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.