Explore the Assets Console (Add/Update a File)

Showcases how to upload a file to the digital Assets area. [9:04]

Two options for completing this exercise...
  1. Request a Self-Paced account on the Training Server. Then just follow the instructions as is.
  2. If you already have access to the main Author Server, adapt the instructions to fit your own site.

Scope

Every UBCMS site has three content areas: regular Web pages, Shared Content, and digital Assets. Assets are files, such as pdfs, or images, or Microsoft Office documents that you plan to use on your website, and find it convenient to manage in a central location for your entire team to use collaboratively, rather than each member uploading them individually on to each page as they need them.

When you use one of these files on a Web page, it is referenced from this central location, so the master copy is stored once, but displayed multiple times. Update the master copy, and that new version pushes out to all referenced pages. (But if that master copy is deleted, it will be removed from referenced pages as well, sometimes leaving broken links.) This also means they only need to be published once to be visible in every placement, whereas assets that are embedded into a specific page must be republished every time that page is modified, so we encourage you to upload large files (> 20MB) in Assets rather than directly into your page.

Instructions

1. Log into the UBCMS.

2. Find the Assets area.

  1. From the Start Page, click the link to Assets in the center of the page.
  2. Then click Files.
  3. The Assets Console loads.

Depending how your page is set up, your view may vary, so let’s show you how to adjust it.

  • Using the dropdown in the upper right of the screen, you can choose from several display styles. List View is easiest to navigate and most informative.
  • Using the dropdown in the upper left, you can switch from Content Only, to Content Tree, to Timeline, References, and Filter. These may prove useful once you locate the assets you wish to manage, but for now, choose Content Tree.

You should now see a file tree on the left, and the content of each folder in the center, with lots of details. This view should stick when you return to the console the next time. (New websites do not have any assets, so your Asset folder may be empty.)

  • Navigate in the Content Tree to your desired content. For this exercise, Assets + Self Paced Training + {your site}.
  • Build a folder by clicking Create in the upper right and then Folder.
    1. Give it a descriptive Title plus a Name (e.g. “images” because it will hold pictures).
      • For convenience, the UBCMS mirrors what you type in the Title field.
      • The Title is for your benefit, but the Name should be short and intuitive, because it may show up in URLs linking to these files.
    2. Click Create when you are ready, and your new folder will appear.
  • Upload some content.
    1. Select the new folder in the Content Tree.
    2. Click Create, but this time choose Files.
    3. A dialog box will open, showing your local computer, probably the last folder you had open.
    4. Navigate to where your files are located, and select one or more. (Hold down the Control or Command key to select more than one file.)
    5. Then click Open, and then Upload, and your files will be uploaded to the UBCMS.

Depending how your page is set up, your view may vary, so let’s show you how to adjust it.

  • Using the dropdown in the upper right of the screen, you can choose from several display styles. List View is easiest to navigate and most informative.
  • Using the dropdown in the upper left, you can switch from Content Only, to Content Tree, to Timeline, References, and Filter. These may prove useful once you locate the assets you wish to manage, but for now, choose Content Tree.

You should now see a file tree on the left, and the content of each folder in the center, with lots of details. This view should stick when you return to the console the next time. (New websites do not have any assets, so your Asset folder may be empty.)

  • Navigate in the Content Tree to your desired content. For this exercise, Assets + Self Paced Training + {your site}.
  • Build a folder by clicking Create in the upper right and then Folder.
    1. Give it a descriptive Title plus a Name (e.g. “images” because it will hold pictures).
      • For convenience, the UBCMS mirrors what you type in the Title field.
      • The Title is for your benefit, but the Name should be short and intuitive, because it may show up in URLs linking to these files.
    2. Click Create when you are ready, and your new folder will appear.
  • Upload some content.
    1. Select the new folder in the Content Tree.
    2. Click Create, but this time choose Files.
    3. A dialog box will open, showing your local computer, probably the last folder you had open.
    4. Navigate to where your files are located, and select one or more. (Hold down the Control or Command key to select more than one file.)
    5. Then click Open, and then Upload, and your files will be uploaded to the UBCMS.
Accessibility Requirements

Documents uploaded to Assets must abide by UB's web accessibility guidelines. It's up to authors to ensure each they are accessible before they uploaded to the DAM. See the link to UB's Web Accessity guidelines in Additional Reading for more details.

  • The view returns to the Assets Console, showing your uploaded files, their Created and Modified status, and the current timestamp.

As a best practice, if you have Publisher permissions, activate assets when you upload them so they are ready for use.

As a best practice, your folder and file names should only use letters, numbers and hyphens, and never have spaces or include special characters, such as ampersands or hash marks. Adding these undesirable characters makes a mess of any links to these files.

Additional Reading