As of MM5.6.1, the way that collection-sharing has changed. This document aims to explain how the system actually works, not how it should work.
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Let’s say that we have three collections: Root collection, Sub collection, and Sub sub collection - where, Sub collection is in Root collection, and Sub sub collection is in Sub collection.
On Root-collection, the metafields A and B have been shared with me.
Hence in collections Root collection, Sub collection, and Sub sub collection I now have access to see + live-export metafields A and B
On Sub collection, the metafields B and C have been shared with me.
Hence in collections Sub collection and Sub sub collection I now have access to see + live-export metafields A + B + C
On Sub sub collection, the metafields C and D have been shared with me.
Hence in Sub sub collection I now have access to see + live-export metafields A + B + C + D
Recap
Root collection grants me access to see + live-export A + B
Sub collection grants me access to see + live-export A + B + C
Sub sub collection grants me access to see + live-export A + B + C + D
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Now, when I multi-download/live-export Root collection, it'll download all assets in Root collection, Sub collection, and Sub sub collection with the metafields A + B.
Multi-downloading Sub collection will download all assets in Sub collection and Sub sub collection with the metafields A + B + C.
Multi-downloading Sub sub collection will download all assets in Sub sub collection with the metafields A + B + C + D.
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Let’s say that we have the same three collections again: Root collection, Sub collection, and Sub sub collection - where they’re still the following: Sub collection is in Root collection, and Sub sub collection is in Sub collection.
On Root collection, there is one video asset
On Sub collection, there is one PDF asset
On Sub sub collection, there is one image asset
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Root collection
When multi-downloading Root collection, I will be presented with the option to choose one or more qualities for “Videos” that my user has access to. I do not have the option to select qualities for either PDFs or Images. I select “quality=mp4_480”, and download:
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Sub collection
When multi-downloading Sub collection, I will be presented with the option to choose one or more qualities for “PDF” that my user has access to (usually only original for PDF). I do not have the option to select qualities for Images. I select “quality=original” and download:
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Sub sub collection
When multi-downloading Sub sub collection, I will be presented with the option to choose one or more qualities for “Images” that my user has access to. I select “quality=jpeg small” and “quality=jpeg big” and download:
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Example: Say that your server is on UTC +0 and that you are on UTC +2. You then create a collection share and send it off to a person whose location is in UTC +8. Then, on the date you selected:
Server point-of-view (UTC +0) | Your point-of-view (UTC +2) | The recipient’s point-of-view (UTC +8) |
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Collection share available from 0:00 AM | Collection share available from 2:00 AM | Collection share available from 8:00 AM |
This also means that, if you were to share with a person who’s in a timezone like UTC -10 from a server that is in UTC +0, then from the recipient’s point of view, the collection is available at 4 PM in the afternoon, the day before the start date (and, conversely, it will also expire at 4 PM the day before the end date).
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By default, some metadata fields will be added:
Defined by a higher level user (e.g., admin) in General → General settings → Collections → METADATA SHOWN FOR SHARES.
If It will not appear in the list if you do not have at least read rights to a default metadata field, it will not appear in the list. Therefore, it will not appear for recipients.
You can remove all the default metadata fields (“Title” included) without it causing any issues.
You can add all metadata fields that your user has, at least, read rights to:
If you have shared a metadata field , and then lose read rights to the metadata field - then , the share will actually retain the metadata field, ; however, the recipient(s) will no longer be able to see the metadata field.
While you, as the sharer, have no read rights to the metadata field, you cannot remove the metadata field from the share. But again, the recipient(s) likewise will not see the metadata field, so this is not seen as an issue.
Re-adding read rights to the metadata field for the sharer - will make the recipient(s) regain access to the metadata field.
The recipient(s) will be granted read rights to the metadata fields you choose (i.e., not write rights)
Please note that, for each user, we hide empty metadata fields that they only have read rights to. So, if a recipient has an issue with seeing a metadata field, it’s probably caused by it being empty. (Side note: booleans cannot be empty)
Freetext searching at the top of the asset editor for a hidden metadata field will reveal the metagroup it’s a part of. This can be used as a way to quickly see if the metadata field was shared but is just hidden due to no content. (If they have no rights to it, the free-text search will not return the metagroup, hence why this is a valid test).
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Can download metadata
Recipients will get the option to can download metadata for all assets in the collection - from the side panel only.
