In this training we will cover how to create catalogs and document types from scratch and how to use other catalogs and document types as a template. We will also cover folder and file building rules.
In Content Central, you can create new document type or whole new catalogs in just a few minutes. The key is to determine what fields or properties that you want to store with your document and to decide how that document should be filed away in the catalog browser.
The easiest way to create a new document type is to copy an existing document type that already has most or all of the fields and settings that you want. In this example we’re going to add a document type for quotes to the accounts payable catalog. For each quote, I want to track the quote number, the purchase order number, the vendor’s name, and the date the quote was received, and I want it to be stored in the same folder as the purchase order under the accounts payable catalog in catalog browser. After reviewing the settings for some of the other document types in the accounts payable catalog, it looks like the purchase order document type has most of the settings that I want, so I’m going to copy its settings and start there.
I click on “create new” type in the name “quote” and choose to copy all the properties from the purchase order document type in the accounts payable catalog. As soon as I click “Apply” the document type is created and ready to go. I just need to give some users permission to the new document type so that they can start using it, otherwise, Content Central administrators will be the only users who can see the new document type. I could begin capturing to that new document type immediately just to test it out, but there are a few other tweaks I still want to make. The first change is that my quote document type doesn’t need a PO date, so I’m going to remove that field. I also need to add the date received field. I’m going to change the format that Content Central enforces to a different month day year format. I’m also going to make this field required.
When all of my changes to the fields are done, I can just click “Apply”. For my new field called “date received”, I want to make it available as one of the drill down search fields on the search page, so I need to update my default search fields so that it’s included. I’ve also decided that I want that new field to show up in the results grid as a column, so I’m going to update my default results fields as well. I don’t need quotes to go through any approval process, so I’m going to remove the one that was copied over from the purchase order document type that I used as a template. Now I’m going to capture a couple of quotes into the system just to see how the system behaves. I can go into the folders area and go to catalog browser and expand the accounts payable catalog to see my quotes. After capturing a few quotes into the system, I’ve decided that I want quotes to be filed away in a folder underneath each purchase order number and I want that folder to be called “quotes”. So, I’m going to modify the folder building rules for this document type.
To make sure it looks the way I want, I need to go back to one of the quotes that I already put in the system and recommit the document. Every time the “commit” button is clicked on a document, Content Central reevaluates whether that document is filed away in the right place based on the folder building rules for that document type at that particular time. Since I’ve changed the rules, when I recommit the document, Content Central realizes it needs to move the document to the right folder so it disappears from the current one, and refiles it under the “quote” folder. It’s important to keep in mind that when you change the folder building rules for a document type, Content Central will not automatically move all of the existing documents in the system to the new folder structure and catalog browser, so make sure to take some time up front to determine the best folder structure for your new document type. One that makes sense today but also make sense down the line when other departments want to add their folder structures as well.
We just created a new document type by copying an existing document type and modifying its settings. We can create new catalogs the same way by copying an existing catalog. The new catalog will have all of the document types and their settings from the catalog we copy.
Now let’s look at creating a new document type from scratch. We’re going to create the quote document type from scratch this time instead of copying the settings for the purchase order document type. Remember that for each quote I want to track the quote number, the purchase order number, the vendor’s name, and the date received, and I want it to be stored in the sub folder named “quotes” under the folder containing the purchase order in the catalog browser. I can create a new document type in this catalog with just a couple of clicks.
This new document type is ready to go. I could give users permission to it and begin capturing to it immediately just like in our last example. Let’s see how the system behaves without us making any other changes. First, the system does not ask us for any of the fields we were hoping to use. Also, the system files the document away at the topmost folder in the catalog browser for that catalog. By the way, the name for this top most folder is always the name of the catalog. It can’t be changed. There are no columns for PO number, quote number, vendor name, or date received, and there are no field showing up in the search pane that I can drill down into. We need to make some changes to this document type to get all of these things to happen so let’s start with the fields. One way to create a new field is just to click “Add Field” and provide the field settings. When you add a field this way, you are creating a local field. This is a field that is only available to this document type and can’t be reused BY other document types. But for the PO number field, I know it already exists in the system because I’ve seen it on other existing document types like the purchase order or the invoice, so I’m going to see if I can find it in the global field list so I don’t have to do all of the work of figuring out the field settings again. Vendor name and the quote number are also glocal fields that already exist.
