Creating a Multimedia Component

You can create a Multimedia Component by uploading a local or network file to the Content Manager.

Before you begin

The following restrictions apply to editing a Multimedia Component:
  • You must have Component Management rights and Write permissions for the Folder.
  • If included in a Publication BluePrint, you must either edit the parent item or create a localized copy.

About this task

The typical reason for creating Multimedia Components is to upload various types of binary content to the Content Manager system so that it can be easily managed and reused. You can upload a large number of different binary file types, although the specific types that are available to you depend on how your organization has set up the system. For a list of the supported file types, refer to the related topic on multimedia file types.

In addition to uploading multimedia content to store it in the Content Manager database, it is also possible to reference external content. This can be very useful when you need to use very large files, which can cause technical issues if you try to upload them, such as database timeouts and size limitations. This option is an older method of referencing an external resource. The preferred method is to access and use external content from predefined external content libraries (or mount points) that have been set up by your organization. For more information on how to do this, refer to the related topic on external content.

Procedure

  1. Navigate to the Publication and Folder in which you want to create the Multimedia Component.
  2. On the Create tab of the ribbon, click New Component (down arrow) > New Multimedia Component.
  3. In the top part of the New Component window, enter the following:
    Name
    The name by which the Multimedia Component is identified internally in Tridion Sites.
    The name must be unique within the Folder. In a BluePrint, this naming constraint extends to any Parent or Child Publications in the BluePrint.
    Schema
    The Multimedia Schema that defines the type of content (file types) and metadata that a Multimedia Component can contain.
  4. Under Resource Type, select either Uploaded or External and complete the corresponding steps.
    OptionDescription
    UploadedSelect this option to upload a local or network file, and then complete the following steps:
    1. Click the Upload button.
    2. Locate and select the file you want to upload, and click Open.
    3. (Optional) To apply some basic editing to the image, click Edit. Use the editing options, such as Crop and Resize, to adjust the image to your needs, and click Finish Editing to save the changes and return to the main window. (Note that edits made to an image are complete only when you save the Multimedia Component.)
    External (old method)Select this option to reference an external resource from within a Multimedia Component. As mentioned earlier in this topic, there is a newer and preferred method for external references, and we discourage continued use of this option. If you still need to use it, then complete the following steps:
    1. Select the Multimedia Type. The options available from the list depend on the schema that has been selected.
    2. In the URL box, enter the URL address of the external resource you want to reference.
  5. If a Metadata tab appears (dependent on the schema), select the tab and add metadata information. You must enter all required metadata fields before you can save the Multimedia Component.
  6. Click Save and Close.
  7. Depending on the schema you selected, you may now be prompted to add this Multimedia Component to a Bundle so that it can enter a workflow. You can choose to skip this step, but until you add it to a Bundle, your changes will not be checked in.
  8. If this item must be added to a Bundle, a dialog opens asking you if you would like to do so now. You can choose Not Now to close the dialog, but you see a warning informing you that your item is not in a Bundle, and the same dialog will appear every time you save changes to the item. Alternatively, if you select Add, a Bundle selection dialog appears.
  9. In the tree structure on the left, navigate to a Publication and Folder that contains a Bundle to which you want to add the item, and add it to that Bundle by selecting the Bundle and clicking Add. This adds the item to the selected Bundle and closes the dialog. If the Bundle is already in workflow, the item will be too. You can also select Close, which has the same effect as clicking Not Now in the previous dialog.

Results

You have created a Multimedia Component, which you can use directly on a Page or as a Component link within another Component.