Setting up the Swivle environment

In this article we describe how to set up the Swivle environment, ranging from setting up user permissions to changing the look and feel of Swivle.

Who can set up the environment?

Initially, only the person who has signed up for the Swivle trial has access to the tool with which the environment can be set up: the Management console. You can check this by logging in to Swivle, clicking your Avatar and checking if the option 'Management console' is present.

Once additional users have been added, the role of admin can (optionally) be transferred to or shared with other users.

Before you start

There are a few key steps to take before you can start using Swivle with your team.

These steps are:

• Creating Groups for users.
• Setting up Rules to determine which groups can access which files within your Swivle environment.

Note: Setting up rules can be a complex process, make sure you fully understand the process.

Optional steps to perform include:

• Configuring which groups can access which Metadata fields.
• Configuring Download Presets so your team members can work more efficiently.
• Inviting your team members.
• Configuring Branding options to give Swivle your own styling.

Different environments for different users

Depending on their subscription, users will work within one of the following environments:

• Users with a Content Consumer subscription will work within the Brand portal, a basic version of Swivle with limited features.
• Users with a Content Manager subscription will have access to Swivle as well as the Brand Portal and all its features.
• Additionally, Admin users will be able to access the Management Console, used for managing users and the environment. Only Content Managers can be made admin.

How it works

The principle of setting up the environment is as follows:

1. Rules to control access to files are set up, either based on a folder path, metadata they contain, or both.

2. The Rule is assigned to a group. As part of this step, Permissions are assigned which control the actions that can be performed on the files that are defined in the Rule. Such permissions include viewing, editing or deleting the files.

3. Access for viewing and / or editing specific metadata fields and letting users make use of Download Presets is also defined for groups in separate steps.

An additive permission model

Swivle uses an additive permission model. This means that a user has no access to content, unless a rule grants access.

It is also important to keep in mind that when a user is in two groups, permissions are merged.

Example: A user is in Group A, in which users are allowed to access files in folder '/MyBrand/Logos' with an additional query which says 'NOT status:Final'. This means that users in Group A will be able to access all files in '/MyBrand/Logos' with the exception of files that have the field 'status' set to 'Final'. The user is then also added to Group B, in which users are allowed to access files in folder '/MyBrand/Logos' with an additional query which says 'status:Final'. This means that users in Group B will be able to access any file in '/MyBrand/Logos' that have the field 'status' set to 'Final', and nothing else. With the user now in both groups, the user will be able to see all files in '/MyBrand/Logos' because the rule granting access overrides the rule denying access.

Let's get started

We know it is a lot to take in, but to help you get familiar with the principles mentioned above, we have set up some groups and permissions for you when you started your trial.

The first time you log in to the Management Console, you will find the Managers and Consumer groups there, as well as some basic Download Presets. You can change these as much as you like, as well as create your own.

To access the Management Console, click your Avatar and choose 'Management console'. It will open in a new browser tab.

Although technically there is no strict order in the way to set up the environment, you do have to create a group before you can start setting up Rules and Download presets.

1. Setting up Groups

To learn how to create groups, see Creating user groups in Swivle.

2. Setting up Rules

To learn how to create rules, see Controlling user access in Swivle by setting up Rules.

3. 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 Swivle itself as well as downloading files that are shared.

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

For more information, see Setting up Download presets in Swivle.

4. Inviting your team members to your Swivle environment

After setting up access rights for groups, users can be invited. Leaving this step as the last in the process makes sure that when users accept the invitation they will directly have access to the files that they should be allowed to work with.

Users are added by sending them an invitation. The e-mail address of the user is treated as the user account.

Users can be part of one or more groups. By adding a user to a group, they will be given access to the files by means of the Rules that have been set up for that group.

To learn how to invite users, see Inviting users in Swivle.

5. (Optional) Branding your Swivle environment

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

The following can be adjusted:

• The logo in the header.
• The color of the header.
• The highlight color (used for buttons, selections and various other small page items).

For more information, see Branding your Swivle environment.

6. (Optional) Setting up portals

In Swivle, Portals can be used for promoting specific material such as brochures and products. From it, visitors can download and optionally share files.

Promoting folders or Collections for increased visibility and findability is done by adding them to the front page of a Portal, in combination with a title, header, and a short description.

This way, you can:

• Theme the homepage with an image and provide extra information or an introduction to the people visiting your portal using a title and description.
• Promote a folder or Collection that you want to highlight for your clients, agencies, or internal colleagues.
• Guide your portal visitors with easy access to frequently requested items without requiring them to navigate through the folder structure.

Promoting folders and Collections in a Portal is done by the Swivle administrator as part of managing Portals. For more information, see Managing Portals in Swivle.

7. (Optional) Sharing files using a public or password protected Portal in Swivle

Using Portals in Swivle, you can make your archive (or a part of your archive) available for colleagues, partners, resellers or clients. They will be able to search through your archive and download the relevant material, all in an intuitive and easy to use interface.

You can create multiple public or password protected portals. Each portal is accessible on its own subdomain (xxxxx.swivle.cloud), has unique content, and can be individually branded using your own logo and colors.

This makes it possible for example to:

• Create a public brand portal where you share your brand's files (logos, fonts, brochures, and so on.)
• Create a personal environment for your clients. Ideal for photographers and agencies.
• Create a private portal for your partners, distributors or resellers where they can find your latest product and marketing material.

Sharing files by setting up a Portal is done by the Swivle administrator as part of managing Portals. For more information, see Managing Portals in Swivle.

8 (Optional) Additional actions

Using the Management Console, additional actions can be performed, including;

• Managing licenses
• Auto-tagging files
• Setting the duration of a Shared Link
• Using the Swivle API
• Using Webhooks

For more information, see Managing Swivle.