Table of Contents
Using metadata to control access to assets in a Fotoware archive
04. March 2025
Table of Contents
Fotoware archives have access lists to allow a manager to define the level of access users and groups have in each archive. These users and groups can be imported from an identity provider such as Active Directory, Azure AD, or any SAML-compliant provider.
At times, it may be desirable to give specific users access to only a subset of files within an archive. This can be done with albums, but as albums are static containers, they will have to be manually updated by someone to reflect new content.
A better option is to use metadata "flags" within the archive in combination with automatic search filters that are applied at the access list level
Example - Approving content for general use
Let's assume that files are uploaded to a Fotoware archive where they are reviewed by a single manager or a group of managers. Before an asset is released and made available by regular users, it must be approved for general use.
DAM Editors can see all the content in an archive and have markers to identify assets that have not yet been approved. They may "release" assets to regular users of the system (Dam Users) by means of an approval procedure; i.e., selecting the assets executing a "release" action in Fotoware. Once an asset is approved, regular users will be able to see and use the approved assets in the archive
How to set it up
On the archive's access list, entries are added for DAM Editors and DAM Users.
Our objective is to make DAM Users see only content that has been approved or released. In the screenshot below, the DAM Users group has a search filter specifying that group members will only see the assets in the archive where field 811 contains the tag Released.
Next, you must make an action whereby the DAM Editors can release assets:
Make a new Extended action and set it to modify the source assets by executing a macro that changes the value of field 811 to Released:
Next, make sure only DAM Editors have access to use the action:
Now, you've successfully created the mechanism that is used to limit the assets that regular users can see to released assets only.
Next, you may want to create markers that DAM Editors can use to tell which assets have been released and which haven't:
The screenshot below shows the setup of a marker that shows on assets that have been released to users: it shows only if field 811 equals Released.
Similarly, you can create the reverse marker that displays on assets that have not been released. (Set the Match Type to Does not equal)
Result
DAM Managers can now select assets and release them to regular users of the system. Also, managers can easily tell from the visual markers on each asset whether or not it has been released to users.
