Creating Assets from External Sources


Prerequisites: Asset folders must exist within the Assets Tree to contain asset items. See Creating Asset Folders for details to add folders to the Assets Tree.

Users can upload assets from external URLs or create assets that contain static links to assets stored outside your CMS environment.

To create an asset based on an external URL:

  1. Navigate to Assets > Assets Tree.

    New > Asset via Assets Tree Context Menu

  2. Right-click the asset folder that contain the new asset, and select New > Asset.
    The Create New Asset dialog displays.
  3. Select the External Asset checkbox in the Create New Asset dialog.
    A set of options display for external assets.

    External Asset Checkbox

  4. Optional: Select an asset schema from the Select the type of Asset to create drop-down list to associate with the new asset.
    Additional Information
    You can complete this field before or after selecting the new asset to upload, or you can leave this field empty.
    • If you enter a URL for an asset with a file extension that the schema does not allow, then the system prevents you from creating the asset. See Creating Asset Schemas for details about allowed extensions.
    • If you leave this field empty, then the CMS chooses the default schema based on the new asset's file extension when you click Create Asset.
  5. Enter the Full External URL for the Asset in the field provided.
    The CMS registers the asset URL and auto-generates the asset's file name and extension in the Asset Name field.

    Full External URL for Asset

  6. Optional: Use the current asset file name, or enter a new name in the Asset Name field.
  7. Click Create Asset.
    If the external URL links directly to an image, then the CMS uploads the image to the Assets Manager as a new asset. If the external URL links to another type of file, then the CMS creates a new a/ID and assigns the URL as a static link to the asset.
    Note
    If you upload an asset file with an extension that is unknown to the system (i.e., not listed among the allowable extensions), the asset will display as an uneditable binary schema file type. The CMS reserves the Code schema type for general text-based code files. To associate the Code type with a new asset, the CMS requires the Code schema's allowed extensions list to include the new asset's file extension. See Creating Asset Schemas for details about allowed extensions.