The metadata template is the set of custom fields your Lab uses to describe files, things like attribution, usage rights, or production notes. The Metadata Template Editor lets Owners build and change this template directly from Settings.

What's new

• A visual, drag-and-drop builder for your metadata template, opened straight from Settings.
• Organize fields into groups and subgroups, and reorder both with drag-and-drop.
• Support for all standard field types: text, number, dropdown, checkbox, date/time, textarea, and more.
• Mark fields as required or searchable, and restrict who can view or edit a field by minimum user level.
• Every change is tested before it's saved - you always see a preview of exactly what will change first.

How to use

Open Settings → Extensions → Metadata template. This shows your current template and an Open visual builder button.

The visual builder opens in its own window. From there you can:

• Add, rename, or remove groups - use subgroups to organize related fields together.
• Add, edit, or remove fields within a group, and set each field's type, label, and description (in every language your Lab supports).
• Drag fields and groups to reorder them, or drag a field into a different group.
• Set a field as required (must be filled in before a file can be uploaded) or searchable (included when users search for files).
• Restrict a field to a minimum user level for viewing or editing, so lower-level users simply don't see it at all.

When you're done, use Test changes to run a dry run against your current template. This never saves anything - it just shows you a changelog of exactly what would be added, changed, or removed. Review it, then use Save to apply the same changes for real.

Impact of changes

Changing your metadata template can affect existing files, so read the changelog carefully before saving:

• Removing a field removes any data already stored in it for every file. This cannot be undone.
• Renaming a field (its internal short name, not just its label) is treated as removing the old field and adding a new one - existing data in that field is lost.
• Adding a required field does not retroactively require it on existing files, but it will be enforced on new uploads and edits going forward.
• Restricting a field's minimum level can hide it from users who could previously see or edit it.

Because of this, always run Test changes and review the changelog before saving, especially on a template that's already in active use.

Required fields: marking a field as required forces uploaders to fill it in during the upload process. If a required field is left empty, the file is uploaded but flagged with a Metadata required status until someone fills it in. A specific folder can be set to Bypass required metadata in its folder settings, which drops this restriction for uploads into that folder.

Permissions

Building or changing the template itself requires Owner access by default - this is a structural change that affects every user and every file in the Lab, not a per-user setting. Owners can choose to also grant Administrators access to edit the template, from the same Metadata template settings page.

Once a template is in place, individual fields can still be restricted further: setting a minimum level on a field hides it from anyone below that level, both when viewing a file's metadata and when editing it. This is useful for internal-only fields (e.g. licensing notes) that shouldn't be visible to every user with access to a file.