Tips for project managers and admins Once you understand the basics of project and jobs, it is a good idea to get familiar with the tools that will simplify your working day and boost efficiency and accuracy. The project bar A lot of your work as a project manager will start with the project bar.  (Please note that most of these tools are only available to Workbench/Manager users. Client users and Resources have a more limited number of options.) Information General information An at-a-glance view showing project title, general status, ID, delivery date, project manager and client information Overall progress (the coloured bar) Progress is measured in completed jobs. If the bar is gray, there are no jobs linked to the project.  Icons Each icon leads to a page or tool. Hovering over them will reveal a tooltip, matching the headers in the list below.  Project summary (the magnifier glass). A read-only view summarising the project. Edit project data (the pen) There are two forms: a multi-tab form with all fields and a simplified view with the most commonly used fields.  Depending on user settings, you may have access to either one, or both. Job list (the hamburger icon) The page for managing all the jobs on the project. This is where you apply joblist templates , edit or batch edit the jobs and send out certain notifications .  Filezone (the documents icon) An area containing all files linked to the project.  Tree view (the flowchart icon) The Job list seen as a more intuitive overview, focusing on workflow. Clone this project (two squares) Quickly create a copy of the project with all general data (not including jobs and files) Create child project (the plus sign) Quickly create a project with this project as its parent . Note that the options in this form are limited by user data, for example in what target languages can be selected. Project forum (the speech bubble) The place where everyone with a job on the project (including Resources) can communicate Project milestones (the clock) Major operations on a project, such as batch editing and applying a joblist template, are preceeded by the automatic creation of a backup copy. These copies, called Project Milestones, can be found and restored here (use with caution). Please note that milestones are only stored for a week. If major changes need to be done after that, resetting the entire joblist is rarely the best course of action.  Download subtitles (the download icon) Batch download multiple files created in the Online editor, either in the work format or converted into deliverables. Generate video copies (the camera) Use the built-in renderer to create video with burnt-in subtitles from the work done in the system Project matrix tools (the hands) A "lab" where project matrices and joblist templates can be tried out on a project.  Messages (the inbox) Find all message threads linked to the project. This includes messages linked to individual jobs on the project. Notes (the post-it) Find all notes linked to the project or its individual jobs.   Project filtering As a project manager, you will often need to access different groups of projects. By filtering the Projects list and then storing the filter settings as named presets, you can quickly skip between lists.  Storing a filter as a named preset Reusing the filter. Selecting it in the dropdown will apply it and reload the list immediately.    Project/job reports Detailed data about projects and jobs can be collected and exported from Plint in the following way. Go to Projects and filter out the relevant projects first If all projects are relevant, you can show all, but please note that the more projects you have, the longer it will take the system to collect the data.  Click "Report". Use the form to decide what kind of data you want to include in your report. If you are only interested in summaries, choose data from Project fields and job statistics . By adding Job fields , you can add detailed job data. Each job will be shown as an additional row in the report. You can also combine the data, for example showing the Project title with each job row. See example below.  Click " Generate " to render the report If you often create reports with the same settings, you can store them as a named preset with "Save settings". Pro tip: by storing project filters and report settings you can save a lot of time on recurring reports. Use the project filter to quickly select the scope of the report and report preset to select how the data should be presented.  If you want to export the result, the following formats are available: XML, CSV and XLSX. Some examples The following examples should give you an idea of what's possible. Simple project report For each project, show title and delivery date, plus the number of jobs. This will result in two report rows. Result Report including job details By adding fields for the individual jobs on the projects, an extra row will be added per job. Click "Merge" to show project and job data on the same row. This will duplicate the project info on each job info row. Please note that this can result in very big reports, since each project can contain hundreds of jobs.  Result Finding jobs across multiple projects Sometimes you need to find jobs that have certain criteria in common in a whole range of projects.  Filter the Projects list under Projects Using stored filters  can be very helpful here, if you need to quickly switch between different sets of projects Clicking "Find jobs" on the Projects page and enter search criteria This search will be performed across all the currently filtered projects The result will be presented as a list of projects. Clicking on the title will take you to the project info page, and clicking on the number will take you to the joblist. (Please note that the joblist for the selected project will not be automatically filtered.) 