Metadata Forms in Assets Essentials

Transcript

Let’s take a look at how to customize metadata forms in Asset Essentials, allowing custom metadata to be collected and displayed by asset type. Before we get started, let’s review Asset Essentials metadata forms. Metadata forms are what display and asset metadata. So to access them, simply select an asset and open its Details. Make sure that the information views expanded and the asset metadata form displays.

Some fields are editable, and others are read only.

Forms can also be broken up and organized by tab.

Before we dive into customizing metadata forms, let’s take a moment to understand how metadata forms are applied to assets. So as it’s likely you’ll want to use different metadata forms for different asset types. For this, let’s jump over to the whiteboard.

So the way Asset Essentials decides which metadata form to use for each asset is by matching the asset’s MIME type to the metadata form names. So, first it’s important to understand that a MIME type is broken up into a type followed by a subtype. So for example, a JPEG images MIME type is image slash/JPEG, with image being the type and JPEG being the subtype. The way Asset Essentials resolve which form to use is by first looking at the assets subtype and seeing if there’s a metadata form with that same name. If there is, it’ll use that If it can’t find a metadata form that matches the subtype, it’ll then try to find a metadata form with the same name as the assets type. And, of course, if it can’t find that, it falls back to the system default. So let’s take a look at a couple examples here. So first, let’s look at how assets with the MIME type of image/JPEG would resolve, based on our list of form names. So first, it would take the subtype of the asset which is JPEG and check if there’s a metadata form with that same name. And there is, so it would resolve to that. Now, let’s look at image/PNG. This would attempt to resolve the same way. So it would look for any metadata forms with a name PNG which is these subtype, and it wouldn’t be able to find any. So then it would check if there’s any metadata forms that match the type which is image and there is so that’s the metadata form that would be used. The resolution of the application/PDF MIME type would happen the same way. Asset Essential would check if there’s a metadata form with a name that matches the subtype which is PDF. And there is so that’s the form that would be used. So lastly, let’s look at the video MIME type. When resolving the form for this, Asset Essentials would first look for a form name MP4 and since there is none, it would then check for a form named video. And again, based on our list, there wouldn’t be a match. So in that case, it would fall back to the system default.

Okay, now that we understand how metadata forms are applied, let’s create one specially for all images. Note that the metadata forms configuration is only available to Asset Essentials administrators which are set up in the Adobe admin console. Since I’m logged in as an administrator, I can go to Settings, Metadata forms and this lists any existing metadata form, allowing you to review, copy, edit, or delete them.

We can create new forms here as well, so let’s do that. Select Create, and now we must provide a name for the form and remember this name maps to the asset MIME type, type or subtype as we discussed earlier. So since we want to create a metadata form for all images, we’ll use the name image. which is the MIME type, type for all image assets. If we wanted to scope this form just at JPEG images then we could name it with a JPEG subtype. But let’s go ahead and apply it to all images using the image form name. Next, we have the option to use existing form structure as template. Selecting this allows us to choose an existing form to start new form from. These form names, of course, follow the MIME type naming convention we discussed, with default being the system fallback. I really like this feature as it reduces the need to recreate common fields across every form and we’ll see this in action in a moment. Let’s choose default as the basis for our new form and Create it.

This opens the form editor for our new custom form and it’s pre-populated with fields and tabs copied down from the selected default form. Keep in mind, these fields are a point in time copy. So, if tomorrow the source fields change, these changes are not automatically reflected here.

Let’s quickly look at the makeup of the form editor UI. Along the top, we have the modes, editor preview, and you’ll spend most of your time in edit. In edit mode, down the left is a list of available components that can be used on the form. Most of these represent specific metadata fields. However, some like accordion container, are structural. In the middle, is the WYSIWYG form editor that lets you add, update, move, remove fields. The right rail is contextual based on the selection in the form editor and allows for the editing of a selected field. So as different fields in the form are selected, the edit options in this right rail change.

Okay, let’s make some customizations to the form. Since we’re using assets for the WKND brand, a fictitious just outdoor lifestyle brand, let’s set a field to collect and display the adventure ID associated with an asset.

I’ll select a Single Line Text component, since the adventure id is just a text string, and I’ll drag it in the form where I want it to appear. With this field selected, I can now edit it in the right rail. Let’s change the label to read Adventure id.

And next we need to tell Asset Essentials where to store and read the value from. We have two options for specifying the property that maps to this field. One option is we can pick a property from a preset list or two, we can type in a custom property name of our choosing.

it’s preferable if you can use one of the preset properties, assuming one exists that’s intended to capture the metadata you’ll use it for. You definitely don’t want to pick a preset property at random to hold your metadata though. So make sure the property matches the semantics of what you’re capturing.

I can look around for something equivalent to adventure id but there’s nothing for adventures which makes sense because that’s a WKND specific concept. There is a campaign id which you could argue you is semantically similar, but let’s make a brand new custom property to capture the adventure id.

I can type in a property name and it’s best practice to prefix the property name with a name space. This is the value before the colon in the property name. Often this will be your organization’s name or an abbreviation of it. And it’s helpful to use a name space as that helps you quickly identify which values are custom and belong to your org. So here we’ll use wknd as the name space followed by a colon and then the name and let’s pick adventure id.

Next, we can provide an authoring hint in the placeholder, and we have the ability to make the field required or read only, but let’s leave both of these unchecked. In the WYSIWYG editor, we have an inline preview of the field with all our updates. If desired, we can select the field and move it around as well.

I’ll quickly add another field for the image type which will display the images MIME type. Again, I’ll use the single line text component, give it a label, image type. And in map to property, I’ll select Format which maps to the DC format property name and this is a property that Asset Essentials populates with the assets MIME type upon upload. Let’s make this read only, since this is a field that Asset Essentials populates for us and we don’t need to update it. The other component types are edited in a similar fashion, though certain components like state, keywords and smart tags are preset to always pull from well known asset properties.

Existing fields can be deleted by selecting them and tapping the trash icon.

Last but not least, let’s take a look at organizational components like the accordion. We’ll use this component to create a logical grouping for some of the fields that represent image attributes. We just drag it onto the form and then we can drag other fields into the accordion. So let’s move our image type width, height and size.

Selecting the Accordion allows to change its title. So let’s name this image attribute. So users know what’s inside. And we can select to either start expanded or collapsed, and let’s just leave it to start/collapsed.

Selecting an existing tab, lets you rename it. So let’s rename basic to general.

A new tab can be by selecting the new tab button and components can be dragged into it, and tabs can of course be deleted as well.

All right, so that about covers it for editing a metadata form. Let’s do a quick preview of the form to see what it’ll look like.

And when we’re satisfied, we can save it.

Back on the metadata form screen, we can see our new form listed and selecting it, gives us the ability to edit, delete or copy. All right, now that we’ve made a new custom form for all image assets, let’s check it out. We’ll head back to Asset Essentials and open the details of an image asset.

And with the information rail expanded, we can see all of our changes reflected. We have our new tab title, the adventure id field that we can edit. We removed the checked out by field, so that’s no longer present.

And we have the image attributes accordion which we can expand and collapse. And with that, we have the read only image type field that displays the MIME type which is autopopulated by Asset Essentials.

Okay, I hope this helps you understand the power of Asset Essentials metadata forms and how you can quickly and easily configure them to tailor your assets metadata to your business. -