So now, I’ve got three fields added, and one, the date received, left to go. I’m not sure if I might need to use this field again someday, but just in case, I want it to be added to the global field list. So, I go back to the admin menu, choose “global fields”, and add my new field to here first.
Generally speaking, there are a number of workflows and other features of the system that are only available with global fields, so it’s a good idea to get in the habit of always creating global fields instead of local fields. Now I can go back to my new quote document type that I was working on and add my new date received global field to it. When users are filling out the fields, I’m going to want the quote number to be the first item on the list for them to fill out so I’m going to move it up to the top. Now that all my fields are configured, I need to tell Content Central when I want them to appear. I want all of this fails to appear on the search pane as a possible drill down field, so I modify the default search fields for my new document type. I could move the fields over manually, but usually you can use the “add capture edit fields” shortcut at the bottom. We can go to the search page to make sure they appear.
I also want all my fields to appear as columns in results grids so I modify the default results fields. Again, I could move each of the fields over manually or pick and choose, but I’m going to use the “add search field” shortcut at the bottom and let Content Central take care of it for me. Now, when we see quotes in a results grid like in catalog browser, we’ll see the fields appear as columns. So far we’ve created our document type fields to it and configured those fields for viewing insert and and in results grids.
Next, we need to give Content Central a set of rules to use when it files away a quote. We want quotes to be filed by vendor name, then by PO number, and then in a folder called “quotes”. Remember that the purchase order document type already has folder building rules that are pretty close to what we want, so let’s take a look at those rules first. We can see here that folder building is enabled and in the folder buildings item section we see how Content Central is configured. Remember right now without any folder building rules set up on a new document type, quotes are being filed away under the root folder of the catalog in catalog browser, so that’s the default. But the purchase order document type that we’re looking at right now is configured to create a folder based off of whatever information is in the vendor field then move down one level by creating a new folder and then naming that new folder using the information that is in the PO field.
Let’s try to recreate that first on our quote document type. We know at the very least we need to add the vendor field and the PO field to the folder building item, so let’s start there. For this example, we’ll work through the rules a little differently than normal just so we can see how different rules make the system behave. Let’s start with the folder for the PO by adding the PO field to the folder building items and see what happens when that’s the only item in the list. Remember, all we have to do to test our folder building rules is to recommit a quote. We see that with our current folder building rules, Content Central creates a folder with the information from the PO field, but it’s not in the right place and it doesn’t look like the same as the other PO folders. First, it should have the letters PO at the front, and second it should be under the vendor’s folder. Let’s make a change to add the PO to the front first. We recommit our quote to test the change, and it looks like the problem is almost fixed, we just need to add a space.
Now let’s get the PO folder to show up under the vendor’s name. We’ll start by adding the vendor field. It looks like Content Central just added the vendor’s name to the end of our existing folder when really we were trying to create a whole new folder, so let’s go back to our folder building rules and make another change. We can add a new folder item by clicking the new folder button and we’ll move it between the PO items and the vendor item. Things are looking a little better they’re just backwards, so let’s change the order.
Now the quote appears in the same folder as the other purchase order documents. Finally, let’s tell Content Central to create a new sub-folder called “quotes”. Configuring folder building rules can be tricky and takes some time to get it right, but once you’ve got it set up, it keeps your folder structure organized and consistent, so it’s a good idea to spend some time on this step.
File building works in the same way except that it automatically renames the document so that documents have a consistent naming scheme. I’m going to configure file building rules to rename the file to the word “quote” and then a dash and then the quote number. Again I can recommit the document to test my change.
Those are the basic steps for creating and configuring a new document type from scratch. We created the document type, created any global fields we needed, added those fields to the document type, configured those fields for viewing and search and in the results grids, and configured folder and file building. You can continue configuring more advanced features on the new document type like approval processes or workflow. Remember to give users permissions to your new document type so they can use it. On our website under the support section, the steps we’ve covered for creating a new document type from scratch are listed in the frequently asked questions area.
Creating a new catalog from scratch is easy too. Just click the “create new” button next to the catalog drop down and give it a name. The catalog is ready to go and comes with a blank document type called “default” already built in. This default document type has no settings configured and does not affect any other document types in the catalog. It’s just a starter document type that Content Central gives you so that your catalog isn’t empty. You can rename the default document type to the name of a new document type that you want to create, and then continue on by configuring the fields, the folder and file building, and any other settings that you normally would.
In this training we covered how to create catalogs and document types from scratch and how to use other catalogs and document types as a template.
