Feature “Linked Files” can be found in the detail view of the Files module. It shows an overview of links between the opened file and other files in 4ALLPORTAL. Technically, these are database links to other files in the system. Functionally, they are links between one file and n other files in the system created by another application such as Adobe InDesign via an import function.


Linked files vs. Linked with

The feature can illustrate links bilaterally. We distinguish between side menus “Linked files” and “Linked with”.

  • “Linked files” show you an overview of files that are linked with the file opened in the detail view. For instance when images from the DAM are linked to an InDesign document or a PowerPoint presentation.
  • “Linked with” shows you an overview of the files or documents in which the file opened in the detail view is used. For instance when an image is linked with InDesign documents or PowerPoint presentations.



Supported link types


Files from the DAM imported into Adobe InDesign

  • InDesign documents (*.indd)
  • InDesign exchange format (*.idml)

Prerequisite:  Active links to files including the path to the 4ALLPORTAL “Data” directory / subdirectories. Analysis in InDesign documents with the InDesign Plugin.



Files from the DAM imported into Microsoft PowerPoint

  • PowerPoint presentation (*.pptx)
  • PowerPoint 97–2003 presentation (*.ppt)
  • PowerPoint presentation with macros (*.pptm)
  • PowerPoint template with macros (*.potm)
  • PowerPoint template (*.potx)
  • PowerPoint 97-2003 template (*.pot)

Prerequisite: The files were imported into the presentation with the 4ALLPORTAL - PowerPoint Plugin.



Example of use

You create a document in Adobe InDesign and import images into the page layout using the 4ALLPORTAL desktop app. This creates links between the InDesign document and the image data in the 4ALLPORTAL. If you then upload the InDesign document to the 4ALLPORTAL, you can use the 4ALLPORTAL InDesign Plugin to analyze the document. This will provide you with previews of the document pages in the system plus the overview of the images imported into the InDesign document, which are displayed as “Linked files”. See screenshot.   


Marker Linked_files_menue_file_detailview_DE

Example: The side menu shows files from the DAM that are linked to this InDesign document 



1. Linked files

Shows the files to which the file opened in the detail view is linked. For instance if there are links between an InDesign document and image data in the DAM.

A click on a linked file will open that file in the detail view.


Note: This side menu will only be displayed if linked files exist; otherwise it is entirely hidden.


Status for linked files

The 4ALLPORTAL is aware of the links between files, as long as they have been created in line with the above-mentioned prerequisites. 


  • Linked file moved, edited, or renamed: If a file is moved to a different folder, the filename changed, or the file is edited, changing the creation date, this will be signaled with an alert icon.

    You will find further information in chapter "InDesign Plugin" or "PowerPoint Plugin".  

     
    Example: Linked file has been moved or edited 


  • Linked file deleted: If a file is deleted from the system, the link is broken. The user is alerted to the deleted file with the alert icon. Only the fallback preview of the file with the file ID is shown.

     
    Example: Linked file has been deleted


    If you wish to repair the link, you have the option of uploading the file again to the DAM and manually importing it into the InDesign document or PowerPoint presentation. This may be useful because of the lost system awareness of the link as this involved a unique file ID. Uploading the same file into the system again will create a new file ID.


2. View

Click the “View” icon to toggle between tile view and list view.

Click the number or the “Triangle” icon to select how many linked files are to be displayed per page. Five are displayed per page as standard.

Click the right or left “Triangle” icon to page forwards or backwards in the main view.


3. Linked with

The “Linked with” side menu shows the linked files in the opposite direction. For instance, the list shows several InDesign documents with which the file opened in the detail view is linked. 

A click on a linked file will open that file in the detail view.


 

Example: File is used in two InDesign documents because these are linked with each other


Linked with – file deleted: If a file has been deleted in the system, the link will be broken. Only the fallback preview of the file is shown with the file ID and an alert icon is displayed. The entry will be moved to the bottom of the list.


Product Standard

The "Linked Files" feature is part of the product standard and is delivered with the 4App "DAM - Digital Asset Management".

In the standard, support is provided for referencing (= creating links) the file types listed above under "Supported link types".

Hidden Feature
It is possible to read out existing "linked" SmartObjects in Photoshop .psd / .psb and Tiff files. This is a function which was developed for the customer CEWE and was also transferred to the standard.
However, this function has not passed the quality requirements of the product management. It was then decided that we document this function here as a "hidden feature" instead of outsourcing the feature to a CEWE-own 4App.
Why not officially in the standard: Placing the handling in Photoshop files as linked SmartObjects is not subject to the 4AP UX strategy. Since Photoshop "embeds" the SmartObjects by default during drag & drop and does not create any links, the user has to take the following detour to use this feature: In Photoshop go to "Place and Link" from the File menu, select image via SMB mount in the client's file navigator to place it in Photoshop.
However, the PM sets the following condition: It must be possible to place an image from the DAM into a PSD using a desktop app with drag and drop to create the link.
As Photoshop does not allow us to do this handling, it is also not changeable in the preferences, the function does not fit into our UX strategy.
Should Adobe make this possible in the future, we can check the function again for standard suitability.

Customizing

Es wäre möglich per Customizing das Referenzieren von Verknüpfungen zwischen anderen als im Standard definierten Filetypes herzustellen. Hierbei ist zu prüfen, ob dies einen FR mit Entwicklungsarbeit beansprucht oder per Konfiguration möglich ist. Da es bislang diesen Bedarf nicht gab, liegen noch keine detailreicheren Informationen vor.

Licensing Model

FEATURE OR APP IS INCLUDED IN THE BASIC LICENSE