The asset uploader guides asset contributors through the upload process, giving them a full-screen experience in which to tag files with metadata and other information, drag and drop files into the Acquia DAM (Widen), and see a summary of the assets that were uploaded. 

To get started, select the Upload button on the dashboard, then select Assets.
 

 

Choose details¶

On the Choose Details page, select from the available upload profiles. You’ll see all the profiles you have access to, but only one profile can be selected each time you upload.

After you select a profile, metadata, collections, categories, asset groups, and security information will display. This information will automatically be applied to the uploaded files.

 

Select categories¶

Next, add or edit categories for the files you’re uploading. If you don’t have permission to edit categories in the DAM, you will not see this page. Any categories included in the upload profile you previously selected will display at the top of the checklist. Use the dropdown arrows to navigate to and select sub-categories. 

Add metadata

Add or edit metadata for the files you’re uploading. The more metadata you add to your files, the easier it will be for others to find them in the DAM. If you don’t have permission to edit metadata in the DAM, you will not see this page. Some fields might already contain auto-filled information based on the upload profile you selected. You can edit or delete that information on this screen.

If it is included in the upload profile, you might see a metadata type displayed. You can change this by clicking Change metadata type. Once you select a different metadata type, the metadata fields below will update automatically with information tied to the metadata type. 

If an admin has enabled the mandatory required metadata setting, you might see required metadata fields. They will either be displayed in the Required metadata section at the top or have an asterisk next to the field. If you have a Required metadata section, you could see Secondary metadata below that. These fields are not as essential to complete and never are mandatory.

Some metadata fields might be locked, meaning this field is already mapped to metadata and can’t be edited during upload.

While adding metadata, you might want to select a value that doesn’t exist yet, like “green” for a metadata field about color. If you have the Administrate Metadata Types permission, you can add new values for controlled vocabulary fields. Select Add values. 

If you want to add multiple values at once, add one per line. Once you add a new value, all users with editing permissions will be able to select it when adding metadata. If you would like to sort the values after you create new ones, you can do that on the Metadata Type page of the Admin app. 

In the security settings section, you can add or remove asset groups – which determine the user roles that have access to your files – as well as set a release date and expiration date for your files. To do this, click Edit security settings. Note that what you see in this section depends on your permissions, so you might be able to edit only asset groups or the dates, or neither. 

 

Add files to upload

Drag and drop or browse for the files you need. Uploads will start processing as soon as they’re added to the drop zone.

As they upload, a progress bar also displays at the bottom of the screen. If you need to delete a file that's uploading, click the X by the thumbnail.

Previews will display for these file types: BMP, GIF, JPG, PNG, SVG, XML, and WEBP in all browsers except IE 9 and older. If a file type does not preview, you'll see a placeholder icon.

When the files are done uploading, you can select the Next button. 

 

Review and edit files

On the Review and Edit page, uploaded files you have permission to see are grouped by upload set. The asset status lets you know what’s currently happening with the files — if they’re erred, still processing, upload has completed, or the files are conflicted. 

From this page, you can:

• Edit asset metadata individually or in a batch

• Add assets to a collection or a product in the Entries app, if it’s enabled on your site

• Start a new upload

 

When editing selected files, you'll be taken to the Batch Edit page to make any updates.

 

Manage files

From an admin perspective, you’d like to manage the files that have been uploaded to your site, which includes seeing who uploaded them, to which profile they were uploaded, and taking additional action – like adding more metadata or choosing release dates – on those assets. From the Review and Edit page, filter by uploader or upload profile to see all assets that were uploaded by a user or to a profile, then take additional action on those assets.

 

Erred uploads

Errors may occur during processing as a result of a bad file transfer or a corrupt file, including those containing a virus or malware.

All files are scanned for viruses and malware upon upload. If a file contains a virus, the upload will err. The asset will not preview or be sharable or downloadable in formats other than the original file format. We allow you to download the original file so you can retain access to your original content. Acquia is not responsible or liable for any damage caused by the downloaded file.

Erred uploads display in the Recent uploads table on the Uploads page, and an erred status will be indicated.

If an upload is in an erred status, try re-uploading the files. If they are still erred, contact the DAM Customer Support team.
 

Other ways to upload

The asset uploader is just one way to get assets into the DAM. Consider these other options: 

• Upload via FTP

• Upload via API

• Bulk asset migration

More information about uploads

If you have permission, you can upload supported files of up to 500 GB in size to the DAM. There is no limit to the number of files that can be uploaded at one time. 

We recommend that assets that are 500 GB or larger are not uploaded because it can take four days or longer to process and upload assets of that size. For assets of that size, contact the support team for help with uploading.

Filenames used for files when they're uploaded, including any extensions, will be the filenames used in the site. If a file includes an extension with whitespace immediately before the extension, the whitespace will be automatically removed. Files do not need an extension, however. We recommend following the Good and Bad Characters list when naming your files.

Uploads will time out after a certain period of inactivity.

Learn more about uploading and tagging assets in the Upload and Tag video in Acquia Academy.