Using Collection Plug-ins

The Collection provides a number of actions you can use to apply to a group of selected assets or to a selected directory. After selecting assets to add to your Collection, you can quickly create reports, update keyword metadata, generate contact sheets of your asset previews, and more.

The contents in your Collection is kept separate from collections collected by other users who have access to the same mounted volume. If you add assets to your Collection and another user add assets to a collection using the same shared volume, Xinet will keep track of both collections. Both are separate collections. Saved Collections are not shared with other users.

The following actions are available:

•	Administering Your Collection

•	Download Archive of Files

•	Download Archive of FPO’s

•	Batch Image Order

•	Batch Keyword Apply

•	Batch Report

•	Contact Sheet

•	Asset Fulfillment Request

•	Video Reel Generator

•	Send to Archive

•	Restoring from Archive

Note: Depending on the options set by your Administrator, the list of actions will vary. Contact your Administrator to gain access to additional actions.

To add selected assets to your Collection:

1.	From the Home location, open a folder to view your assets.

2.	Select the Short view to display the tool icons under your assets. See Changing How Assets are Displayed.

3.	For a selected asset, click the Collection icon below the thumbnail.

When activated, the icon will turn yellow and the collection number updates in the left pane.

 

  

To add all of assets displayed in your browser to your Collection:

1.	Click the Home button, select a volume folder and click Browse.

Previews of the assets, in the selected volume, are displayed.

2.	At the bottom right corner of the interface, click the Collection icon.

All of the assets displayed in our browser view are added to your collection.

  

To show the contents in the Collection:

•	On the toolbar, at the top of the interface, click the Collection icon.

 

Administering Your Collection

The Administer Collection plug-in, allows you to save your collection of assets for future use, clear your current collection, add to a current collection, add to an existing collection, replace an existing collection, and delete your a saved collection.

To save your current Collection:

1.	From the Home location, click the Collection icon at the top left corner of the Pilot interface.

The Collection is displayed along with a list of collection plug-ins.

2.	Click Administer Collections.

The assets you have added to your Collection is displayed. For more information about adding assets to your collection, see Adding a File to Your Collection.

3.	Type the name of your new collection into the field provided and then click Save Current Collection.

4.	Optional - Selection one of the following options:

• Add to Current Collection - to add your current collection and save it

• Replace Current Collection - to override the current collection

• Replace Saved with Current - to override the saved collection

• Delete a Saved Collection - to remove a saved collection

 

To add an asset to a previously saved collection:

1.	In the Collection, Administer Collection view, click in Select from existing collection and then select a collection to save the current asset to.

 

  

2.	Click Add to Current Collection.

Download Archive of Files

Using the Collection - Download Archive of Files plug-in, you can quickly download a compressed file containing all of the items in your collection. You have the option of selecting the compression format and to export XMP data for each of the assets.

Working with archived assets allows users, such your product manager, to view assets completed for previous marketing campaigns or other projects. These files are flagged in the database as archived. A green flag icon can be seen on the top left corner of the asset preview thumbnail when archived so you can quickly identify them. Users can review the details of assets in Pilot. For example, users can scroll through previews of the pages an asset, stream a video, review the comments, history, linked files, versions, archive information, and annotations and comments added to an asset.

 

To download assets with their associated metadata:

1.	Add files and folders to your Collection.

For more information on how to add assets to your Collections, see Using Collection Plug-ins.

2.	Click the Collections icon, on the top of the browser interface, and select Download Archive Of Files from the Collection menu.

3.	Select Yes for Export XMP.

4.	Click Download.

For more information about archiving or restoring archived files, see Send to Archive and Restoring from Archive.

Download Archive of FPO’s

Using the Collection - Download Archive of FPOs plug-in, you can download a compressed file containing low resolution assets.

 

Batch Image Order

Using the Collection - Batch Image Order plug-in, you can download multiple assets at a time. This option allows you to download XMP information with your assets. You can also convert the assets in your collection to use a particular resolution, dimension, and file format.

 

Batch Keyword Apply

Using the Collection - Batch Keyword Apply plug-in, allows you to automatically apply keywords to the assets you have in your Collection. A list of metadata fields is displayed. Select a metadata field, specify the keyword and options to apply, and then click Save this Configuration.

Note: The metadata presented will vary for users. It depends on what custom metadata fields are set up. Contact your Administration for assistance if more metadata fields are required.

Batch Report

Using the Collection - Batch Reports plug-in, you can customize reports about the file being viewed. Reports can display information about Keywords, provide Previews with annotations, skip the display of Previews or show All Available Previews associated with files. Reports can also number each annotation to facilitate easier discussion and be customized to show Small, Medium or Large Thumbnails. Finally, Reports can be rendered as Printable PDF in various page sizes and orientations.

