Channels
Distribute your content!
Channels allow you to distribute your product information to defined recipients, such as e-commerce platforms, marketplaces, product portals , print catalogs, points of sale, etc.
Channels Page
The Channels page is where you can create and manage your distribution channels and their content.
The page is displayed in three panels:
| Panel | Description |
|---|---|
| Left | A list of all available channels. |
| Center | The classification hierarchy for the selected channel. |
| Right | Properties for the selected classification level. |
Channels
The channels defined in your Quable PIM are used to distribute different content for distinct purposes, such as:
- Quable Portal - To easily share your Quable PIM documents, assets, and variants.
- PDF Product Sheets - To create read-only copies of your Quable PIM documents.
- e-commerce platforms / marketplaces
- and more!
There's no limit on the number of channels you can create! It all depends on your specific needs.
Add Channel
To create a new channel, click the Add icon ("+") in the Left panel.
A dialog is displayed to define the new channel:
Enter the following information:
| Information | Description | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|
| Name | The name of the channel. It's recommended to make the name as descriptive as possible so it's easily identifiable. | Yes |
| Code | The channel's unique identifier. Max length: 3 characters Note: This is only editable during creation of the channel. Once the channel has been created, it's Code can no longer be modified. | Yes |
| Entity | Select the channel's content type (Asset or Document) from the dropdown list. | Yes |
Channel information can not be changed once the channel has been created.
Once you have entered all of the information for the new channel, click the Apply button to save your changes or the Cancel button to return to the Channels page without saving the new channel.
A master classification is automatically created when you create a new channel.
Edit Channel
Once a channel has been created, only its classifications and their properties can be modified.
Delete Channel
To delete a channel, Click the Delete icon ("-") in the Left panel.
A dialog is displayed to confirm the deletion. Click the Yes button to delete the channel or click the No button to abort the deletion.
Classifications
Classifications are the categories and subcategories used to organize your documents or assets in your channel.
All content in a channel belongs to a master classification list. The classification levels within the master classification list define how your content is organized within the channel.
This directly corresponds to the structure that is displayed on your channel, so it's important to keep the marketing aspect in mind .
You can change the order of your classification hierarchy by dragging & dropping levels into the desired order. The new position is automatically saved.
Add Classification
To create a classification, select the classification level in which the new classification will be (its "parent") and click the Add icon ("+") in the Center panel.
A dialog is displayed to define the new classification:
Enter the following information:
| Information | Description | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|
| Code | The classification's unique identifier. | No A code will be automatically generated if left empty. |
| Name | The name of the classification. | Yes |
| Content defined by | Define how the classification receives content:
| Yes |
Once you have entered all of the information for the new classification, click the Apply button to save your changes or the Cancel button to return to the Channels page without saving the new classification.
The new classification is added to the list of classifications in the Center panel and its properties are available in the Right panel.
Edit Classification
To modify a classification, select a channel in the Left panel, navigate through the channel's classifications in the Center panel until you've located the desired classification level.
Clicking on the level displays it's properties in the Right panel.
When you've finished editing the classification's properties, click the Save button to save your changes or the click outside of the Right panel to abort the modification.
An arrow icon is displayed beside the classification's name if it has additional classifications within it. Clicking on the arrow expands the classification to display its contents.
Delete Classification
To delete a classification, select a channel in the Left panel, navigate through the channel's classifications in the Center panel until you've located the desired classification level. Click the Remove button to delete the classification.
A dialog is displayed to confirm the deletion. Click the Yes button to delete the classification or click the No button to abort the deletion.
Property Tabs
Each level of your classification hierarchy has its own properties. These properties are organized on four tabs in the Right panel. These tabs are described in the following sections.
Editing Tab
The Editing tab is available for all classifications levels, including the master classification.
The tab contains two sections:
| Section | Description | Can be modified? |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | Classification information
Channel information
| Yes No |
| General | The classification's properties. The Name propery is availably by default, however additional properties for classifications may be defined by your Quable PIM administrator. Note: The master classification always displays its Code in the Center panel. | Yes |
The Save and Remove buttons are only available on the Editing tab.
Content Tab
The Content tab is available for all classifications levels except the master classification. This is where you define the documents or assets in the classification.
The tab includes:
- a visual reminder of the content source
- a search option
- the selected content
These options appear differently depending on the classification's Content defined by selection.
Manual selection
As the name indicates, Manual selection is content that is individually selected ... manually.
