Working with Metadata

Metadata is "data about data." Think of it as a description or summary of information, like a file's title, author, or the date it was created. It helps you organize, find, and understand data by providing context beyond the data itself.

Every object in Portal3 is automatically assigned metadata. Objects include devices, assets, playlists, projects, events, campaigns, users and Workspaces.

You can view more information about the types of metadata assigned to objects on the Metadata Page, in the 'Automated Metadata' tab. To access the Metadata page, click "Metadata" in the left sidebar. 

Metadata Types

In Portal3, we refer to metadata monikers as "fields". Values are then attributed to those fields. For example, an image called "Blue Sunset" has the value "Blue Sunset" in the "Name" field. The kind of values that can be attributed to a field depend on the metadata field type. 

There are 6 types of metadata:

1. String: a field that allows alphanumeric and symbolic entry, without any limits
2. Integer: a field that allows only numeric entry
3. Date: a field that allows only date values
4. Boolean: a field that allows only True or False values
5. Multi-select list: a field that allows for multiple values to be selected from a predefined list

6. Single-select list: a field that allows only a single value to be selected from a predefined list

   NOTE: Single-select list type fields can have nested lists, which enable users to make multiple, single selections if a selection triggers the appearance of a subsequent list

Custom Metadata

Because every business has unique needs, it is sometimes useful to create "custom metadata". Custom metadata enables users to create and assign custom fields to objects so that they can organize those objects in a way that adheres to their organization's internal workflows.

Thanks to the flexibility offered by Portal3's table configuration, users can then modify tables on various pages to display the custom fields within the table. For example, some organizations find it useful to use custom fields to denote color theme for content. Whereas tags could potentially enable the same functionality, custom fields offer greater control over the type of data allowed and enhanced filtering capabilities. If denoting color theme, tags would only allow a string entry, like "red", "blue", "black and white", etc. Moreover, users would be able to create new tags at any time. With a custom field, an admin user can instead specify a list of applicable values so that users can only pick from the list. 

Creating custom metadata fields

Only admin users can create custom fields. To create a new custom metadata field:

1. Click "Metadata" in the left sidebar.
2. Click the "Add New Field" button, located to the right of the "Metadata" title.
3. Enter a name in the 'Name' field. This will be the title of the field and show up as a header in the relevant table(s). We recommend using a descriptive name that informs other users what value should be attributed.
4. [OPTIONAL] Enter a description into the 'Description' field. Fields with descriptions will show a tooltip that provides additional information when hovered over. We recommend using this space to explain to other users how the field should be used.
5. Under 'Object assignment', select which objects the field should be attributed to. If you want values attributed only to assets, for example, deselect all other items except "Assets".
6. Click the 'Field type' dropdown to select the field type. For guidance, refer to Metadata Types above.
7.  
   • If "single-select list" or "multi-select list" is selected, enter values for the list under the 'Values' header.
   • [OPTIONAL] If "integer" is selected, you can specify a minimum, maximum, or range for the accepted integers in the 'Min value' and 'Max value' fields.
8. [OPTIONAL] To make the field required, check the "This is a required field." checkbox.
   • If a field is required, it cannot be left blank and you must enter or select a default value.
     • Applicable values depend on the field type. For example, list fields will only allow selection of a value in the list; integer fields will only allow entry of a number, etc.
     • Default values will be attributed to already existing and newly created objects. For example, if a default value for a playlist field is "blue", new playlists will be attributed the value "blue" until updated by a user in the playlist drawer.
   • Fields that are not marked required will be allowed to remain blank.
9. [OPTIONAL] Enter a default value.
   • A field does not need to be made required to have a default value. Specifying a default value ensures that the field will have a value populated when an object is created.

Viewing custom metadata

To review the custom fields created for an organization, navigate to the "Custom Metadata" tab on the Metadata Page. 

To review the values attributed to custom fields on a particular object, open the object drawer and navigate to the "Custom Fields" tab.

Reviewing all values assigned to a custom field throughout your organization

To review what values are assigned and to how many objects:

1. Click "Metadata" in the left sidebar.
2. Click the  icon in the 'Quick actions' column for the target field.
3. Click the "See related items" button, located under the 'Object assignment' header.
4. Wait for the list to load.

Editing existing custom metadata fields

The field type cannot be changed when updating a custom metadata field. To edit a custom metadata field:

1. Click "Metadata" in the left sidebar.
2. Click the  icon in the 'Quick actions' column for the target field.
3. Edit the field as needed.
4. Click the "Save Changes" button, located in the top right corner of the screen.

To delete a custom metadata field:

1. Click "Metadata" in the left sidebar.
2. Click the   icon in the 'Quick actions' column for the target field.

Editing values attributed to custom fields of objects

To edit the values attributed to a single object:

1. Navigate to the relevant page and open the target object's drawer. For example, if you want to edit the value assigned to an image, navigate to the Assets page and open the drawer of that image.
2. Click on the "Custom Fields" tab.
3. Locate the field you want to edit, and edit it.
4. Click outside of the field to save.
5. Click anywhere outside of the drawer to close it. 

As of version 3.28, you can edit custom field values of content in batch. To edit the values attributed to multiple objects:

1. Navigate to the relevant page and select all of the target objects using the checkboxes in the object table. For example, if you want to edit the values assigned to multiple playlists, navigate to the Playlists page and select those playlists.
2. Click the "Actions" button, located on the top right side, under the searchbar.
3. For each assigned field, select an action.
   • By default, all actions will be "Keep as is". This means no changes will be made.
   • The list of available actions depends on the field type and whether a default value is defined. Available actions are as follows:
     • Keep as is: no changes will be made
     • Replace all: replace all existing values with a new value. If any selected objects have blank fields, this action will add the replace value to the field.
     • Replace all with default: replace all existing values with the default value. If any selected objects have blank fields, this action will add the default value to the field.
     • Find and remove: remove a specific value from the assigned values. Any other values attributed to the selected objects will be maintained. If a field is required and removing the specified value will leave it blank, no changes will be made. If the specified value to replace does not match any values assigned to the selected object, no changes will be made.
     • Remove all: remove all values from the field for the selected objects. If a field is required and removing the specified value will leave it blank, no changes will be made.
4. Click the "Save" button located in the top right corner when finished making changes.
5. A confirmation will pop-up, with the intended actions. Click "Confirm" to approve and initiate changes.