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Only shown to the sender if it has the following roles:
Asset_Can_Download
Can_Live_Export_Asset_Only
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Only shown to the sender if it has the following roles:
Asset_Can_Download
Can_Live_Export_Assets_And_Metadata
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Depending on which [Access type] you select, the recipient will be able to do the following - for both the collection and any of its sub collections:
Can view the collection | Can manage assets | Can administer the collection | |
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See assets | |||
Add and remove assets | |||
Set and remove collection thumbnail | |||
Rename collection |
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Delete collection | |||
Create sub collections | |||
Share the collection onward (using the owner’s rights) | |||
Share sub collections onward |
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See, edit, delete, and reshare all existing shares for the collection |
Message [Email, Users, Groups]
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This list will be populated with all users in the system who have an email attached. The email does not have to be valid.
If you add multiple users while sharing, these users will all receive their own, albeit identical, shares - that all can be individually updated, reshared, and deleted.
It will show an error if you try sharing with yourself or other users who have already received a collection user share (Meaning that, if they have received the collection as a group first, and then have a user share, they will be getting a new share).
If you share with multiple users, and your user or an existing user is included, it will show the error. It will, however, share with all other valid users.
(If you wish to update an existing user share, you have to must do this from the ‘Overview of shares’ menu option.)
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Resending the invite will only send a new mailemail, not a notification.
The email will look exactly the same as the initial invite/share - with the same message.
To change the message of the ‘Resend invite’ function, you will have to must first edit the message from the ‘Edit share’.
Disabling sharing externally [Link, Email]
Higher level users (e.g., admins) have the option to disable external sharing in General → General settings → Collections. In here you have the toggle ‘Enable external collection sharing’ which, if disabled, will remove the [link] and [email] sharing tabs from all users.
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Please be aware that, regardless of whether you share with e.g., View rights first, and Admin rights later - or - Admin rights first, and then View rights later - the result will be the same; the highest access will be applied.
Sharing a collection with the same user multiple times
User share v / User share > | View | Edit | Admin |
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View | View | Edit | Admin |
Edit | - | Edit | Admin |
Admin | - | - | Admin |
We have the following unique scenarios:
User View + User View = View
User View + User Edit = Edit
User View + User Admin = Admin
User Edit + User Edit = Edit
User Edit + User Admin = Admin
User Admin + User Admin = Admin
Link share v / User share > | View | Edit | Admin |
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View | View | Edit | Admin |
As [User] and [Group] are fundamentally the same, and [Link] and [Email] are fundamentally the same - thus, we only have to make one comparison. As [Link] and [Email] always will only share as View, we have the following unique scenarios:
Link View + User View = View
Link View + User Edit = Edit
Link View + User Admin = Admin
Group > | View |
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As [Group] uses the exact same logic as [User], only one is needed to validate this. Hence, only sharing [Group] as View is sufficient
Group View = View
Email> | View |
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As [Email] uses the exact same logic as [Link], only one is needed to validate this. Hence, only sharing [Email] as View is sufficient
Email = View
Sharing a collection with the same user multiple times - both as child and as parent
The above scenarios were all for one collection shared in multiple ways. You also have the option to share collections as a part of other collections.
User share Child v / User share Parent > | View | Admin |
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View | View on child View on parent | Admin on child View on parent |
Admin | Admin on child Admin on parent | - |
Please note that Edit is not added here, as it will function the same as View + Admin.
For example, we have two collections: Root collection and Sub collection, where Sub collection is a child of Root collection.
When sharing Root collection as View (Share A), and then sharing Sub collection as Admin (Share B), you will have View rights on Root collection, and Admin rights on Sub collection, regardless of how you access these collections. So, as mentioned earlier, when you have a collection (Sub collection) shared with you, both as the root (Share B) + as the child (Share A), you will have two ways of entering it from the Collections menu. One where you can access it directly (go directly to Sub collection, Share B), and one where you have to go through its parent folder (first Root collection and then Sub collection, Share A).
Regardless of which way you access Sub collection, you will have Admin rights.
The unique scenarios:
User parent View + User child View =
View on the parent
View on the child
User parent Admin + User child View =
Admin on the parent
Admin on the child
User parent View + User child Admin =
View on the parent
Admin on the child
Fields in use as of 5.6.2
The following roles will come into effect as of 5.6.2. They exist in 5.6.1, but are not enforced:
Collection_can_share_mail | Allows the user to share with an external email (available from 5.6.1, but not used before 5.6.2) |
Collection_can_share_zip | Allows the user to share asset(s) as a zip (available from 5.6.1, but not used before 5.6.2) |
Collection_can_share_user | Allows the user to share collections with other users (available from 5.6.1, but not used before 5.6.2) |
Collection_can_share_link | Allows the user to share a collection as a link (available from 5.6.1, but not used before 5.6.2) |