The file uploader allows you to quickly add files to your library. It is designed to enable you to add rich metadata and keywords to files during the upload process, so that they are searchable as soon as they appear in your OpenAsset system.
For a quick overview of uploading files, watch this video:
Uploading files from your computer
Click 'Upload' from the main header menu.
This will take you to the Uploads Overview page.
To upload files, simply drag and drop them onto the page or click the green 'Select Files' button to browse your PC. This will launch a new window.
Applying file information
Setting the category and project
First, select a Category to upload your files to. Your System Administrator controls which categories you have permissions to upload to.
If you select Projects, you will then be prompted to search for the relevant Project. Start typing a project name or code and you'll be presented with projects to select from.
Note: If the project doesn't exist in OpenAsset then you'll need to create the project prior to uploading.
Adding to Albums and Partial Filenames
This step is optional and can be skipped by clicking 'Continue to the Uploader'.
By selecting Album you can add the files to an existing album or create a new album for your files. You can change this setting later in the upload process.
Selecting Partial Filename allows you to include text in the filenames generated for your uploaded files. This can be useful if these files are downloaded in the future.
When you have finished entering the upload information, select 'Continue to the Uploader' to move onto the next stage.
Applying metadata and keywords to your upload
Once you have finished applying file information, a new upload will be created and any files will begin transferring straight away. Any duplicate files will be automatically detected.
All new uploads start out as incomplete uploads, meaning they require completion before they are finalised and added to your system. Files added are essentially in a staging area where you can add keywords and edit metadata, but no one else can see these files until you complete your upload.
Selecting files
In order to attach keywords or edit metadata, you must first select one or more files. You can either select all the files, or click image thumbnails to select individual files.
Editing file metadata
Having selected a file, or multiple files, the right-hand section of the uploader will populate with that file's metadata. The default rank and access level for the category will already be set, along with any metadata that we can automatically retrieve from the file itself (such as copyright holder, photographer and any description or caption).
You can edit any of the fields by clicking on them. Any changes you make are saved once you click away from the field.
Editing fields with multiple values
When selecting multiple files, you will notice that values that are the same across your selection remain visible, whereas values that are different display an orange warning saying 'Has Multiple Values'.
If you click on the field with multiple values to edit it, you'll be shown the values that exist in a pop-out.
You can overwrite these values by entering a new value into the field, or you can select a value by clicking an item from the pop-out and apply this to all selected files.
Applying keywords to files
You can attach keywords to files within your upload. With one or more files selected, simply click on the 'Keywords' section header on the right-hand side.
This will launch the keyword editor.
To apply a keyword to the selected files, you have two available options:
Simply find the keyword in the bottom half of the keyword editor and click on it.
If a keyword is highlighted Dark Green then it is already attached to all files in your selection
If it is Light Green then it's attached to some files in your selection, but not all
If it's Grey then it's not attached at all
Hovering over any Green keyword will give you the option to remove the attachment. If the keyword is Light Green then you'll additionally have the option to attach this partially attached keyword to your entire selection
2. If you have Keyword permissions, you can add new Keywords by clicking the + icon next to the relevant Keyword category. Note that after adding new Keywords, you will still need to select them to attach them to the file(s) as described above.
Removing files from an upload
To remove files from an upload, select the file or files you want to remove and click the red 'Remove Selected' button at the top of the main upload window. You will be asked to confirm the removal.
Returning later to your upload
You can leave an incomplete upload at any time and return to it later. All changes made to an upload are saved automatically, so you can simply select 'X' or 'Return Later' to exit the upload window.
You can then resume your upload from the Upload Overview page, where it will appear as 'Incomplete'.
Note: If files are still transferring, you should wait for them to finish before closing the upload. Files that have not transferred prior to closing an upload will not be saved.
Completing an upload
When you have finalised your upload, select the 'Complete Upload' icon.
You will be asked to confirm that you want to complete the upload. When you select 'Complete', all the files in your upload will become available in your OpenAsset system.
If you want to view your uploaded files in a new search, click the 'Search for uploaded files' button.
The upload will remain on your Upload Overview page as a completed upload, so you can get back to the files easily if you need to find them again. It also serves as a record of what was uploaded when and where and by whom.