Controlling how files are stored in the Elvis 6 - Enterprise 10 integration – Home

Elvis 6 can be tightly integrated with Enterprise Server 10 to use Elvis as a storage location for files that are used in the Enterprise workflow.

Part of this integration is controlling how files are stored that are added from Elvis to Enterprise or from Enterprise to Elvis.

Various methods of doing this exist. This article describes these methods, explains the workflows in which they are used, and shows how to configure the system for each method.

Workflows

The methods of storing files can best be explained by describing the workflows in which they are used.

Two workflows exist:

Files are added from Elvis to Enterprise (for example by dragging it from the Elvis Pro client into a Dossier in Content Station).
Files are added from Enterprise to Elvis (for example by uploading a local file into a Dossier in Content Station) and is directly stored in Elvis instead of in the Enterprise File Store.

Each is described in more detail in this article.

Workflow 1: Files are added from Elvis to Enterprise

In this workflow, an Enterprise user somehow needs to have access to the file, for example to place it on a layout or to edit the file.

One consideration to make during this process is if the original file should be modified or should be left intact. Files that are stored in a central storage location such as Elvis are typically used in multiple ways and in multiple publications. Modifying a file for the purpose of one publication could therefore have a direct effect on all other publications in which that file is used.

Another consideration to make is whether it should be possible to modify archived files.

To set up these different scenarios, an Elvis file can be added to Enterprise in one of the following ways:

As a direct copy of the original file. In this scenario, the full file is copied from Elvis to Enterprise and used as a standalone file. Transferring large files over the network can potentially take a long time. When editing the file, the original is left intact.

As a shadow object. (Not available for Enterprise Server 10.6.0 or higher) This is a representation in Enterprise of the original file in Elvis and only contains enough information for the user to work with the file. In the experience of the user, it looks and behaves as the original file. The original file— together with the file preview, thumbnail, metadata and versions — is only retrieved from Elvis and stored on the local system of the user when the file is needed for actions such as editing, creating a PDF, and so on.

When editing the file in Enterprise, the file in Elvis is also modified.

As a shadow object in the Production Zone. This is similar to a regular shadow object, but now a copy is first made of the original file in Elvis and stored in a dedicated folder in Elvis known as a 'Production Environment' or a 'Production Zone'. Multiple Production Zones can be set up. This makes it possible to use the same file across different Brands.

A shadow object of which the original file is stored in the Production Zone is referred to as a 'Production shadow object' to differentiate if from 'regular' shadow objects.

Because the Production shadow object is linked to the copy of the original, the original file itself is not modified when the shadow object is modified.

Note: For this purpose, using a Product shadow object is the preferred method to use.

Workflow 2: Files are added from Enterprise to Elvis

Info: This feature applies to the following types of files:

Images (requires Enterprise Server 10.6 or higher)
Audio files (requires Enterprise Server 10.8 or higher)
Video files (requires Enterprise Server 10.8 or higher)

Note: Any file that was added to Enterprise before this feature was implemented will not be moved to Elvis and will always remain in Enterprise.

In this workflow the file is directly stored in Elvis as opposed to the File Store of Enterprise Server. This occurs when the following action takes place:

A new file is added to Enterprise (for example by uploading a local file to a Dossier in Content Station)
An existing file in Enterprise is copied (this only applies to shadow object files that are linked to Elvis files)

The original file is stored in the Production Zone in Elvis and a Production shadow object is made available in Enterprise.

It is therefore very similar to a Production shadow object of workflow 1, but now the original file is a standalone file instead of a copy of an existing file in Elvis.

Note that a file is not stored in Elvis when the following applies:

The file was already added to Enterprise before this feature was used

One of the following actions take place:
Save version
Restore from Trash Can
Restore file version from object History
Re-use (restore) from Elvis archive
Creating a planned image (only when the planned image is replaced by the actual image is the image added to Elvis.)
Migrating from an older version of Enterprise to Enterprise 10.6 or higher

Diagram

The following diagram shows the previously described workflows:

Ways of using assets

A copy of the original file in Elvis is added to Enterprise. It is not linked to the file in Elvis.
A shadow object of the original file in Elvis is added to Enterprise. It is linked to the file in Elvis. (Not supported in Enterprise 10.6 or higher)
A copy is made of the original file in Elvis and stored in the Production Zone. A Production shadow object is added to Enterprise. It is linked to the file in the Production Zone.
A file added to Enterprise is stored in the Production Zone in Elvis. A Production shadow object is added to Enterprise. It is linked to the file in the Production Zone.

Configuration

Note: It is assumed here that Elvis and Enterprise are either already fully integrated or that you are in the process of doing so. For more information, see Integrating Elvis 6 in Enterprise Server 10.

Option 1: Creating a copy in Enterprise that is not linked to the asset in Elvis

Step 1. Open the configuration file of the Elvis plug-in in Enterprise in a text editor:

Step 2. Locate the 'ELVIS_CREATE_COPY' option and configure it as follows:

For Enterprise Server 10.0.x:
Set the option to 'true'

define('ELVIS_CREATE_COPY', 'true');

For Enterprise Server 10.1 or higher:
Set the option to 'Hard_Copy_To_Enterprise'

if( !defined('ELVIS_CREATE_COPY') ) {
	define( 'ELVIS_CREATE_COPY', 'Hard_Copy_To_Enterprise' );
}

Note: Setting the option can influence the setting for restoring an archived layout from Enterprise. When making use of this feature, please check supported combinations in Restoring an archived layout in Elvis 6 Server - configuration.

