Managing taxonomy lists in Assets 10

When a value is added to a metadata field, it is important that this value is correctly entered. This is preferably done by all users using a generally used term and the correct spelling. When this is not consistently done, the chance exists that the asset is not included in the search results when users search for the asset (using these general terms and correct spelling).

To streamline this process, a metadata field in Assets 10 can be set up to use a 'taxonomy list' from which the user can choose a predefined value to use.

This saves the user from having to enter the term manually and thereby ensures consistent input.

How this is done is explained in this article.

What is a taxonomy list?

A taxonomy list is a list of restricted, predefined, related terms that follow a controlled hierarchy. They are also known as 'controlled vocabularies'.

Taxonomy files are formatted in a specific way. In Assets 10, they can exist as a text file or a CSV file.

Text files

A text style taxonomy file might look like this:

Lifestyle
	Vehicle
		Car
		Bicycle
	AI
Business
	Blockchain
	Cybersecurity

Note: Tabs should be used for creating a parent/child structure.

CSV files

A taxonomy file in CSV format might look something like this:

#id;name;definition;parentId
1;Lifestyle;;
2;Vehicle;Ways of transport;1
3;Car;;2
4;Bicycle;;2
5;AI;Artificial intelligence;1
6;Business;;
7;Blockchain;;6
8;Cybersecurity;;6

Notes: A semi-colon (;) should be used as the separator. The file should not contain a header. Lines should not be turned into a comment by starting them with a #. Such lines will be ignored.

Configuration

Configuring taxonomy lists consists of the following steps:

1. Making the list available in Assets 10
2. Connecting the list to a metadata field

Step 1. Making the list available in Assets 10

Step 1. When a new list needs to be added, create it as a .txt or .csv file as shown above.

Step 2. In Assets 10, access the Management Console.

Step 3. From the menu, click Taxonomies.

The Taxonomies page appears.

Step 4. Do one of the following:

• Click Browse to upload a new file.
• Click Download to download an existing file to edit it.
• Click Replace to replace an existing file. This will keep the link to the metadata fields it is linked with (explained below).
• Click Delete to delete a file. The link between the taxonomy list and the metadata field is broken, but any values already entered in the field will remain.

Step 2. Connecting the list to a metadata field

Step 1. In the Management Console, click Metadata in the menu.

Step 2. Create a new metadata field and set its type to Taxonomy.

Note: For full details about creating new metadata fields, see Managing metadata fields in Assets 10.

Step 3. Click Create.

Step 4. In the General settings tab, choose the taxonomy file from the list to associate it with this field.

Step 5. (Optional) Enable the option Allow selecting of parent values.

Step 6. (Optional, but recommended) Add a description to explain users how and when to use the field and its taxonomy values.

Step 7. Click Save.

Step 8. Set the correct user permissions for the field. See Defining metadata field permissions for Assets 10 users.

Users will now see the field in the Metadata panel and can populate it with the values from the taxonomy list. It is also available in the Filter to search for files that contain a value from the list.