Configure Taxonomy Metadata

Taxonomy metadata lets you create controlled sets of metadata values to categorize content in Heretto CCMS so authors can filter and find it by meaningful attributes like audience, product, or complexity level.

A common use case for taxonomy metadata is creating an Audience taxonomy with metadata values values like Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.

Users assigned the Administrator role in Heretto CCMS create taxonomies and configure them as metadata. Once that's done, users with authoring permissions can add metadata to content and use it as search facets in the CCMS.

Figure 1. An Example Metadata Configuration.

A metadata category that contains two metadata fields. Note the check boxes selected for each of the metadata fields. This configuration is completed by users assigned the Administrator role. This example shows taxonomy and label metadata, but the configuration process is similar for all custom metadata types.

Figure 2. An Example of Metadata Values Added to a File.

An Audience metadata category that contains two metadata fields: User Type and User Role. This example shows taxonomy metadata, but the process for adding metadata to files is the same for all metadata types.

Figure 3. An Example of Metadata Enabled as Search Facets in the CCMS.

Enabling metadata as search facets lets users search the CCMS for files based on metadata added to files. Metadata-based search facets are available in the Search tab. This example shows taxonomy metadata used as search facets, but all custom metadata types can be enabled as search facets.

Create a Taxonomy

You create a taxonomy to organize values that you want to use as metadata. Creating a taxonomy is the first step to configure taxonomy metadata, which is the only custom metadata type that requires a taxonomy.

Taxonomies can be crated by users assigned the Administrator role in Heretto CCMS. Configured metadata can be added to files by any user with authoring permissions.

To complete this procedure, you must be assigned the Administrator role in Heretto CCMS.

a gif showing a user creating a new taxonomy of user types: advanced, intermediate, and beginner

In the top-left corner, click the Main Menu and go to Taxonomy.
Click New Taxonomy.
Enter a label for the taxonomy.
The Label field is the name of the taxonomy that is not visible to users outside of this interface. The Name field is used by the CCMS as a unique identifier and is populated automatically. At this point, you can still modify the value in the Name field. Once you save your changes, you can still modify the label but not the name.
Click Save to create the new taxonomy.
Click the taxonomy to add taxonomy terms.
Click the existing term Unnamed 1 and, in the Label field, give it a meaningful name.
Once configured, the name you give a taxonomy term in the Label field is visible to other users. The Name field is not editable for existing taxonomy terms.
Click Save.
Right-click the renamed term and do any of the following:
- To create a new, top-level term, select Create Term Below.
- To create a child term under the existing term, select Create Narrower Term.
Give the new term a meaningful name. Click Save.
Keep adding new terms as needed.
Once you are satisfied, click Save all changes.

You added a taxonomy in the CCMS and populated it with terms. It is not visible anywhere outside of the Taxonomy interface. You are ready to enable the taxonomy as metadata.

A Category taxonomy with terms in the Taxonomy interface

Create a Metadata Category for Taxonomy Metadata.

Create a Metadata Category for Taxonomy Metadata

Configure a metadata category with taxonomy metadata to enable users to select metadata values from a predefined set of options. Once added to files, taxonomy metadata can be used as search facets in Heretto CCMS.

A metadata category is a metadata grouping that can contain one or more metadata fields. It enables you to group metadata, for example, by type, function, or product it applies to. Each metadata field can be configured to use a different metadata type: taxonomy, label, text, or date. The way you organize your metadata categories in the Metadata interface is also how users see it in the CCMS.

To complete this procedure, you must be assigned the Administrator role in Heretto CCMS.

Create a taxonomy with terms you want to enable as metadata. See Create a Taxonomy.

In the top-left corner, click the Main Menu and go to Metadata.
If needed, scroll down to the Category Name field, enter a name for the metadata category, and click Add Category.

The value you add to the category is visible to other users in the Overview tab of the Resource Drawer.
Optional: To prevent this metadata from being added to selected content types, for example, task, map, or DITAVAL, in the Exclude from Content Type field, choose those content types.

