TutorialLearn by doing

Produce your first batch of digital adaptations

In this tutorial, we’re going to produce several adaptations from one digital template at the same time, first by entering them on screen and then by importing them from a spreadsheet. A batch is how you produce a set of variations, such as one banner per season or per market, without creating each adaptation separately. By the end, you’ll have two batches in My Content: one built on screen and one built from a file.

This is part 3 of 4 in the marketer tutorials. Previous: Create your first digital adaptation. Next: Create your first print adaptation.

Prerequisites

To follow this tutorial, you need:

  • A user role with at least the Creator role for Templates and for Assets, both under Adaptation Studio, which lets you create adaptations from templates. The Standard User role preset includes both. Each role’s permissions are listed in User role presets and permissions.

  • A digital template with a text field, on a templates page in your portal.

  • A spreadsheet application, such as Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets, for step 5.

This tutorial builds on Create your first digital adaptation. If you’ve done that one, use the same template here.

What we’ll create

We’ll make a batch of three seasonal variations of one template, each with different text, and check it in My Content. Then we’ll make a second batch of two more variations by filling in a spreadsheet and importing it.

The tutorial takes about 25 minutes, including the videos, in five steps:

Step 1: Open the batch window

Batches start from the same place as single adaptations: the template’s details panel.

Build a batch on screen (4 min 44 s)

We’re going to open the batch window for our template. This step’s video also covers steps 2 and 3.

  1. Open Content Portal.

  2. From the left navigation, select Adaptations, then View Template.

  3. Select the All digital templates tab, then select your template.

  4. In the details panel, select Create Adaptation, then Create Batch.

The Create Batch Adaptations window opens.

You’ll notice that:

  • The window is a table. Each row will become one adaptation, and each column is one of the template’s fields.

  • The columns marked with an asterisk are mandatory, as they were when creating a single adaptation.

Step 2: Add rows on screen

We’re going to add three rows, give them all the same image, and give each one different text.

  1. Select the add-row button (+) three times.

    Three empty rows appear.

  2. Select all three rows, then set the image field to one of the preset images.

    The image appears in every selected row at once. That’s how to apply a shared value to many rows in one go.

  3. Fill in the text field for each row separately:

    • Row 1: Spring is here

    • Row 2: Summer is here

    • Row 3: Autumn is here

  4. Fill in any other mandatory columns, using the same value in every row.

  5. Select the preview icon next to row 2.

You’ll notice that:

  • The preview displays only the row you selected, so you can check one variation without creating it.

  • When every mandatory field is complete, a You’re good to go message appears at the top of the table.

If the message doesn’t appear, check for fields highlighted as errors and complete them. You can’t create the batch until every error is resolved.

Step 3: Create the batch

With three complete rows, we’re ready to produce them.

  1. Select Create Assets.

  2. Rename the batch to Seasons tutorial.

  3. Select Validate.

    A summary displays how many adaptations the batch will produce.

  4. Check that it says three, then select Create.

The adaptations begin rendering. Each row becomes a separate adaptation, so the batch produces three adaptations from one template.

Step 4: Find your batch

Every batch you create is listed in My Content, so you can find all of its adaptations together.

Find and manage a batch (39 s)

We’re going to find our batch and open its adaptations.

  1. Open My Content by selecting at the top right.

  2. Select Digital Adaptations, then the Batches tab.

  3. Find Seasons tutorial in the list.

    If the list is long, use the search bar.

  4. Select the batch.

You’ll notice that:

  • My Content now shows only the three adaptations from this batch.

  • Each one has the same image and its own text.

While any of them are still rendering, they’re in the In Progress tab. When rendering finishes, they move to Complete.

Back in the Batches tab, open the batch’s menu. It offers Edit, Copy, and Delete. Don’t delete the batch: deleting a batch also deletes every adaptation in it.

Step 5: Build a batch from a spreadsheet

Entering rows on screen suits a handful of variations. For more, it’s quicker to prepare the rows in a spreadsheet and import them.

Build a batch from a spreadsheet (3 min 15 s)

We’re going to make a second batch, of two rows, from a file.

  1. Open the batch window for the same template, as in step 1.

  2. Select the dropdown arrow next to Import File, then select CSV Example.

  3. Choose comma-separated values, then select Download CSV.

    The file downloads. It already has one column for each of the template’s fields.

  4. Open the file in your spreadsheet application and fill in two rows:

    • Row 1: the text Winter is here.

    • Row 2: the text See you next year.

      In both rows, use the same values as in step 2 for every other mandatory column.

  5. Save the file as CSV UTF-8, keeping commas as the separator.

  6. In the batch window, select Import File and choose your saved file.

    The column names in the file are matched to the template’s fields.

  7. Select Confirm.

You’ll notice that:

  • The two rows from your file appear in the table, exactly as if you’d typed them.

  • Any field the platform couldn’t read is highlighted, with a message at the top of the window.

Fix any highlighted fields in the table. When the ready message appears, select Create Assets, rename the batch to Seasons tutorial from a file, select Validate, check that it says two, and select Create.

If the import fails, the most common causes are a mismatched separator and saving in a format other than CSV UTF-8. Import batch data from a spreadsheet explains how to fix both.

The finished batches

Here’s what we’ve built:

  • Seasons tutorial: three adaptations from one template, with a shared image and different text, built on screen.

  • Seasons tutorial from a file: two more adaptations from the same template, built from a spreadsheet.

  • Where they are: My Content > Digital Adaptations > Batches.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you’ve learned how to:

  • Open the batch window for a template.

  • Add rows on screen, apply a value to several rows at once, and preview a single row.

  • Create, validate, and name a batch.

  • Find a batch and its adaptations in My Content.

  • Build a batch by importing a spreadsheet.

Batch adaptations follow the same route as single ones: promote them to your files, send them for review, and publish them once they’re approved. To promote them, follow step 4 of Create your first digital adaptation, selecting several adaptations at once. To review and publish them, continue with Review and publish your first adaptations.

Produce digital adaptations in batch and Browse templates and create adaptations cover every batch option, including editing and copying batches.