The following options are available:

Option	Description
Page size and orientation	Set the page size and orientation for your report. The following options are available: • Letter (8.5” x 11”) • Tabloid (11” x 17”) • A4 (210 mm x 297 mm) • A3 (297 mm x 420 mm) • Portrait or Landscape
Show Keywords	Metadata assigned to assets, keywords, can be generated into a report. Tip: This is useful information to locate keywords assigned to a group of assets.
Print Previews	Specify if preview thumbnails are printed in your report. The following options are available: • All Available Previews • Only Previews that Contain Annotations • No Previews
Show Annotations	List all annotations associated to an asset.
Show Numbers	List the annotation numbers to review when annotations and comments were added.
Thumbnails	Specify the size of the thumbnail to print. • Small Thumbnail • Medium Thumbnail • Large Thumbnail
Include all Revisions	Lists the history of annotations added to an asset. Each annotation is timestamped and displays the name of the editor who added the annotation and any notes added. Use this list to compare the annotations associated with an asset.

Tip:

You can search for deleted items when collecting information for reports. While most users don’t want searches to return deleted items, there are times when this can be useful, such as when compiling reports. It is possible to retrieve this information from the database, searching for assets that are neither archived nor online.

To create a search query to include deleted items:

1.	In the Advanced Search interface, under Search Field, select Archived.

The Online options are displayed.

2.	Set the Online option to Not Online, Logic to AND, and Archived to Not Archived.

 

3.	Click Search to see the search results.

Contact Sheet

The Collection - Contact Sheet plug-in allows you to create PDF contact sheets of the assets within your Collection. You can specify what each contact sheet will look like. When creating Contact Sheets, you can set any of the following options:

•	Users designs each contact sheet by specifying its page size and orientation

•	The arrangement of columns and rows

•	The dimensions of the preview

•	The font size of any text fields

•	Whether to include QR codes provide URLS of each asset

•	Whether to show or hide Keywords in the contact sheet

•	Whether to include information about when the asset was created or last modified

•	Whether to include specific details from Image Info, Video Info, and/or Audio Info

 

 The Contact Sheet PDF, once created, is streamed in the your Web browser, from which it can be saved for redistribution.

Asset Fulfillment Request

The Collection - Asset Fulfillment Request plug-in provides administrative approval abilities for users to file for a restoration requests before the files are placed in a retrieval area.

Note: An administrator approves or denies user requests for assets on an asset-by-asset basis.

Video Reel Generator

The Collection - Video reel Generator plug-in allows you to assemble existing video assets, PDFs, Illustrator documents, InDesign documents, Office documents, and images into new videos.

Note: Archived files are not supported in the Video Reel Generator.

Send to Archive

The Collection - Send to Archive plug-in allows you to archive assets which have been completed for a project. Once archived, these files are flagged in the database as archived for all users who have access to the volume the assets are stored in. A green flag icon can be seen on the top left corner of the asset preview thumbnail to quickly identify that they have been archived. Users can review the details of assets in Pilot. For example, users can scroll through previews of the pages an asset, stream a video, review the comments, history, linked files, versions, and annotations added to the asset.

Note: Your Administrator must install OnFile and create store locations for you to store your archived files. OnFile is a 3rd-Party software. For more information, see www.archiware.com. Contact your Administrator to gain access to this functionality.

To archive an asset:

1.	In the Short view, click the Collection action tool icon under an asset to add this asset to your collection.

The Collection icon turns yellow to indicate that it has been added to your collection.

2.	On the top of the interface, click the Collection icon to open your collection.

3.	Under the plug-ins listed in the left pane, click Send file to Archive.

 

4.	From the Archive to Location menu, select a location to archive this file to and click Send archive request.

 

5.

Optional - You have the option of removing any asset you have requested to be archived from the requests list one last time. To remove an asset, click the # Files to archive link to view a list of the archived files and select the Cancel button next to the asset’s name to remove it. Confirm that you would like to cancel your request to add this asset to be archived by clicking OK.

6.	Optional - Click Monitor Archiving to view the status of your requests.

You will have to wait until your request has been reviewed by someone with permission to approve an archive of assets. During the waiting period, the assets will be removed from your collection, but will not show any change in state in Pilot under approved.

 

Once archived, a green icon is displayed on the top right corner of the assets preview.

Restoring from Archive

The Collection - Contact Sheet plug-in allows you to restore archived files, provided you have the permissions set up by your Administrator. You will notice the history of the archiving in the Details view. You can restore the file to use in other projects.

To restore an archived file:

1.	On the top left side of the interface, click the Collection icon to open your collection.

2.	Select an archived asset.

3.	From the list of plug-ins on the left pane, select Restore from Archived.

4.	In the Restore dialog box, specify the location of the archived files you want to restore.

5.	Click Send Restore Request.