Manage asset properties

In censhare Web, all metadata that are stored with an asset are called asset properties. For example, whenever you add or create a new asset, you must at least enter a name. The name is a required asset property. If desired, you can add a description to an asset. The description is an optional asset property. To store the asset in the database, censhare creates an asset ID as a unique identifier. The ID is an automatically generated asset property that cannot be edited.

Depending on your role, function, or task, you edit different types of asset properties. For example, as a content manager, you add keywords, select the content language and the author. As a project manager, you allocate budgets and set deadlines. As a department manager, you plan team resources and define goals. All these tasks are carried out in censhare by editing the properties of the respective assets.

Workflow steps and the current status of an asset are also stored as asset properties. Whenever you change the workflow step or the asset status, you edit asset properties.

Finally, administrative data, for example, the asset domain, access rights, and resource keys are stored as asset properties. If you are a solution administrator and work with these data, you also edit asset properties.

Where to edit asset properties

In censhare Web, you have many options to edit properties. We show you the appropriate option for every use case.

Do not edit the same asset in different browser windows or tabs simultaneously. This is not supported as it may cause problems and lead to inconsistent data and data display.

Edit properties of a single asset

To edit the properties of a single asset, use: 

• Properties widgets on an open asset page. These widgets display for example EXIF specifications, IPTC tags, and XMP metadata of an image asset. To access and edit these asset properties, click  to start the dialog.
• generic asset properties in the properties dialog. The dialog shows the asset name, description, language properties, and others. To open the dialog, click  to open the actions menu and select Edit properties.
• asset lists to edit the properties of a single asset directly, without opening the asset on an asset page. Move the cursor to the row of the desired asset and click  to open the actions menu. To open the dialog, select Edit properties.

Edit properties of multiple assets

If you want to edit properties of multiple assets, you can either edit properties individually (enter different values into each asset), or bulk-edit properties (enter the same value into all assets).

Bulk-edit asset properties

With bulk-edit operations, you can enter the same value into an asset property of multiple assets at once. For example, move multiple assets to another domain, or assign a new workflow step to multiple assets. Use one of the following options:

Up to 10 assets

To edit properties of up to 10 assets, you can use the Edit properties dialog like in a single asset. If the selected assets have different values for the same property, the dialog displays Multiple values in the respective field. Be aware that you can overwrite different values with the same value. For example, enter the same name for all selected assets.

For more information, see the Edit properties page action section in Edit properties of an asset.

More than 10 and up to 100 assets

To edit properties of more than 10 and up to 100 assets, use the Edit multiple assets wizard. When you start the wizard, you must select the dialog group (a set of properties) that you want to edit. By default, the Workflow and General dialog groups are available in the wizard. The following dialog looks identical to the Edit properties dialog. If the selected assets have different values for the same property, the dialog displays Multiple values in the respective field. Similarly, you can copy asset properties from a source asset to multiple target assets. Be aware that you can overwrite different values with the same value. For example, do not enter the same name for all selected assets.

For more information, see Copy asset properties.

Up to 2000 assets

To edit properties of up to 2000 assets, use the Bulk operation wizard from the Actions menu. The wizard requires a special license. To start the wizard, do not select assets from the list. The complete filtered asset list is loaded into the wizard. As in the Edit multiple assets wizard, you must select a dialog group. By default, the Workflow and General dialog groups are available in the wizard. The following dialog looks identical to the Edit properties dialog. If the selected assets have different values for the same property, the dialog displays Different values in the respective field. Be aware that you can overwrite different values with the same value. For example, enter the same name for all selected assets.

For more information, see Bulk operation wizard.

Bulk-edit individual asset properties

If you do not want to enter or overwrite a property of multiple assets with the same value, but edit one or more properties of multiple assets individually, use one of the following options:

Edit asset properties with the Properties editor

The Properties editor allows you to edit assets from in a table, directly from a search. Several editors can be available in your system. In the Properties editor table, you can edit the values of the configured properties inline in the respective table cells.

For more information, see Properties editor - edit asset properties.

Edit product information in the Product table

In the Products table, you can edit properties (product features) of the selected products inline for each selected product. The Product table is part of censhare PIM and requires a product classification with the respective product categories and product features.

For more information, see Edit asset properties directly in a product table.