Pools can be understood as folders where you can place your files or records. For pools, permissions can be configured so that different user groups get different access to the records.
Use cases
Pools can be used to structure your files and data. This can be based on content, permissions, or workflows. Some examples include:
| Use case | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Content | Pools can be sorted by images or documents, for example, so you can quickly select the content you need. You can use different object types or masks so that each pool has different data fields. | |
| Permissions |
| The most common use case for pools. Create pools and user groups for each department, so that you can, for example, specify that each department can only access its own records. |
| Workflows | Sometimes it can make sense to reflect your workflows as pools. All new files / records are uploaded to the “In progress” pool, and once they have been prepared (all data has been entered), they can be moved to the “Published” pool. This does not have to be, but can be combined with permissions so only published pool records are available to all users. |
Working with pools
Every CollectionPro installation has a “Standard pool”. The pool cannot be deleted, but its name can be changed for the purposes mentioned above. Pools can be arranged hierarchically, meaning you can create parent and child pools. By default, permissions are inherited for sub-pools (however, this can be disabled, see below). You can use the system’s “All pools” pool to set permissions that apply to all pools. However, this pool is for administrative purposes only, users cannot link records to this system pool.
To create new pools, click the plus button in the bottom left corner. By default, the pool is created under the “All pools” pool. If you select a pool before clicking the plus button, you can create a new pool under the selected pool. To delete a pool, select it and click the minus button. To copy a pool, select it and click the “Copy” button in the bottom right corner of the pool settings (note that the watermark settings will not be copied). Use the filter to search by pool name, description, reference, and short name.
Note that if you move a pool, all records in the pool must be reindexed. This process can take some time.
Settings
The settings of the pools can be expanded with custom add-ons.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| ID | Pool ID. Given automatically. |
| Internal Name | The internal name of the object. |
| Superordinate pool | To create a hierarchy, select a superordinate pool. This allows the pool to be moved to another level. Users need the following permissions: “View & Edit Pool”, “Edit Permissions of Pool” and “Create Subordinate Pools”. |
| Owner | Pool owner. Given automatically. |
| Contact person | Contact person for the pool. Users can see the contact in the pool details. |
| Name | The name of the pool that is visible to users. |
| Description (Markdown) | Description of the pool. Users can read the description in the pool details. |
| Internal comment | Internal comment from the pool. Not visible anywhere else. |
| Reference | Pool reference. Must be individual. Can be used by CSV import or API. |
| Short name | Short name of the pool. Must be individual. Can be used by CSV import or API and as a deep link: https:// |
| XMP/IPTC/EXIF Import profile | The default metadata mapping that is used when a user imports a file using the default mapping. Can be selected when uploading files (data is extracted from the file and written into data fields). |
| export profile | The default metadata mapping that is used when a user downloads a file using the default mapping. Can be selected when downloading files (the data is written to the file itself) or when exporting records (the data is written to an XML file). |
| Dublin Core Export Profile | The default mapping of Dublin Core metadata used in OAI-PMH. The mapping does not appear in the frontend when records are imported or exported. |
| Masks | By default, all records of this object type are rendered in all masks that you’ve created for the object type in the data model. For example, if you want records to be rendered with a specific mask, disable the check box and drag all masks that should not be used for records of this object type under the gray line. |
| Created | The date and time the pool was created. |
| Last Updated | The date and time the pool was last updated. |
Watermark
Watermark settings will be inherited for subordinate pools. This means that if you assign a watermark to a pool, all files in the subpools will also get a watermark version. This cannot be prevented.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Watermark file | Upload an image to be used as a watermark for all previews. We recommend using images with a transparent background. |
| Transparency | Set the transparency of the watermark from 0 (no transparency) to 100 (full transparency). |
| Position | Specify where in the preview image the watermark image should be placed. Will be ignored if “Tiled” is enabled. |
| Size | Specify the size of the watermark image. |
| Tiled | Enable to cover the whole preview image with the watermark file. It will be repeated in the specified size. |
Please note that watermarked preview images are only rendered, if they are specified in the base configuration.
Masks
This tab is only interesting if you work with multiple masks. If you only have one mask per object type, you can ignore these settings.
Each object type where pool management is activated will appear here. By default, all records in this pool are rendered in all masks that you’ve created for the object type(s) in the data model. For example, if you want records to be rendered in only one mask, disable “From Superordinate Pool” (or “From Object Type” if you’re working on the pool “All pools”) and drag all masks that aren’t allowed to render records in this pool below the gray line.
Use case
Imagine that you have the object type “Files” and one mask for images and one mask for videos, and assume that one pool is for a video project that will never have any images. It would be a waste of resources, if there were two documents for the same record in the ElasticSearch index, because they would only be used with one mask anyway. On the other hand, if you’re using a full mask for your editors and using a minimized mask to provide data to external guests, you would want all records to be rendered in both masks.
Tags
By default, all globally defined tags are available in all pools. If you want to disable certain tags for specific pools, you need to activate “Use individual tags” in the bottom right corner. You will then see all the tags above and can disable individual tags or set them as default. For more information, see “Tags & Workflows.”
Tags that are “Persistent” globally can’t be disabled here.
Workflows
By default, all globally defined workflows are available in all pools. To disable specific workflows for specific pools, you need to activate “Use individual workflows” in the lower right corner. You can then set up individual workflows. For more information, see “Tags & Workflows.”
Flows that are “Persistent” globally can’t be disabled here.
Permissions
Specify which users or groups of users can for example view, download, edit, or delete records in this pool.
By default, permissions are inherited from superordinate pools. If you want to disable this for specific pools, you need to activate “Ignore permissions of superordinate pools” in the bottom right corner. You can then assign individual permissions that apply only to this pool. Permissions that are “Persistent” in superordinate pools will still be applied to subordinate pools.