Setting up the Pro client in Elvis 6

The Pro Client is one of the ways of accessing Elvis 6 through a Web browser.

It provides easy access to content that is stored in Elvis and because of its wide range of features it is perfect for both general and advanced use.

Figure: Accessing content in Elvis through the Pro Client.

This article describes how to set up the Pro client so that users can start using it. The following topics are described:

• Installation and configuration
• Required licenses
• Setting up user permissions
• Making the URL available
• Web browser compatibility
• Web browser configuration
• Changing the look and feel
• Setting up download presets
• Customizing the list for sorting assets
• Configuring the maximum resolution of the image used when zooming in
• Configuring the default expiry date of shared assets
• Extending the functionality with plug-ins

Installation and configuration

The Pro client is part of Elvis Server and is therefore installed as part of the Elvis Server installation.

Network products and RFC compliancy

The Pro client is run in a Web browser and references to assets and queries are therefore expressed in URLs. These URLs can contain ////-sequences and diacritics such as accented characters.

Please note that the URLs that are generated by Elvis are compliant with the URI syntax RFC 3986. Make sure that your network environment such as proxies, gateways and firewalls also support this standard so that the URLs can be successfully routed.

Required licenses

The Pro client is aimed at users with a Standard or Pro user license. Users with a Basic user license make use of the Brand portal.

Setting up user permissions

As for any other Elvis client, users need to be given permission to use the Pro client and its features. This is done by using the tools in the Pro client as described in Controlling user permissions in Elvis 6.

For the Pro client, take note of the following:

• Use the Capability named 'Web client' to provide users access to the Pro client.
• Check the list of client features in Controlling user access to clients and client features in Elvis 6 to see which apply to the Pro client.

Making the URL available

Distribute the following URL to users who need to use the Pro client:

<Elvis Server URL>/app

Example: localhost/app

Note that this is the same URL as the one for accessing the Brand portal. When accessing the URL and entering the log-in credentials, one of two things will happen:

1. For users with a Basic user license the Brand portal will appear.
2. For users with a Standard or Pro user license or for Super users, the Pro client appears.

Web browser compatibility

Make sure that users access the Pro client by using a Web browser with which the Pro client is compatible. For a full overview, see Compatibility of Elvis 6.

Web browser configuration

When the Pro client is running in a Web browser tab that is not active, the connection to Elvis Agent can be lost. This is a result of the Web browser putting services in non-active tabs into sleep mode. For details about how to prevent this, see Preventing the Elvis 6 Pro client from losing its connection to Elvis Agent.

Changing the look and feel

The look and feel of the Pro client can be changed to match the style of the brand that the Pro client is used for, for example by matching it with the branding of a company, product or publication.

The following can be adjusted:

• The background image of the Sign In page
• The logo in the header
• The color of the header
• The highlight color (used for buttons, selections and various other small page items)
• The background color for thumbnails and previews of transparent images
• The 'favicon' shown in a Web browser
• The 'Feedback' and 'Help' links

Figure: The default background image of the Sign In page.

Figure: A custom background image on a customized Sign In page.

Figure: The default Branding settings.

Figure: The Branding settings adjusted to match the WoodWing brand.

For more information, see Changing the look and feel of the Pro client in Elvis 6.

Setting up download presets

By default, users can either download a preview of a file, download the original file, or they can create a custom download to download the file in a specific format, size and resolution.

Note: This applies to downloading files in the Pro client itself as well as downloading files that are shared through the Pro client.

To improve efficiency, Download Presets containing often used download settings can be made available to user groups and users of shared files. This way the users do not have to go through the process of creating a Custom Download each time themselves.

Each assigned Download Preset appears in the Download menu for that user.

Figure: Download Presets make it easy for users to quickly download files in a specific format, size and resolution.

Setting up Download presets is done in the Management Console. For more information, see Managing Download Presets in Elvis 6.

Customizing the list for sorting assets

Info: This feature requires Elvis 6.6 or higher.

When searching for assets in the Pro client, the displayed assets can be sorted by using the Sort list.

Figure: The Sort list in the Pro client.

This list contains default items to sort assets on, but can also be customized to show specific items only. For more information, see Customizing the list for sorting assets.

Configuring the maximum resolution of the image used when zooming in

Info: This feature requires Elvis 6.35 or higher.

When previewing an image, the default size of the preview is 1600x1600 pixels. When zooming in, this image is replaced by a higher resolution image with a maximum size of 7680x7680 pixels.

The maximum resolution of the image that is used when zooming in can be changed by configuring the following setting:

• File: cluster-config.properties.txt
• Option name: maxZoomedPreviewSize
• Value: Any positive numerical value.
• Requires Elvis Server restart: no

Example: maxZoomedPreviewSize=10000

Configuring the default expiry date of shared assets

Info: This feature requires Elvis 6.17 or higher.

When assets are shared, they can be accessed for a limited period of time. The default time period is one month which can be manually changed when the link with which the assets are shared is created or edited.

To change this default time period, add the following option to the cluster-config.properties.txt file of Elvis Server and change the value to the desired number of months:

authKeyDefaultExpireMonths=1

Extending the functionality with plug-ins

The default functionality of the Pro client can be extended by using plug-ins. Each plug-in will add its own functionality and it depends on the type of plug-in and how it is set up how it can be used in the Pro client.

Some plug-ins will add automated functionality such as archiving files when they reach a particular status while other add functionality that can be manually triggered by clicking a button or a context menu command, or by using a panel.

For more information about using plug-ins in the Pro client, see Extending the Elvis 6 functionality with plug-ins.

Document history

• 6 August 2019: Added section 'Configuring the maximum resolution of the image used when zooming in'.