By default, metadata can be added to all content types.
Optional: To prevent this metadata from being added to binary files, such as image or CSS files, clear the Enable for binary files check box.
Complete these fields:
1. In the Label field, enter a metadata field label.
  The value you add in the Label field is visible to other users in the CCMS. The Name field is used as a unique identifier by the CCMS and is populated automatically. At this point, you can still modify the name. Once you save your changes, you can still modify the label but not the name.
2. In the Type drop-down menu, select Taxonomy.
3. In the Values field, select a taxonomy structure.
  These are the taxonomy values you want to associate with your metadata category.
Optional: To enable users to select multiple values, select Allow Multiple Selection.
Optional: To enable users to use the metadata as search filters in the CCMS, select Search Facet.
Select Enabled to enable the metadata for use in the CCMS.

If you keep this option cleared, your metadata settings will be saved in but the metadata won't be available for users to add to files or use as search facets (if you selected Search Facet).
Optional: Add more metadata fields in this category by clicking Add Field and repeating the process.

One metadata category can contain multiple metadata fields of the same or different types. For example, one category can contain taxonomy and date metadata fields.

Tip:
If you added two or more metadata fields to a metadata category, you can order them by using the Move Up and Move Down options from the hamburger menu .
Click Add Field, then Save Changes.

Note:
Due to a known issue, for all changes to save, the category must contain an empty metadata field at the bottom.

Depending on your settings, the metadata is now available to users in the CCMS. Users assigned the Administrator, Editor/Manager, and Author roles in the CCMS can apply metadata to files individually or in bulk-change operations.

A metadata category with taxonomy values enabled — Figure 4. A metadata category with two metadata fields set up as taxonomy metadata.
In this example, both *Complexity* and *Interface* metadata can now be used in the CCMS (the Enabled check box is selected). Note the extra empty metadata field in the category (required).

Add Taxonomy Metadata to Files

You can add metadata to existing files individually in the Resource Drawer or to a group of files in a bulk-change operation. You can also add metadata to files when they are created. Users assigned the Administrator, Editor/Manager, and Author roles in Heretto CCMS can add metadata to files. Any user can use metadata to filter files in the CCMS.

Remember:

The metadata configuration that is set up by Administrators in the Metadata interface defines certain metadata behaviors:

Only values already present in a taxonomy and configured in the Metadata interface can be added to files as taxonomy metadata.
Only metadata that is marked as enabled in a metadata category can be added to files.
Only metadata that is configured as search facets can be used to filter for files in the CCMS.
Metadata that is configured but not added to any files cannot be used as search facets in the CCMS.
Individual metadata categories may be excluded from binary files or selected content types. Ensure that the value you want to set is included for the intended content and file type.

Add metadata to files upon file creation

In the Content Library, navigate to a folder and click Create New.
Select the content type you want to create.
In the Create new window, go to the Metadata section and add metadata to the file.

Add metadata to existing files individually

In the Content Library, click a file to open the Resource Drawer.
In the Resource Drawer, scroll down and add metadata from the available options.
Repeat these steps for any other file you want to add metadata to.

Add metadata to existing files in a bulk operation

a gif showing how to update taxonomy and date metadata for a map and its dependencies but not its resource only files

In the Content Library, select the files, folders, or maps you want to modify.

To select a range of files and folders, select the first file or folder, press and hold Shift, and select the last file or folder in the range.
Right-click the selection and select Bulk Change > Metadata.
If your selection includes a folder, decide if you want files in its child folders (folders it contains) to be included in this operation.
If your selection includes a map, decide which files associated with it you want to be included in this operation:
1. If you don't want to include the dependencies of a given map, like its child topics and submaps, clear the Include dependencies check box.
  
  Important:
  The Include dependencies option only includes the direct dependencies of the map. It does not include binary files (non-text files like images) present in the map or topics it contains.
2. If you don't want to change the resource-only files in a map, clear the Include resource-only files check box.
  
  Tip:
  For example, the resource-only files are your variable topics that are added with the processing-role="resource-only" attribute to your map. As a result, they are present in the map but not included in the output.
3. If you want to include all map dependencies, including its indirect dependencies and binary files (non-text files like images), select the Include all dependencies check box.
Go to the metadata you want to add to the file(s) and, from the drop-down menu, select Add to existing.
For details about the remaining options in the drop-down menu, see Bulk-change Metadata Assigned to Files.
Select the metadata value(s) you want to add to the files.
Click Save.

Your files now have metadata assigned to them. You can view the metadata for a file by clicking the file and scrolling down in the Overview tab of the Resource Drawer. From there, you can also expand the API Info view and click REST URL to view all CCMS metadata for a file.

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