com/datastore/docs/reference/data/rest/v1/PropertyMask#SCHEMA_REPRESENTATION)

The set of arbitrarily nested property paths used to restrict an operation to only a subset of properties in an entity.

| JSON representation |
|---|
| ``` { "paths": [ string ] } ``` |

| Fields ||
|---|---|
| `paths[]` | `string` The paths to the properties covered by this mask. A path is a list of property names separated by dots (`.`), for example `foo.bar` means the property `bar` inside the entity property `foo` inside the entity associated with this path. If a property name contains a dot `.` or a backslash `\`, then that name must be escaped. A path must not be empty, and may not reference a value inside an `https://docs.cloud.google.com/datastore/docs/reference/data/rest/Shared.Types/Value#FIELDS.array_value`. |