1. Filter the projects and click Find jobs 2. Filter the jobs 3. Showing the result       The Calendar The Calendar provides a customisable overview of what's going on. You can specify what to see by filtering the content. By saving Calendar filters, you can build alternative views to meet different needs in your working day. There are three types of content that can be displayed: Events This can be anything from a meeting to a holiday. Select "New event" to add one and specify its name, description, time and duration. The examples in dark blue below are events. Project deadlines Typically, these would be projects you are involved in. The examples in dark green below are project deadlines.  Clicking on an item will take you to the project information page. Job delivery dates. These can be: Jobs assigned to you. Jobs matching the job filter. The examples in light blue below are job delivery dates. Clicking on an item will show a list of matching jobs for that specific time.  Customising your calendar view When the Calendar filters are combined with Project filters and Job filters, they become an even more powerful tool.  Some examples: Your basic todo list: By selecting "My projects" under  Project deadlines and "My jobs" under Job deadlines , you can easily keep track of everything with your name on it. Projects based on a filter Under Project deadlines, you can select "Project filter" to quickly filter out a range of projects, based on any relevant data using a previously stored filter .  Specific kinds of jobs If you select "Based on job filter" under Job deadlines, you can filter out jobs that meet certain criteria.  You might, for example, only want to see what's going on with a certain type of job (like "Template creation"), or within a group of target languages. By combining a project filter (limiting which projects to view) with a joblist filter, you can create tailor-made views that meets your exact requirements. These views can be stored so that they are always conveniently available: Select "Save filter" to store your current settings as a named preset. Select "Load filter" to toggle between saved filters.   In the view below, a project manager has chosen to have a look at all current Proofing jobs within a certain set of target languages. This setting has also been stored as a preset  named "Scandi proofing jobs".  "Selected jobs?" Since there can be many matching jobs per day, they are grouped in sections named "Selected jobs". Clicking on such a section will open a dialogue showing all the jobs.    The Filezone The Filezone is where (almost) all files linked to a project can be found, by users with Workbench or Manager access.  The exception is the JSON work files created by the online editing tools, since these belong more to the category data . These won't be found in the project Filezone. However, deliverables such as SRTs created from these files, will be found in the Filezone.  File modes There are four basic modes which determine how a file behaves, or how it was delivered.   Standard A file which can be downloaded and accessed from Plint but is not dedicated to any specific tool. Could be a dialogue list, could be a hi-res video file which is to be converted into editor-friendly format.  This is what you get with File upload jobs, and the default setting when you just upload one or more files to the Filezone. Media A file meant to be opened in the Online editors. This is the mode you get when you upload a video using Media upload jobs. Online review This is the mode you get when you upload a video using Online review jobs Copy for delivery This is the mode you get when you generate a video using the built-in video rendering tools File categories In order to organize and categorize files in additional ways, you can use File categories. The list of available categories is maintained under Tools & Data . File upload jobs can then be set to require that the uploader specifies the category of the individual files. Files can then be filtered out in the Filezone based on category.  File visibility settings Plint has several options to ensure that the right users have access to files. It is important to understand the following concepts: Visible on Files tab The Files tab belongs to the info page about Jobs. If a Resource user needs access to a file in order to do a Job, this is where it has show up.  Visible to child projects Parent projects can contain files which are used across multiple projects. Read more here . Visible to Clients in Filezone Users with login type "Client" have access to a limited, simplified version of the Filezone for their orders. If they upload a file to that area, this setting will be automatically set to "Yes". If your clients access deliverables using the client Filezone, you need to ensure that this setting is on.  The parent-child job rule A file uploaded to a job will automatically be visible to owners of child jobs . This is in order to streamline delivery workflows. A simple way of preventing files to become visible to child jobs is to insert a job in between.  Using the Filezone Click the icon in the project bar to access the Filezone of a project. As a project can potentially contain thousands of files, the first section is dedicated to filtering. In the example below, filtering is done on filename.  In order to edit the general properties of a file, click the "Pen" icon.  