Manage your first assets from upload to deletion

In this tutorial, we’re going to upload a set of assets from a ZIP file, organise them into folders, replace one with a new version, publish one at a public link, and then delete what we no longer need. Libraries don’t stay still: files arrive in bulk, designs change, and old content has to go. By the end, you’ll have handled an asset through the rest of its life in the DAM, from bulk upload to deletion.

This is part 3 of 3 in the asset librarian tutorials. Previous: Build your first keyword category.

Prerequisites

To follow this tutorial, you need:

Access to Assets in Platform Administration, through the Admin role for Administration Panel. The Client Admin role preset includes this. The Asset Librarian role preset doesn’t, so asset librarians usually get it through a group. Each role’s permissions are listed in User role presets and permissions.
A ZIP file containing two folders, each with two or three images. Use images you’re allowed to publish, because step 4 makes one of them public.
An edited copy of one of those images, with the same file name, for step 3. A small visible change, such as a cropped edge or a colour tweak, makes the new version easy to recognise.

It helps to have done Upload and prepare your first assets first, because this tutorial starts in the same place.

What we’ll create

We’ll upload the ZIP so that its folders are kept, then move one asset to the other folder. Next, we’ll replace one asset with its edited version and look at its version history. Then we’ll make one asset public and copy its link, and finally delete every asset from the upload.

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

Step 1: Upload a ZIP file
Step 2: Organise assets into folders
Step 3: Replace an asset with a new version
Step 4: Publish an asset at a public link
Step 5: Delete the practice assets

Step 1: Upload a ZIP file

A ZIP file is the quickest way to bring in a batch of files that already sit in folders on your computer.

Upload a ZIP file (2 min 17 s)

We’re going to upload our ZIP file and keep its folder structure.

From the main menu, select Administration, then Assets.
Select Add Assets.
In the upload name, enter Tutorial ZIP upload.
Turn smart tagging off, and leave the phase as Quarantined.

Quarantined assets stay out of Content Portal, so nobody else finds our practice files.
Drag your ZIP file into the upload window.
When asked how to upload the ZIP, choose to upload it as multiple files.

The files inside the ZIP are listed individually.
Turn on the option to replicate the ZIP folder structure.
Select Upload.
When the upload finishes, select Manage New Resource.

You’ll notice that:

Each image from the ZIP is now a separate asset.
Choosing to upload as one ZIP file would have stored the ZIP itself as a single asset instead.

Step 2: Organise assets into folders

Replicating the ZIP’s structure created a folder for each folder in the file. Folders organise assets in Administration only: they don’t change where assets appear in Content Portal.

Move assets between folders (39 s)

We’re going to find our folders and move one asset from one to the other.

Select the folder icon to display the list of folders.
Select the first folder from your ZIP.

Only the assets in that folder are listed.
Select the checkbox on one asset.
Select the folder icon at the top right, choose the second folder from your ZIP, and select Select Folder.
Open the second folder.

You’ll notice that the asset you moved is now listed in the second folder, and no longer in the first.

Use folders for whatever makes your own work easier, such as one per campaign or per supplier. People browsing Content Portal never see them.

Step 3: Replace an asset with a new version

When a design changes, replace the file rather than uploading a second asset. Everyone who finds or links to the asset then gets the new version, and the old one stays in its history.

Replace an asset with a new version (1 min 6 s)

We’re going to replace one asset with its edited copy.

Find the asset whose edited copy you prepared.
Open the asset’s menu and select Reversion.
Drag the edited copy into the upload window.
Choose a minor version change.

Use a minor change for small corrections like this one, and a major change when the content is significantly different.
Select Reversion.

You’ll notice that the preview now shows the edited image, with a new version number.

Select the asset, and open its versions.

Every version is listed, newest first.
Select the original version, and select Make Current Version.

The preview switches back to the original image. Make the edited version current again before you move on.

Replacing the file keeps the asset’s details, such as its description and keywords, so there’s nothing to fill in again.

Step 4: Publish an asset at a public link

Assets in the DAM normally need a sign-in. A public link lets a website or another system display an asset to anyone, with no sign-in.

Publish an asset at a public link (1 min 12 s)

Anyone with a public link can open the asset. Use an image that’s safe to share openly.

We’re going to make one asset public and find its link.

Select the checkbox on one asset, then select to edit it.
In the keywords section, set the asset to public.
Save your changes.
Select the asset and open its details.

The asset’s public link appears in the Public links section of its details. If it doesn’t appear straight away, refresh the page.

Copy the link and open it in a private browser window.

You’ll notice that the image opens directly, without a sign-in page. That’s what makes public links useful for websites, and why they need care.

Step 5: Delete the practice assets

Deleting removes an asset from the DAM for good. We’re going to delete everything from our ZIP upload, now that we’ve finished with it.

Download or delete assets (51 s)

Deleting is permanent. A deleted asset can’t be restored, and it disappears for every user and from every page that showed it.

Filter the asset list to the upload named Tutorial ZIP upload.

Check that the list shows only the assets from this tutorial.
Select the checkbox on each asset, or select Select Visible.
Select at the top right, then confirm.

The assets disappear from the list.

To delete a single asset instead, open that asset’s menu and select Delete. The same menu offers Download, if you need a copy first.

The finished library

Here’s what we did with the Tutorial ZIP upload:

Uploaded: the images from one ZIP file, extracted as separate assets, with the ZIP’s folders kept.
Organised: one asset moved to the other folder.
Versioned: one asset replaced with its edited copy, with the original kept in its history.
Published: one asset given a public link that opens without a sign-in.
Deleted: every asset from the upload, now that the practice is over.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you’ve learned how to:

Upload a ZIP file as separate assets, keeping its folder structure.
Move assets between folders.
Replace an asset with a new version, and switch between versions.
Publish an asset at a public link.
Delete assets, one at a time or in bulk.

Manage asset versions covers restoring versions, and updating an asset that was published from a project. For further information on public links, including making several assets public at once, refer to Make assets public.