Bulk-edit with the Properties Editor

The Properties editor allows you to edit the properties of all assets from an asset list. After searching and filtering the desired assets, start the Properties editor and edit properties directly in the table view.

Context

The Properties editor is available in asset lists (search results).

Prerequisites

The Properties editor must be customized by your administrator. If you have any questions, contact your administrator.

Introduction

The Properties editor table offers a convenient way to edit the properties of search results. The table allows inline editing of the respective properties. It is not necessary to open the assets one by one.

The Properties editor table allows inline editing of selected asset properties.

One or more Properties editors can be configured in your system or domain. If there are more than one Properties editors are configured, you can select the appropriate editor configuration.

Depending on the Properties editor configuration, you can expand rows to display and edit child assets.

In the table, you can edit asset properties inline in the table cells. Table cells that you have edited, are highlighted yellow. You can copy and paste values from one table cell to another within the same column. When you have finished editing, you can save all changes at once.

If other users are editing assets that you selected when the Properties editor starts, these assets are locked and cannot be edited in the table. For more information, see the Troubleshooting section below.

Key steps

Search and filter assets

To use the Properties editor, perform a search and refine the search results:

Use the Quick search, Detailed search, or Expert search to search for the desired assets.
Use asset list filters to refine the search results.

Start and select the Properties editor

To start the Properties editor:

On the search results page, open the page actions menu (
) and select Edit properties in table.
If multiple editor tables are available, in the Choose table configuration dialog, select the appropriate configuration. Otherwise, the editor starts automatically.
To start the Properties editor, click OK.

If the selected Properties editor configuration does not match your asset selection, an error message is shown. Select another Properties editor, or refine the asset selection in the list with filters.

Edit asset properties

The Properties editor table displays the column configuration that you selected in the previous step. The table columns display asset properties. Asset properties can be editable or view-only.

In the table, you can do the following:

Generic actions	For these actions, move the cursor over the table header, to the desired column or column divider.
Expand nested items	If the Properties editor is configured to display asset structures, you can expand rows to show the related assets by clicking ►. Nested assets can be edited as well.
Change column order	Drag-and-drop the column header to the desired position. Dragging a column also removes a pinned column from the left or right side.
Resize columns	Move the cursor over a column divider until it changes to a resize cursor. Click-and-drag the column divider to the desired position.
Column menu actions	For these actions, move the cursor over a column header and open the menu.
Pin column / release pinned column	Pin a column to the left, to the right, or release a pinned column. Pinned columns are always visible when you scroll to the left or to the right.
Autosize this column	Adjusts the size of the selected column to the content of the cells.
Autosize all columns	Adjusts the size of all columns to the content of the cells.
Reset columns	Resets the column size and position to the default values.
Generic editor actions	Use these actions during editing
Undo / Redo	To undo or redo the last actions, use icons at the top right corner of the table.
Table cell editor actions	Double-click a single table cell, to edit the value inline. The editor is loaded according to the value type.
Copy & paste content (1,2)	To select a table cell from which you want to copy the content, click it once. The cell is highlighted with a blue frame. Press CTRL + C (CMD + C on a Mac). Next, select one or multiple table cells from the same column and press CTRL + V (CMD + V on a Mac) to paste the copied content.
Enter, edit or remove content	To edit a single table cell, double-click it. The editor field displays according to the value type (input field, selection list, date picker, toggle). Values that are required cannot be removed from the asset. If a required value is empty at start, you can save the table without entering a value. Greyed-out table cells cannot be edited. For more information, see Why can I not edit a property? Table cells that were edited are highlighted in yellow.
Save changes	To save all changes, click OK. The table reloads and the edited tables cells change from yellow to a white background.

Notes:

(1) Selection is limited to 50 cells. If you want to edit a larger number of items, split them into batches of no more than 50 table cells.

(2) Content can only be copied between the cells of the same column. If you copy the content from one cell, you can paste it content into several cells at once.

Troubleshooting

Why does the editor not start/show an error?

If the selected Properties editor table does not match the data model of one or several assets from your list, the editor does not start. An error message displays. Contact an administrator to resolve this problem.

Why can I not edit a property?

There are several reasons why a table cell cannot be edited. censhare checks if one of the following reasons apply:

Reason	Solution
The property is set by the system.	Properties such as the asset ID and the date are defined by the system and cannot be changed.
Another user is editing the asset.	Ask your colleagues to save and check-in the asset or try to edit the asset later.
You do not have permission to edit the asset	If this is not intended, ask an administrator to change your permissions accordingly.
The asset property is inherited or looked-up	Inherited or looked up properties are flagged. These properties can only be edited on the source asset or overwritten on the asset page.
The property is a child property.	Child properties are view-only in the Properties editor. To edit child properties, open the asset on a new page and edit the respective widget.
Non-owner access is disabled	The asset owner removed the non-owner access flag. Ask the asset owner to enable it.
The asset is the master of a working copy	If a working copy exists of an asset, the master cannot be edited until the working copy is released. Edit the working copy instead or release the working copy.
The table configuration of the Properties editor does not allow editing.	Edit the assets one by one on an asset page. If needed, ask an administrator to change the table configuration.

Why can I not save my changes?

If another user starts to edit an asset after initialization of the Properties editor, you cannot save the changes that you made in the respective assets. An error message Not all changes were saved - Asset is locked for editing displays. All changes except the ones in the locked asset(s) were saved. The locked asset is highlighted in yellow.

Try to save the unsaved changes later or ask your colleagues to cancel their editing.

Result

You know how to edit the properties of the selected assets and saved your changes.