Click the "Eye" icon for a preview. The built-in file viewer supports most audio and video format but is meant for quick checks, not advanced review or editing. The "Convert" icon is only shown for "Standard" files. It allows you to quickly access the built-in rendering tools and convert a file, for example a hi-res video file, into one suitable for the online editors. This will create a new version of the file, leaving the original intact.  The media progress icon provides status information when files are being converted or automatically prepared for the online editor. Most media files are also scanned for metadata, such as resolution and framerate, which can be accessed by clicking the "Information" icon. Editing a single file (Please note that editing in this case means editing the information about files and how they are used in Plint.) In a good workflow, editing the details of delivered files and media is usually not necessary as this is normally handled at the point of delivery. If you do need to link a file to a certain part or language, or change its visibility settings, click the pen icon. This form also offers a file preview.   Editing multiple files You can also click the " Quick edit " button (perhaps after filtering the list) to edit the properties of multiple files in a single form. This mode does not support all kinds of information, however. Make your changes and click "Submit" to store them for all the files.  Batch editing in quick edit mode If you want to apply the same setting to a large number of files, some properties can be batch edited. This functions is best understood when viewed as a help when quick editing files., This means that you first need to go into quick edit mode, which will give you access to the "Batch edit" button. Select the files you want to affect (click the top checkbox to select all) and select the properties to change (for example "Visible on Files tab"). Confirm by clicking "Edit selected".  This will toggle settings for the selected files in the form. Now you can submit the form to store the settings. Downloading files from the Filezone You can download single files by just clicking the download icon in the list. If you need to download multiple files, you can also use the "Batch download" button, located above the list. Please note that you will need to select which files to download. Click the top checkbox to select all visible files.  When you click "Download selected" the system will package all the files in a simple ZIP file and send it to the browser for download.  Sharing files across projects If multiple projects require access same files, especially video/media, consider setting up a Parent project. The logic is simple, but the implementations can be varied.  Create a parent project to hold the files Just a normal project, but you may want to name it something explanatory Create any number of child projects under this Selecting a parent project can be done when editing projects, using the "Parent project" dropdown Upload files to the parent project and set them to "Visible to child projects" This can be done directly in the Filezone or on File upload, if the job settings allow it  Any file can have the setting "Visible to child projects", but the behaviour depends on the File mode . For files set to "Media" this allows video to be loaded into the online editors in all child projects. This can save lots of storage and processing time as media files require being converted and prepared for editor use. Instead of running this process for duplicate files across multiple projects, you can do it once in the parent project.  If the File mode is "Standard" or "Copy for delivery", they will be made available for download . Other file settings will also be taken into account. For example, if you want to provide access to dialogue lists to users on all child projects, you would need to turn on both "Visible to child projects" and "Visible on Files Tab".  You should also note that the usual logic applies when it comes to nodes (parts and languages). The below file would for example be visible on the Files tab on jobs linked to part 1 on all child projects.  More on media logic here.       Extended functions for Clients and Resources There are cases where you need to enable a certain guest user to do more.  Client users with additional privileges can Edit/delete files in Filezone See the job tree Change assignee and status (only for jobs already assigned to someone within the company) See a complete list of users from the same company including target language and job types Resource users with additional privileges can Place orders in a simplified form and upload files to it They can only see their own orders, but all orders are visible to client users from the same company Project defaults Often, a client will place orders with the same target languages. There are several ways of avoiding having to type in the same or similar data every time you create a new project. One way is to simply clone a previous project, but this will require you to make sure that no old data is relevant. Using Project defaults , you can start from scratch but still fill in the target languages quickly.  Storing project defaults Under Tools & Data / Project defaults , you can create and edit defaults. A default is linked to either a Client keyword (sometimes called a "Brand") or a Production (typically a TV series). In this case, we are editing the defaults for a Sample Corporation. Please note that aside from the target language itself, additional data can be stored – such as tags.   