Cleanup of placement relations for layout assets_sysadmin

The Placement Cleaner removes placement relations in layout and issue assets structures from the database. This increases the performance of your client applications. Your InDesign documents are unaffected by this.

Context

• Placement Cleaner module for InDesign placement relations in layout and issue assets.
• Configuration takes place in the censhare Admin Client.

Prerequisites

To allow users to restore removed placement relations, adapt the asset deletion policies for layouts and issues accordingly.

Introduction

Frequently used or placed assets are often related to so many other assets in layout or issue asset structures that they cannot be processed by the current client. This then reduces overall performance. It is not the best way to delete or modify the layout assets themselves because users often want to preserve and reuse specific layouts.

The Placement Cleaner server action removes the relations in the database (asset_rels and asset_element_rels). It does not touch the relations in the layout document itself. InDesign can use the layouts as before. All images and logos are still placed via their Virtual File System file path. The server action always creates a new version of the parent asset. The change history is also preserved.

The master file remains untouched. Users can delete or hide the master storage item to prevent placement cleaning. Users can revert the placement cleaning when they use the asset version history.

Configure the asset deletion policies so that they keep at least the last two versions of an asset. Users can then restore previous asset versions.

Content and geometry flags can still be triggered if needed. You can delete the master storage item, variant, or planning relations to prevent that content or geometry updates are triggered at a later point.

You cannot roll back the deletion of variant or planning relations!

Configure cleanup

In the censhare Admin Client, go to Configuration > Modules > Placement cleaner:

• Define which placement relations to delete.
• Define filters on MIME type and asset type of the placed child assets.

Apply the options manually to selected assets or schedule automatic cleanups at specific trigger events such as specific times or changes in a workflow step. Each option has its own server action:

• Placement cleaner for manual cleanup
• Placement cleaner (automatic) for scheduled cleanups

Set placement cleanup options

Open the desired server action. In the Placement cleaner configuration dialog, set the following options:

1. Under Cleanup placement relations, select the MIME type and asset type of the placement relations to be cleaned up. For example PNG image, Image, Logo.

   With empty filters on MIME type or asset type, all types are cleaned up. If you define no filters, the server action removes no placement relations.

2. Under Cleanup storage file, select whether to move master storage items to placeholder files. This avoids that content or geometry updates are triggered later.

3. Under Cleanup further relations, select whether to remove variant or planning relation types.

   

   Deleted variant and planning relations cannot be restored!

4. Click OK to confirm.

Automatic cleanup

The cleaning options are scheduled according to the defined trigger events.

1. In the Placement cleaner configuration (automatic), set the following trigger options in addition to the cleanup options:

   • Under Trigger event, set a Timer event to your needs. The cleanup is activated at the defined time intervals.

   • Under Trigger event, select an Asset event to your needs. This can be a change in a value of a workflow step for example. The cleanup is activated when the event occurs.

2. Click Enable to activate the configuration.

3. Click OK to confirm.

4. Click Update server configuration from the toolbar.

The cleanup is started when the specified trigger events occur.

Manual cleanup

1. When you have configured the cleanup options, click Update server configuration from the toolbar of the censhare Admin Client.

2. Log in to the censhare Client.

3. Search for the layout asset structures that you want to clean. Select the assets.

4. From the Server Actions menu, select Placement cleaner.

censhare searches for the specified relations or storage items in the selected asset structures and removes or moves them according to the specified options.

Restore placement relations

1. Select the asset for which you want to restore the placement relations and storage items.

2. Right-click the asset and select Show version. All available versions of the asset are shown.

3. Click the previous version. Click Actions at the bottom and select Restore asset version.

4. Confirm with OK.

The deleted storage items and placement relations are restored. 

Planning and variant child or parent relations cannot be restored.

Result

You have learned how to configure the deletion of placement relations of layout and issue asset structures.