Configure the Asset Explorer

The Asset Explorer is a convenient way for users to browse assets. Customize filters for the Explorer and set up variants for different roles and domains.

Context

Set up the available filters for the asset explorer. Create resource replace variants of the default filters. The filter widget is part of the Asset explorer page of censhare Web.

Prerequisites

You must have access to the workspace assets of your system.

Introduction

The asset explorer page gives users the possibility to browse and filter assets from the database. Unlike the Quick search or Detailed search, the search dialog (filters) and results (asset list) are displayed next to each other. Users can see immediately the resulting asset list when entering or selecting filter values.

The asset explorer is stored in a static workspace page in your system. This page is assigned to the standard workspace. The page provides the functionality of the asset explorer with a two-column layout.

Note: Static workspace pages cannot be customized. Do not add workspace containers or widget configurations to the "Explorer" workspace page!

The filters in the left column of the asset explorer page can be customized according to your needs. For that purpose, the filters are rendered using the standard <cs-search-metadata-row> tag. The configuration is stored in the "Default explorer search dialog" asset (Resource key: "censhare:metadata.default.asset.explorer.search.dialog"). To add a custom configuration, you can create resource replace variants of this dialog asset.

The Asset explorer can be accessed from the side navigation. The navigation item asset that provides the menu entry is called "Explorer assets". This asset is part of the standard setup of censhare Web and does not require further configuration.

General configuration

The asset explorer is a standard feature of censhare Web and enabled by default. The setup and configuration is done in the following module assets:

Explorer assets (Left workspace navigation item): This asset provides the menu entry in the left navigation panel. In case the "Explorer" entry is be visible in the side navigation, check whether the asset is enabled. If you want to hide the asset explorer, disable the asset. Note that enabling/disabling will only become effective after restarting the server.
Explorer (Workspace page): This asset provides the functionality and layout of the Asset explorer page. This is a static page. Static pages cannot be customized, therefore, do not add workspace containers (tabs) or widget configurations here! In case the Asset explorer page is empty, check whether the Explorer page is assigned to the default workspace. You can assign workspaces in the "Page of" widget in the "Overview" tab. Click the "Add relation" button and select the default workspace in the asset chooser dialog.
Default Explorer Search Dialog (Dialog): This asset provides the filter items for the Asset Explorer. These can be customized for all users, roles or domains.

Customize the Explorer filters

You can customize the filter items for the default workspace or add multiple custom configurations for different domains or roles. Custom configurations are stored in resource replace variants of the default dialog asset. For further information on this, read the article Modifying module assets using replace variants.

To create a custom configuration, proceed as follows:

Open the "Default explorer search dialog" asset. The resource key of this asset is "censhare:metadata.default.asset.explorer.search.dialog".
Open the asset actions menu at the top right and select the "Variants > Resource replace variant". censhare creates a new resource replace variant of the dialog asset. The new asset appears in the widget "Resource variant".
Open the new resource replace variant and rename it, if you wish.

Switch to the "Editor" tab of the asset. It shows the following default configuration snippet:

CODE

<ul>
    <cs-search-metadata-row property="censhare:text.name"/>
    <cs-search-metadata-row property="censhare:text.content"/>
    <cs-search-metadata-row property="censhare:text.meta"/>
    <cs-search-metadata-row property="censhare:asset.type"/>
    <cs-search-metadata-row property="censhare:asset.category"/>
    <cs-search-metadata-row property="censhare:asset.domain"/>
    <cs-search-metadata-row property="censhare:asset.domain2"/>
    <cs-search-metadata-row property="censhare:asset.language" 
                            template="enumerationTemplate"/>
    <cs-search-metadata-row property="censhare:url"/>
    <cs-search-metadata-row property="censhare:asset.wf_id"/>
    <cs-search-metadata-row property="censhare:function.workflow-step"/>
    <cs-search-metadata-row property="censhare:asset.wf_target"
                            template="enumerationTemplate"/>
</ul>

Edit the snippet by adding or removing the desired asset property in a <cs-search-metadata-row> tag. See the table below for a description of the default filter items. If you want to add a new feature, look up the ID in the "Master Data / Features" table in the censhare Admin Client.
Save your changes by clicking SAVE or "SAVE & CLOSE".
This custom configuration is available to all users. If you want to assign your custom configuration to a domain, go to the "Details" tab and edit the "General" widget. In the widget dialog, select the desired domain(s).
To assign a role to the custom configuration, go back to the "Default explorer search dialog" asset (not the resource replace variant). In the "Resource variant" widget, open the actions menu of the resource replace variant you just created and select "Edit relation metadata". In the dialog, select the desired "Resource replace role" from the drop-down list and click OK to save. You can select multiple roles, if you wish. Click the "+" button to add a new field and select the role there.

Default filter items

Feature ID	Feature name	Description
censhare:text.name	Name (full text)	Searches the index of asset names. This feature indexes the "Name" and "Name (localized)" features.
censhare:text.content	Content (full text)	Searches the index of the asset content that is stored in a master file, for example an XML file. It is the only item that does not index an asset property. If an asset does not have a master file, the content index is empty.
censhare:text.meta	Properties for quick search (full text)	Searches the virtual index of the Quick search.
censhare:asset.type	Type	Hierarchical filter of asset types.
censhare:asset.category	Category	Dynamic value list of categories.
censhare:asset.domain	Domain	Hierarchical filter of main domains.
censhare:asset.domain2	2nd domain	Hierarchical filter of secondary domains.
censhare:asset.language	Content language	Refers to the language of the master file of an asset.
censhare:url	URL	Only applicable if assets can be accessed from outside censhare, for example via an online channel.
censhare:asset.wf_id	Workflow	The workflow assigned to an asset.
censhare:function.workflow-step	Workflow step	The current workflow step of an asset. A workflow must be assigned to an asset, otherwise no workflow step can be set.
censhare:asset.wf_target	Workflow target	Person or group resource in charge or working on an asset.

Result

The "Explorer" page of your system shows a customized filter column and/or uses customized filters for different roles and domains.

Next steps

If users configure their own workspace to their preferences, the custom filters may not appear on their Asset explorer page. To force censhare to apply the custom filters, delete the corresponding workspace asset. The next time a user logs in, censhare will create a new user workspace asset with the custom filters. Any personal preferences of that user will be lost, however.