Applying project defaults Use the Simple project form to create or edit a project. Make sure it has either a Client keyword or a Production.  Select "Load defaults" The values to be inserted will be shown in a preview. Click "Load defaults" to confirm.  The stored values have now been inserted in the Target section at the bottom of the form (replacing any previously selected values).  Notifications about system events When editing user data, you can specify which events in the system should result in a notification email to this user. They are mainly relevant for Workbench and Manager users, but can also be applied to client contacts.  Please note that certain other events always result in email notifications.   Job deadlines This is the only setting which can be specified for any user, by themselves. The same option is available under the Account menu / Profile & settings . To set the other notifications, you need access to the Advanced edit form for People. Such as: Completed jobs Selecting one or more job types that represent significant steps in a project, for any language or all, can be valuable for a project manager and help them keep tabs of a project without being inundated with notifications for each event. You can also limit the projects for which the user is notified.  New orders / projects Be the first to know when a new order arrives, either by a Client user representing a company or by a project manager creating a new project. For a client contact tasked with keeping track of all activity for their company, the same setting but with the "Linked company" option can notify them when a colleague places an order.    System timezone The time for system events like messages and support questions is always stored as UTC . Setting a System timezone under Tools & Data can affect how times are shown in the system.   The selected timezone will be shown as a clock on the Dashboard and in the top menu, along with the timezone label. Simply put: this clarifies to all users ”what we mean when we say 12 o’clock” The time for events like messages and support questions will be converted from UTC into this time and shown with the timezone label. E.g. 2020-02-20 10:10:10 CET   The selected time for job deadlines will shown as stored but together with the timezone label as a clarification. This includes the job info page (see pic), jobs shown on the Dashboard and in the joblist.  Job info page. Deadline is shown with system timezone set to CET.    Finding People by what they've worked on Besides data directly linked to People/users (target languages, job types, tags, etc ...), Plint can also search on previous or current work . This is done by specifying projects (with the option "Working on") and, optionally, job types on those projects ("With what"). Se example below.  Storing and reusing People filters A combo like this can be stored as a filter. If it's a global filter, it can be even be used as criteria for assigning new work. Storing a "Global" filter (for everyone) Using the filter as a job criteria   Downloading converted subtitles as a batch Once a subtitling job has been started, there is a work file in Plint (JSON) which is used throughout the process. This file can be exported into a number of formats, for example within the editor or as an automated job. It can also be used "ad hoc".  In order to download multiple subtitles from the same project, at any point in time, just go to the Download subtitles page for the project. At the top of the page, first select a format, such as SRT or TTML. This will cause all downloaded files to first be converted into that format and packaged in a zip file.  You can then select to download just a single file (click on the corresponding cell), all files within a part or language, or all files on the project. As a final step you will get the option to only download files where one or more jobs are done. Additional security Plint Subtitler Visible watermark To discourage screen capture and similar activity, a visible watermark can be superimposed on the Plint Subtitler monitor. This is activated on the Editor settings tab when editing Job properties. The watermark includes user name and IP number.  Login / authentication Duo Two-factor authentication using Duo is supported, but needs to enabled for the site. If this is set, this requirement can be set on user level when editing People data with the Advanced form.  Azure AD Azure AD can be implemented for SSO across the entire site. In this case, the Plint login screen will be replaced with a Microsoft login screen.   Sharing files with external users The "Share page" is a simple way of making files in Plint available to users who don't have a Plint account. All that's required is that the files are available in the project Filezone, regardless of if they have been generated in Plint or simply uploaded there.  Each project has a Share page , which can be used if needed. You can get the link to it by going to the Filezone and clicking "Get link to share page". This link contains the address/URL to the page and a unique token which works as the password. Send this link to anyone who needs access to the files.  Which files are available on this page? All files with the setting "Visible on file share page". The easiest way to select files is to click "Quick edit" in the Filezone. To simplify this, you can filter the Filezone first, for example only showing files with a certain extension or file mode.  What does the page look like? For a user accessing the page, this is how it looks. Clicking on a file link starts a regular browser download. Right-clicking on a file link allows you to select the destination before downloading.  