Step 3. Save the file. The changes will be automatically implemented.

Option 2: Creating a shadow object in Enterprise that is linked to the asset in Elvis

Note: This option is not available for Enterprise Server 10.6.0 or higher. Use option 3 'Creating a Production shadow object in Enterprise that is linked to a copy of the original in Elvis'.

Step 1. Open the configuration file of the Elvis plug-in in Enterprise in a text editor:

Step 2. Locate the 'ELVIS_CREATE_COPY' option and configure it as follows:

For Enterprise Server 10.0.x:
Set the option to 'false'

define('ELVIS_CREATE_COPY', 'false');

For Enterprise Server 10.1 or higher:
Set the option to 'Shadow_Only'

if( !defined('ELVIS_CREATE_COPY') ) {
	define( 'ELVIS_CREATE_COPY', 'Shadow_Only' );
}

Step 3. Save the file. The changes will be effective immediately.

Option 3: Creating a Production shadow object in Enterprise that is linked to a copy of the original in Elvis

Info: This feature requires Enterprise 10.1.1 or higher.

Note: Configuring the system this way also automatically stores images in Elvis that are added to Enterprise (see option 4 later in this article).

Setting up this feature requires the following steps to be performed:

Creating a folder in Elvis in which to store the assets
Setting up access rights in Elvis
Configuring the Server plug-in
(Optional) Defining how assets in the Production Zone folder are to be used
Running the Health Check test in Enterprise Server

1. Creating a folder in Elvis in which to store the assets

Log in to the Pro client as an administrator and create a folder in Elvis which will act as the 'Production Zone': the location where the assets in Elvis will be copied to.

Note: This folder should be a base folder (a folder at the top of the hierarchy).

2. Setting up access rights in Elvis

Note: This step is only required for Enterprise Server versions 10.0.x to 10.5.x; in Enterprise Server 10.6 and higher, Elvis access rights are overruled by those of Enterprise Server.

Set up access rights to the Production Zone folder in Elvis to make sure that users cannot delete the assets in the Production Zone folder.

For information about how to do this, see Controlling user access to folders and assets in Elvis 6.

Step 1. Set up the following Rule:

Restrict permissions to folders: select the created Production Zone folder
Restrict permissions with a metadata query: -sceUsed:true

The Production Zone Rule

Step 2. Assign the Rule to users and user groups and make sure that the option Delete is not selected.

3. Configuring the Server plug-in

Step 1. Open the configuration file of the Elvis plug-in in Enterprise in a text editor.

Step 2. Locate the 'ELVIS_CREATE_COPY' option and set it to 'Copy_To_Production_Zone'.

if( !defined('ELVIS_CREATE_COPY') ) {
	define( 'ELVIS_CREATE_COPY', 'Copy_To_Production_Zone' );
}

Step 3. Locate the 'DEFAULT_ELVIS_PRODUCTION_ZONE' option and define the folder location by using the following placeholders:

${brand}. This will be replaced by the Brand name once the Brand is created.
${date:<format>}. This will be replaced by the current date once the Elvis asset is copied. For details about the format, see http://php.net/manual/en/function.date.php.

if( !defined('DEFAULT_ELVIS_PRODUCTION_ZONE') ) {
	define( 'DEFAULT_ELVIS_PRODUCTION_ZONE', '/Production Zone/${brand}/${date:Y-m}' );
	}

Step 3. Save the file.

4. (Optional) Defining how assets in the Production Zone folder are to be used

While the Production Zone folder is meant as a storage location for the system, users who can see this folder might treat it as any other folder in Elvis and move assets from it to Enterprise.

When doing so, these users might expect that a copy is created of this asset, similar to when an asset from any other Elvis folder is moved.

However, the default behavior is that no copy is created. This is because Enterprise recognizes that a shadow object for this asset already exists and uses that same shadow object again.

As a result, the same shadow object is now used in multiple places but users might be under the impression that a different file has been created. When editing the file, they might not be aware that these changes are also applied to the asset in the other locations in Enterprise. (See also Working with assets that are stored in the Production Zone folder of Elvis 6.)

Consider implementing one of the following solutions to prevent these unwanted changes:

Do not give access to the Production Zone folder to users. Modify the Elvis Rule so that users do not see the folder in Elvis. When users want to re-use an Elvis asset in Enterprise, they can locate the original asset in Elvis and move it once more to Enterprise. This way, a new copy of the file is added to the Production Zone folder in Elvis and in Enterprise a new shadow object is created.

Always have a copy created. (For images only and only for Enterprise Server 10.1.3 to 10.5.x; in Enterprise Server 10.6 and higher this is standard behavior which cannot be disabled.) Configure the Elvis plug-in in Enterprise to make sure that each time an image is moved from the Production Zone folder to Enterprise, a copy is created in the Production Zone folder in Elvis and a new shadow object is created in Enterprise. For this, set the following option in the Elvis plug-in configuration file to true:

if( !defined('ELVIS_CREATE_COPY_WHEN_MOVED_FROM_PRODUCTION_ZONE') ) {
	define( 'ELVIS_CREATE_COPY_WHEN_MOVED_FROM_PRODUCTION_ZONE', true );
}

5. Running the Health Check test in Enterprise Server

Important: Do not skip this step; apart from testing the configuration it also creates the required property C_ELVIS_PRODUCTION_ZONE.

In Enterprise Server, run the 'Elvis Content Source' check on the Health Check page.