Why is it sometimes not possible to change the properties of a file in Content Station 9?

When trying to change the properties of a file, you might sometimes find that this is not possible to do. The possible scenarios are listed below.

The property cannot be changed

The property does not appear in the Properties dialog box

The property cannot be changed

Scenario: The Properties dialog box can be accessed, but one or more properties cannot be changed.

Figure: In this example, all properties can be edited except the Copyright property which appears grayed-out.

Analysis: This could have one of several causes:

• The property is configured as 'read-only' by the system administrator.

Note for system administrators: Custom metadata properties are configured as 'read-only' by default. To make a property editable, select the 'Editable' check box on Dialog Setup Maintenance page.

• When the Category, Status and Route To properties have multiple values, the Category and Status properties are automatically set to read-only by Enterprise.

• When the Category and Route To properties have multiple values while the Status property only has 1 value, the Status property is automatically set to read-only by Enterprise.

• When the Category and Route To properties have multiple values while the Category property only has 1 value, the Category property is automatically set to read-only by Enterprise.

Resolution: Try to change the property by selecting just a single file instead of multiple files. When unsure about why a property cannot be changed while it is possible to change other properties, check with your system administrator.

The property does not appear in the Properties dialog box

Scenario: When accessing the Properties dialog box, the property that I want to change is not shown.

Figure: In this example, the Properties dialog box only shows a limited number of properties. Not shown for example are the Brand, Issue and Editions property.

Analysis: This happens when selecting multiple files to simultaneously change their properties (a feature available in Content Station 9.2 or higher). One of the restrictions of this feature is that the values of the following fields cannot be changed and therefore do not appear in the Properties dialog box:

• Name
• Brand
• Issue
• Edition

Resolution: If you want to change these specific properties, make sure to select a single file instead of multiple files.