For how long is the link valid? When the "Get link" button is first clicked, the token is created, with a seven day lifespan. If the link expires while still needed, you can extend the lifespan by seven more days by simply going to the Filezone for the project in question and clicking this button again.  What if I share the wrong file? There is a risk of sharing a file which shouldn't be shared, as with any file sharing tool, but mistakes can be fixed easily. The solution is to uncheck the option "Visible on file share page" for the file. The next time the page is loaded by any user, the erring file will no longer be visible there. Take care when sharing the link to the page, and inform users and clients that whomever they share it with will get equal access.  Handling changes in a subtitling template in mid-workflow (Reset job + Load translations) It's a familiar problem: after translation has begun, a new version of the media is delivered. Perhaps a recut, perhaps some major errors in the template were discovered. Updating the template is one thing, but what if five or twenty languages already have half-finished, or even complete, translations? Here is one way of handling this, aimed at minimising the need to retranslate text.  It is assumed that translations are done using Plint Subtitler based on a template. This method will also work much better if a minimum of splitting and merging have been done in the individual target languages. 1. Update the template first Leave it to a single person to incorporate the timing changes, add new blocks where needed and move blocks around where necessary. The simplest way of doing this is to use the same job as the one where the original template was created, but you can create separate jobs for this – as long as they are in the same part and language node.  2. Notify translators to "Reset and Reload" The idea is to store away your current work where the system can easily find it and then load the new template. This is exactly what the "Reset job" button on the "Job details" tab in Plint Subtitler does.  When the job is reset, the latest template version will be loaded. Perfect, except all the translations are gone. Now it's time to click "Load translations".  This will open a dialogue with some options. Usually, you only need to select a "File to load", typically the top one. This is a snapshot automatically created when the job was reset. The snapshot is a complete backup containing both the reference text and the translations. Click "Confirm" to load these translations. The system will now compare all text in the new template against the reference text in the snapshot. For all exact matches, the translation will be automatically inserted in the text field. Now, you only have to fill in the blanks, for example new blocks or blocks where the reference text has for some reason been changed.  Notes By now, it should be obvious why splitting and merging the translations will causes issues in combination with this feature. Tip: the "Limit editing" option for jobs will prevent all such changes. Make sure to use "Reset job" on the right job, i.e. a job with the "Load template" option active. Otherwise, the old file will be removed but the new template will not be loaded.  Reusing translations within the same project (Load translations) The functionality which enables updating a template in mid-project can also be used to import translations from other jobs on the same project. It might be described as a simple, built-in translation memory. Use cases include (but are not limited to): Importing text from from a similar language or language version as the starting point of your translation Importing completed translations from another part/episode on the same project Recurring strings ("Previously on ...") Different edits of the same programme Requirements This function relies entirely on finding subtitles/blocks with the same reference text Making it ideal for locked-template workflows With the right job settings, users can select other translations on the same project and import text from them An example In the project below, work is completed on the Swedish translation in Part 1. The subsequent Spot QC job is also done (screenshot 1).  Part 2 has a completed English template with many identical strings.  The job settings for the "Subtitling from template" job in Part 2 allow importing subtitles from translations where all jobs are done (screenshot 2) When the owner of this job goes to Job details / Load translations in Plint Subtitler (screenshot 3), they can choose from translations where all jobs are done (screenshot 4). In this case, this means Swedish translations from part 1. (You can also allow import of subtitles from translations that are still in process, for example before the final QC is done. The right choice depends on your workflow.)  1 2 Pro tip: With the setting below, you can make any job the "completion job" by adding any tag to it. The translation in this part/language will be considered ready for import and reuse when a tagged job within that node is Done. 3 4 Removing jobs in the middle of a workflow New function Dec 2023 Adding jobs to a workflow has always been easy in Plint Core, removing them without breaking the sequence of jobs less so. The inconspicuous option " Reparent " in the batch edit form solves this problem.  A workflow where the project manager wants to remove all "Spot QC" jobs. Without having to manually fix the parenting.  Go into Batch edit mode and select which jobs to remove. Select "Delete jobs" and check the "Reparent" option.  Submit and confirm Check the result