Assets

Digest

An Asset is any entity within the system that can be used to generate content. Many different types of entities can be assets: images, CSS stylesheets, XML blocks, pages, and more. For ease of classification, assets are divided into several different groups:

Page - This is a mutable asset built by the CMS from other assets to create the finished product of published documents such as web pages or XML documents.
File - may be a jpeg image, CSS file, or any other indivisible and immutable asset.
Block - a "pluggable " piece of content that can be easily substituted, with or without styling, into any page region. As the name suggests, these are the building blocks from which other blocks and pages are built.
Stylesheet - an XSLT stylesheet is used to transform XML block
External Link - a symbolic link to a specific URL
Folder - a container within Cascade that acts a parent asset to other assets.
Template - the basic building block for a page's layout.
Reference - a special asset that is created to represent an existing asset in another location, allowing it to be indexed in multiple folders.

FAQs

Can assets be copied?
- All types of content – pages, content blocks, files, etc., can be copied. The copy can be left as an exact clone, or it can be edited as desired. In addition, pointers can be made that syndicate the content of other pages.

Concept

Introduction to Assets

In simplest terms, assets are those entities within the CMS that represent and/or are used to generate content. For example, a page (which itself is an asset) might derive some of its content from other assets: images displayed on the page, an XML index block transformed by a stylesheet to create a navigation bar, a CSS file that gives the styles for the XHTML elements in the page's markup, etc. Each of the eight asset types available in Cascade Server work together to create a very complex, yet easy to manage, web site.

Viewing Assets in Cascade

On the left side of Cascade’s Dashboard (and nearly every page in the system) is the Asset Tree. The Asset Tree displays the folder navigation and hierarchical view of your assets. However, assets displayed in this navigation window are permission sensitive. This ensures that users are only displayed content appropriate to their level of access.

asset tree

Depending on General and User Preferences, the Asset Tree may not automatically appear when a user logs in. In this case, a small right arrow icon would appear instead:

Clicking this icon will display the Asset Tree and store this preference in the browser's cookies. To permanently set the Asset Tree to appear upon log-in, navigate to Tools -> Preferences -> User Preferences and check the 'Simple Interface' box. To set this option as a default choice for all users who haven't previously changed their own User Preferences, navigate to Tools -> Preferences -> General and check the 'Simple Interface' box.

Creating New Assets in Cascade

Like most elements of Cascade, the means by which you decide to create new content is flexible, and entirely up to each content creator. However, the easiest way to create new assets (content) is by using Cascade Server’s Asset Factory functionality.

Cascade provides a Default Asset Factory, which allows a default version of all asset types: blocks, external links, files, folders, pages, stylesheets, templates, and references, to be created with a few clicks of the mouse.

For users wanting to create a custom asset, they are able to use custom asset factories created by their Cascade System Administrator.

asset factory

Administrators select an example page upon which future pages that use that asset factory should be based. New assets created via a customized asset will have the same template, block and stylesheet assignments (as the page chosen by the administrator), and a default region that must be populated with user-created content.

Reordering Assets in Cascade

Asset reorderingis a feature that enables you to manually change the order of assets within a folder. This is useful in creating dynamic navigation menus because you can customize the order in which indexed assets appear in the menu.

To reorder assets within a folder:

Open the folder in which the assets to be reordered reside.
Under the Actions column, next to each asset, are a series of icons including double up and single up arrows, as well as down and double down arrows.
Clicking on one of the single up or down arrows will move the associated asset up or down one place.
Clicking on one of the double up or down arrows will move the associated asset up to the top of the list or down to the bottom.
There is no Submit button for this action; assets are moved instantly and can be reordered as desired.

**Additional Notes - The left asset tree orders all assets alphabetically for ease of use, and therefore will not necessarily reflect the actual manually managed asset order inside a given folder.

Editing and Locking Assets in Cascade

There may be times when users will need to edit an asset while preventing other users from making changes to the same asset for an extended period of time. In such cases, it is possible to manually lock the asset. Unlike the automatic locks that are created during editing, the manual locks do not automatically expire. The asset must be unlocked by the same user or by an administrator.

Using Assets in Cascade

There are many ways in which assets can be used in Cascade. Just a few examples include, inserting an image (file) into a page, applying an xml building block, creating a new page within a folder, or placing an external link on a page. For more information on the different ways assets are used in Cascade, please see each individual asset type:

Technical

Creating Assets

Creating a Default Asset

To create an asset using Cascade’s default asset factory:

1. Select New from the top navigation menu.

2. Select the type of asset you wish to create.

3. A new page (or block, file, etc) will open. Here may enter content & metadata as desired.

4. Select a Name for your new page by clicking on the System tab and typing in the desired name. This will determine the final URL for your new page.

