What is the Alfresco Metadata Editing Viewer?

The Metadata Editing Viewer is an addon developed by Skytizens that enables users to fill in the file property index while the preview of the file is simultaneously on the screen. The Metadata Editing Viewer is a convenient way to accurately index files for later search.

Why is the Metadata Editing Viewer so important?

  • Instant gratification – Users can see the content of the file and fill in the index at the same time.
  • Save time – Users can edit properties without navigating back and forth to the open file.
  • Accuracy – Users can copy exact text from the preview and paste it directly into the index.

The Benefits of the Metadata Editing Viewer

The Metadata Editing Viewer addon takes all the guesswork out of editing your file properties in the Alfresco Document Library. With a side-by-side screen view, the user can accurately view a file as they decide the various index properties such as file name, title, description, tags, and more. File-specific index qualities with complicated tags or numeric values become simple to assign, because they are visible as you input the information. You can even copy/paste information directly from the preview into the e-form for indexing. This module makes simple work out of indexing and searching for files in the Document Management System.

Alice the Accountant uses metadata to organize the company financial statements in Alfresco. Without cluttering her already-busy desktop, Alice can open a spreadsheet with thousands of invoice numbers. She can scroll and see the entire range from invoice #100 – #29,000. Without any back-and-forth, she can tag the file properties with these numbers. Even though the file is named Spring Quarter 2017, she can do a future search for this file by invoice number thanks to Metadata Editing Viewer.

How Does It Work?

In order to use the Metadata Editing Viewer addon, the user must be viewing the file in preview mode in the Alfresco Document Library. The user can select Edit Properties with Viewer from the action menu. This will bring up a side-by-side screen with the file preview on the left and the form for editing metadata or ‘index’ information of the file on the right of the screen. The user can edit all of the metadata while the preview remains on screen.

There is no need to navigate back and forth. There is no worry about inaccuracy in editing, as you can view the file or even copy/paste information directly from the document.

The file preview on the left of the screen has all the regular features of preview mode, including pageview, zoom, rotate, text select cursor, and more.

Main Features 

Edit properties with viewer – User can edit properties of a file while viewing the file in preview mode and the index edit form onscreen at the same time. The index edit form depends on the specific file type. This typically includes indexable information like filename, title, description, tags, creation date, etc.

Viewer – The viewer in this module is an exact version of Preview Mode. It has all the viewing capabilities and features of Preview Mode such as multiple page view, rotate, zoom, page navigation, text select cursor, search, scroll, and more.

The Viewer supports ALL FILE TYPES that are visible in regular Preview Mode in Alfresco: MS Office documents, TIFF files, image files, AutoCAD files, and more.

Permissions Control – Access to the Metadata Editing Viewer feature is managed by Role. Typically, this designates users with the permissions ranking of Editor and above.

  • Role Access – Permission to use this feature on certain files is given by file managers based on role access in the Alfresco system. If the user has a role with permission to edit documents, then the user can edit the file properties using this feature.

Conclusions

Never make another indexing mistake—it’s split-screen to the rescue. Document previews and metadata editing are finally side-by-side.

The Metadata Editing Viewer feature is a Skytizens-developed addon for Alfresco that makes editing file properties easier than ever. It allows users to look at an image preview of the file at the same time as they edit the index information. This ensures accuracy and makes it easy to search for files in the future using the index properties.

More than anything, it cuts down on user guesswork. The frustration of navigating between two screens is gone. Your file managers will save time and they will see how convenient the module is to use. This means they will actually use the index capabilities of your DMS instead of ignoring them out of irritation. Once you try it, the Metadata Editing Viewer will become an indispensable part of your file management strategy.

Installation Method

Development Status

Alfresco Version

Alfresco Component Type

Extension Point

Addon Name

Alfresco Product

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