The tab includes the following information for Manual selection:
| Area | Description |
|---|---|
| Content Source | The first line in the tab indicates the classification's content is from a manual selection. |
| Search | You can run a quick search for specific documents or assets by typing the first few letters of the item you are looking for, then select it from the list that appears. The item is then added to the Content list. |
| Content | The items selected from the search appear in this area. The following information is displayed: Code
|
When you've finished adding content, be sure to return to the Editing tab to save your selections!
Dynamic search
This content is based on the results of a saved search.
Saved searches available for channels are listed in the Channel Searches section on the Advanced Search page.
Before you can use the Dynamic Search option, you must first create a saved search for the content type (document or asset) from an advanced search and enable the Use in Channels option.
The tab includes the following information for Dynamic search:
| Area | Description |
|---|---|
| Content Source | The first line in the tab indicates the classification's content is from a saved search. |
| Search | Select a saved search from the dropdown list. The search is then added to the Content list. |
| Content | To view the contents of a search, select the checkbox for a saved search. A new section with the results of the saved search is displayed with the following information: Code
|
When you've finished adding content, be sure to return to the Editing tab to save your selections!
Diffusion Tab
The Diffusion tab is available only for the master classification. This is where you define the link types and attributes authorized for transmission via the channel.
Links to Broadcast
This is a paginated section listing all of your Quable PIM link types. Selecting link types to broadcast ensures that your linked content (e.g. collections, up/cross-sell content, etc.) is also transmitted with the documents or assets defined on the Content tab.
This section doesn't need to be configured for PDF Product Sheets.
| Description | |
|---|---|
| Authorize links | Select the checkboxes for the link types you want to authorize to be used in the channel. You can navigate through the pages via the arrow icons above the list. |
| Disallow links | To remove a link type's authorization, deselect its checkbox and click the Save Links To Broadcast button to save your changes or the click outside of the Right panel to abort the modification. |
Once you have finished selecting/deselecting link types, click the Save Links to Broadcast button to save your changes.
Be sure to return to the Editing tab to save your selections!
Attributes to Broadcast
Because you may not want to share all of your Quable PIM attributes, you can filter the specific attributes that can be transmitted via the channel.
In the Document Type dropdown list, select a document containing attributes you want to authorize/disallow. The attributes for the selected document type are displayed in Available Attributes and Broadcast Attributes panels.
| Description | |
|---|---|
| Authorize attributes | To authorize attributes, click on an attribute in the Available Attributes panel and drag and drop it onto the Broadcast Attributes panel or click the right arrow (->) to move it. Note: Document types without attributes authorized will not appear in your Quable Portal. |
| Disallow attributes | To disallow attributes, click on an attribute in the Broadcast Attributes panel and drag and drop it onto the Available Attributes panel or click the left arrow (<-) to move it. |
You can select and move multiple attributes at the same time by holding down the Shift key while clicking on the attributes.
Once you have finished selecting/deselecting attributes, click the Save button to save your changes.
Be sure to return to the Editing tab to save your selections!
Assets Tab
The Assets tab is available for all classifications. This is where you can define the asset to display to represent the classification.
The tab includes:
| Description | |
|---|---|
| Download All Assets | This button allows you to download any assets that you have added to the Assets tab. |
| Add Assets | You can add assets to your channel via:
|
| Assets | All of the assets you have added are displayed. When you hover over an asset, additional buttons are available to perform actions on the selected asset:
|
Quable-Specific Channels
Quable Portal
Quable Portal boosts your activities by easily displaying and sharing your Quable PIM content with your entire business ecosystem (employees, suppliers, partners, etc.).
By default, your Quable Portal is populated from your default Quable PIM (documents) and DAM (asset) channels. Your Quable Portal administrator can create specific channels in your Quable PIM dedicated exclusively to your Quable Portal.
Document types will not appear in your Quable Portal if they don't have any attributes authorized.
PDF Product Sheets
PDF Product Sheets are read-only copies of your Quable PIM or Quable Portal documents.
Quable PIM
PDF Product Sheets, available via the Print button in your Quable PIM documents, use a dedicated Print channel for printing PDF files from Quable PIM.
This channel is automatically created for you and can be seen in the list of your existing channels. You can customize the attributes that will be included in your PDF Product Sheets by following the steps to specify the attributes to broadcast.
The document's Name attribute is automatically broadcast.
Quable Portal
You can also print PDF Product sheets from your Quable Portal product sheets by selecting the attributes to broadcast in your Quable Portal channel (not the Quable PIM Print channel).
Header/Footer Settings
The Quable PIM administrator can configure a header and footer for your PDF Product sheets to include your company logo and custom copyright text.
Updated almost 3 years ago