5. A new page will be saved in the current folder by default. If you would like to save the page in a different folder, you may choose a new folder in the System area as well. Click on the folder chooser icon and browse to the desired folder.

6. When you have finished entering in content, click Submit at the bottom of the page. This will trigger the Spell Check, Link Check, and Accessibility Check (if turned on). It will also trigger the appropriate workflow process for your page or prompt you to select one if there are options.

Creating a Page

The easiest way to create a new page in Cascade Server is by using the Asset Factory set up by your Administrator.

1. Select New from the top navigational menu.

2. Select the type of page you wish to create. These options will be different depending on the needs of each website(AND the asset factories created by your administrator) but may include a Default page, Press Release, Newsletter, etc.

new press release

3. A new page will open that will allow you to enter your content via the WYSIWYG editor and add any Metadata Values as desired. (as was the case w/ the default example above)

4. Select a Name for your new page by clicking on the System tab and typing in the desired name. This will determine the final URL for your new page.

5. A new page will be saved in the current folder by default. If you would like for it to be saved in a different folder, you may choose a new folder in the System area as well. Click on the file chooser icon and browse to the desired folder.

6. When you have finished entering in content, click Submit at the bottom of the page. This will trigger the Spell Check, Link Check, and Accessibility Check if they are turned on. It will also trigger the appropriate workflow process for your page or prompt you to select one if there are options.

new page

Uploading (Creating) Files in Cascade

Images, PDF documents, and text files are some common examples of files used in Cascade Server. Only text files are editable inside the system.

To upload a new file:

1. In the Home area, select New-> Default-> File.

2. On the Content pane:

Under Upload, click Browse and select your file in the popup window.
Alternatively, text can be entered into the Text field to create a standard text file.

3. On the Metadata pane:

Enter any Metadata you desire.

4. On the System pane:

Name - Type in the name of your new file.

Parent Folder - This is where the file will be stored. It's often useful to store files in a central or common location.

Rewrite links - If there are links in the file, checking this will rewrite them to be working links within the CMS.

Maintain absolute links when rewriting - Check this if you need to keep absolute links in your file when rewriting.

Publish - Check this if it's a file that will need to be published to the web server.

Index - Check this if it's a file that will need to be included in dynamic navigation menus.

5. Click Submit to upload and save your file.

Creating Blocks in Cascade

There are five types of blocks in Cascade- Index Blocks, XML Blocks, XML Feed Blocks, XHTML Blocks, and Text Blocks. Each type of Block is created in the same way. Different block options are selected to determine how the block will be used, but any block may still be plugged into any page region.

To create a new Block:

In the Home Area, select New -> Default -> Block.
Select the type of block you wish to create. (Could be Index Block, XHTML Block, etc).
On the Content pane:
Enter your content in the WYSIWYG editor just as you would on a page.
On the Metadata pane:
Enter any Metadata desired.
On the System pane:
Name - Type in the name of your new block.
Parent Folder - This is where the block will be stored. It's most useful to store blocks in a central or common location.
Click Submit to save your block.

Blocks may be edited or deleted by selecting the block and choosing the appropriate tab.

Creating Stylesheets in Cascade

Stylesheets are used to format reusable content blocks.

To create a new Stylesheet:

1. In the Home area, select New -> Default -> Stylesheet.

2. On the Content pane:

Enter your XSL.

3. On the Metadata pane:

        Enter any Metadata desired.

4. On the System pane:

        Name - Type in the name of your new stylesheet. Since most stylesheets are specific to a particular block, it's often best to give them matching names.

        Parent Folder - This is where the stylesheet will be stored. It's most useful to store stylesheets in a central or common location.

5. Click Submit to save your stylesheet.

XSL Stylesheets may be edited or deleted by selecting the stylesheet and choosing the appropriate tab.

Creating External Links in Cascade

Sometimes a site will require that links, which point to external pages, to be added to a navigation menu. This can be accomplished by creating an external link asset. An external link asset is treated like any other asset; therefore, it is indexable and can have the appropriate metadata values attached.

To create an external link:

In the Home area, select New -> Default -> External Link.

On the Content tab:
Enter the full URL of the external page you wish to index.

On the Metadata tab:
Enter the desired metadata values.

