Using Assets, files can be automatically opened in their native application, edited in some way and saved back to Assets Server.
Communication between Assets and the application in which the file is opened is handled by a separate application named Assets Agent. It needs to be installed on the system on which Assets is used.
This article describes how to install Assets Agent.
Before you start
Before you start, be aware of the following:
- Compatibility of Assets Agent with operating systems. For more information, see the Compatibility Matrix.
- Load balancers. Using Assets Agent with a load balancer requires WebSocket support, the technology that is used by Assets Agent.
Note: WebSocket support is available in Application Load Balancers (ALB), not in Classic Load Balancers (CLB).
- SSL. Assets Agent needs a full chain SSL certificate; a Self signed SSL certificate will not work with Assets Agent. For details about how to set up a HTTPS connection with Assets Server, see Setting up HTTPS in Assets Server. You might also need to add your domain to the security.accessControlAllowOrigin in the cluster-config.properties.txt file and then restart the cluster.
Installation
The installation process involves the following steps:
Step 1. Configuring Assets Server
Step 2. Downloading Assets Agent
Step 3. Installing Assets Agent
Step 4. Making sure that Assets Agent is running
Step 5. Configuring trusted Assets Server URLs
Step 6. (Optional) Changing preferences
1. Configuring Assets Server
Step 1. Add the following option:
- File: cluster-config.properties.txt file
- Name of option: webSocketEnabled
- Default value: false
- Example:
webSocketEnabled=true
Step 2. Save the changes and restart Assets Server.
2. Downloading Assets Agent
Assets Agent can be downloaded from within Assets.
Step 1. Access the Installation clients page of Assets by accessing the Avatar menu and choosing Install clients.
Step 2. Download the required installer.
3. Installing Assets Agent
Extract the downloaded file, double-click it to start the installation and follow the instructions on screen.
4. Making sure that Assets Agent is running
After installation, Assets Agent is automatically started on Windows, but needs to be started manually on macOS.
When Assets Agent is running, an icon is shown in the notification area (Windows system tray) or in the menu bar (macOS).
Figure: Assets Agent in the notification area of Windows (left) and in the menu on macOS (right).
Tip: Configure your system in such a way that Assets Agent is automatically started when the system itself is started.
5. (Optional) Configuring trusted Assets Server URLs
To prevent connections to rogue servers, a trusted instance of Assets Server needs to be specified when Assets Agent connects to Assets Server.
This can be done by configuring one or more trusted servers that users regularly log in to.
Note: When no servers are configured or the instance of Assets Server that Assets tries to connect to is not part of the configuration, the user is asked to enter a URL manually when Assets Agent attempts to connect (see Opening files for editing (file check-out and check-in) in Assets).
In this step, the process of configuring one or more trusted servers is described.
How it works
Connections to trusted instances of Assets Server are stored in the following configuration file on the system of the user:
woodwingAssetsServerURLConfig.json
This file is stored in the following location:
Windows: ~/AppData/Local/WoodWing/Elvis/
macOS: /Library/Application Support/WoodWing/Elvis/
A trusted instance of Assets Server consists of the name of the server and its URL.
Configuration
Two configuration methods exist:
- Configuring the configuration file directly. With this method, one or more server instances can be configured. This step is typically performed by the system administrator.
- Using the configuration option in Assets Agent. (Only available in Assets Agent that is shipped with Assets versions 6.86 and 6.87) With this method, only one server instance can be configured. This step can also be performed by the user.
Method 1. Configuring the configuration file In this method, one or more server instances can be configured. Step 1. Verify if the configuration file already exists (see above for its name and location). Use the following code to create a new file or to update an existing file:
Step 2. Update the code by adding as many server instances as needed by adding their name and URL. Step 3. When done, save the file. When Assets now tries to connect to any of the configured servers via Assets Agent, the connection is automatically established. |
Method 2: Using the configuration option in Assets Agent Info: This is available in Assets Agent version 1.0.32.57 only (shipped with Assets versions 6.86 and 6.87). In this method, only one server instance can be configured. Step 1. With Assets Agent running, access its menu by right-clicking its icon in the notification area of Windows or in the menu on macOS. Figure: The Assets Agent icon in the notification area of Windows (left) and in the menu on macOS (right). Step 2. From the menu that appears, choose Configure Assets Server... . The dialog for configuring an instance of Assets Server appears. Step 3. Enter a server name and URL and click Save. The settings are stored in the following file: woodwingAssetsServerURLConfig.json This file is stored in the following location: Windows: ~/AppData/Local/WoodWing/Elvis/ macOS: /Library/Application Support/WoodWing/Elvis/ The next time Assets tries to connect to this server via Assets Agent, the connection is automatically established. |
6. (Optional) Changing preferences
By default, files that are checked-out are stored in the following location:
- macOS: users/<user folder>/Documents/Elvis Checkouts/<user folder>
- Windows: users\<user folder>\My Documents\Elvis Checkouts\<user folder>
To change this location, do the following;
Step 1. Make sure that Assets Agent is running.
Step 2. Access the Assets Agent menu:
- macOS: Click the icon in the menu bar
- Windows: Right-click the icon in the notification area (system tray).
Step 3. From the menu, choose Change Checkouts folder.
Step 4. Select the folder in which the checked-out files should be stored.
Troubleshooting
'Lost connection' error when checking-in or checking-out a file in Assets Server
This can occur when using a CLB load balancer. These are not supported; please use an ALB load balancer instead.
Comment
Do you have corrections or additional information about this article? Leave a comment! Do you have a question about what is described in this article? Please contact Support.
0 comments
Please sign in to leave a comment.