Changing the properties of a file in Studio

On many occasions you may need to change the settings (referred to as 'properties') of a file such as its name, the Workflow Status, the Edition it belongs to, and so on.

Changing the properties of a file can be done in the following ways:

• When uploading files
• For all files: by using the Properties panel
• For all files: by using the Properties dialog box or panel
• For placed objects: when previewing a layout
• For Dossiers: within a Dossier

It is also possible to change the properties for each individual file or for multiple files at once.

Uploading files

When files are added to the system by using the Upload panel, the properties of the files can also be changed.

Using the Properties panel

With one or more¹ files selected anywhere in Studio, make sure that the Properties panel is open by clicking its icon on the right side of the screen, and change any of the available settings. Your changes are automatically saved.

¹ See Changing the properties of multiple objects or files.

Figure: Change the settings of a selected file by opening the Properties panel (A) and changing any of the settings (B).

Using the Properties dialog box

The Properties dialog box appears when right-clicking one or more¹ files anywhere in Studio and choosing:

• Send to... to send the file to another user
• Copy... to make a copy of the file

Change any settings to your needs and click Save.

¹ See Changing the properties of multiple objects or files.

Figure: The Properties dialog box for copying a file.

For a placed object when previewing a layout

When previewing a layout that contains a placed object such as an image or article, click that object and from the toolbar that appears, open the menu and click Properties.

In the Properties window that appears, make your changes and click Save.

Changing Dossier properties within a Dossier

Apart from changing the properties of a Dossier through the Properties panel (see above), it is also possible to make these changes from within the Dossier:

• Click the name at the top of the page to quickly change it.

• Click Properties in the top right of the page to open the Properties window to change any of the Dossier settings.

Figure: To change the properties of a Dossier while the Dossier is open, click Properties in the top right of the page (A) to make the Properties window appear (B).

Knowing the difference between the 'Used in' and 'Publish in' properties

The properties 'Used in' and 'Publish in' can appear to be very similar, but the way they are used is quite different. Knowing how the values of these properties change for a Dossier and the files they contain is essential to working with Dossiers.

We recommend to read the full explanation found in The difference between the 'Used in' and 'Publish in' properties in Studio.

Changing the properties of multiple objects or files

Instead of changing properties file by file, it is also possible to change properties simultaneously for multiple objects or files.

This works in the same way as changing the properties for a single file, but with the following restrictions:

• All selected files should be of the same type (meaning: they should all be images, all be articles, all be layouts, and so on).

• All selected files should be assigned to the same Brand.

Properties that have different values in different files

When working with multiple files it can easily happen that the value of a property in one file is different than the value of the same property in another file.

Example: One file might have the Category set to 'News' while another file might have the Category set to 'Sport'.

When this happens, the following is shown:

• Properties containing text will show '(multiple values)'
• Properties with a 'yes/no' or 'true/false' switch will show the switch centered

Of course, the value of these properties can still be changed. Once the change has been applied, all files will have that value assigned.

Note: For properties that can hold multiple values (such as the Tags field), all existing values are replaced with the change that has been made.

Properties that cannot be changed

You might find that at times one or more properties cannot be changed. This can have several reasons.

• The property is configured as 'read-only'.

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 the Dialog Setup Maintenance page of Studio Server.

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

• 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 Studio Server.

• 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 Studio Server.

Resolution: Try to change the property by selecting just a single file instead of multiple files.

Properties that do not appear

When multiple files are selected, certain properties may not appear. This occurs in the following scenarios:

• The value of the property cannot be changed. This applies to the following properties:
• Name
• Brand
• Issue
• Edition

• The value of the property is not suitable to be changed simultaneously for multiple files.

Example: The property for adding keywords is usually not one that should be changed for multiple files because each file will have specific keywords.

Which property will or will not be available when multiple files are selected depends on how the system is configured.

Note for system administrators: To make a property appear for multiple selected files, make sure that the property is added to the Properties dialog box and that the option 'Multiple objects' is set for that property. For more information, see Adding a property to a dialog box in Enterprise 10.0 – 10.4.

Scenarios in which changes are not saved

When changing a property, it can sometimes happen that the change is not saved. This could be because of the following reasons:

• The object or file is in use by another user or a process that is running in the background. When this is the case, a message will appear to inform you and/or an icon appears next to the field (hover over it to see which files are affected).

Figure: When a value cannot be changed, an icon appears next to the field. Hover over it for more information.

• You do not have sufficient permissions to change the file. Changes are only made to those files for which you have permission to make that change.

Example: 8 Files are selected. For 6 of the files you have permission to change the Status property but for the remaining 2 files you do not have permission to make this change (for instance because the 'Change Status' option in an Access Profile has been disabled). After changing the Status property and clicking OK, the change is made only to the 6 files for which you have permission. The other 2 are left unchanged.