On the System tab:
Name - Enter a name for the link.
Parent Folder - This is where your external link will be stored. It should be stored within the folder you plan to index and can later be reordered with the other assets in the folder.

Click Submit to save your new external link.

External links may be edited or deleted by selecting the asset and choosing the appropriate tab.

Creating Folders in Cascade

A folder within the CMS is a way to group related assets.

To create a folder:

1. On the top navigation menu, select New -> Default -> Folder.

2. On the System pane:

        Name - Select a name for the folder; if it is a folder to be published, no spaces are allowed.
        Parent Folder - By default, the new folder will be placed into the current folder. This can be overridden by selecting a new parent folder from the chooser.
        Publish - This determines whether the folder will be published.
        Indexing - This determines whether the folder will be indexed for dynamic navigation.

3. On the Metadata pane:

        Input the desired metadata values.

4. Click Submit to save your new folder.

**NOTE- In lieu of folders, the Administration area uses containers to organize components.

Creating Templates in Cascade

All pages are based on templates, which provide the HTML structure for the page.

To create a new template:

1. Determine where you want to store the new template, and select the folder from the left asset tree. Typically, templates are reused for many pages and are stored in a central or common folder.

2. Once in the desired folder, use the top navigation menu and select New-> Default-> Template.

3. On the Content pane:

    Type, or copy and paste, in the HTML for your template.
        The convert HTML to XHTML checkbox, here, if checked, will attempt to convert markup into XHTML compliant markup. Note that no special Dreamweaver template     markup is recognized in this scenario. When importing a Dreamweaver template into Cascade Server, it is encouraged to use Import Dreamweaver Template (Tools -> Import -> Dreamweaver Template).

4. On the Regions pane:

        If there are already system regions set up in your template, you will see these listed here. For each region listed, you may select a default block and stylesheet. These selections may be overridden at the configuration and page levels.

5. On the System pane:

        Name - Type in a name for your template.
        Parent Folder - By default, this will be the current folder, however, this can be overridden by selecting a different folder in the folder chooser.
        Target - Assign the appropriate target for this template. Pages with multiple targets will also have multiple templates.

6. Click Submit to save your template.

Templates may be edited or deleted by selecting the template and choosing the appropriate tab.

Once your template is created, you can begin to add System Regions, which will allow content to be inserted into specific areas of the template.
Locking and Unlocking Assets in Cascade
To Lock an Asset:

Start by locating and selecting a page in the asset tree that you want to lock. In this case, we are locking the page /intranet/news/My-First-Press-Release.

Under the View tab, select the Lock pane.

Click Check out this asset.

You will be forwarded back to the Layout pane, with the Working Copy currently showing. The following Viewing options are also revealed: Current, Compare with Current, and Break Lock. This asset is now locked, and no other users may edit it until the lock is broken.

To quickly view your locked assets, click on Home in the top navigation menu.

Your locks are displayed on the dashboard, as they are for each user, under both the Locks tab and Current Activity on the main dashboard.

Click on the asset /intranet/news/My-First-Press-Release. In order to manually unlock an asset, select the Lock pane on the View tab of the asset.

Select Break the lock and discard changes in order to unlock the asset. Now the asset is available for other users.

Asset Archive
When a publishable Asset (Page, File, or Folder) passes its expiration date as specified in that asset's metadata, it will be archived. The archival process involves two steps:

First, the asset will be unpublished (removed from the remote server),

And then that asset will be moved in the CMS to the Expiration Folder defined in the asset's metadata.

If no expiration folder is specified, the asset will still be un-published; however, it will not be moved in the CMS.
Monitoring Assets for Managers and Administrators
Audits

The Audits option under the Advanced tab is available to managers and administrators on all assets and allows you to view any actions relating to that asset.

At the top of the Audit Trail are Start and End Dates with which you may filter results. Simply select a date range and click Filter. You may also filter results according to action type.

The results of the audit offer the following values:

· User - Clicking on the user will show statistics for that user.

· Time - This shows the time that the action was completed.

· Action - Actions include: Started Workflow, Advanced Workflow, Edit, Start Edit, Copy, Create, Reference, Delete, Delete and Unpublish, Check-in, Check-out, Version Activation, Publish, Unpublish.

· Information - This offers additional information including the Asset modified. It will also provide an Asset Link which will take you to the view for the relevant asset.

For administrators, records in the audit can be selected by clicking the checkbox next to each record. Selected records can be deleted by selecting Delete from the Action dropdown.

Page Navigation

Related Links

Learning Levels

Announcements

Assets

Digest

FAQs