Using Metadata in the WebUI

Egnyte provides powerful built-in metadata capabilities that allow the users to efficiently set metadata properties on a large number of files and folders and enable quick searching of content based on metadata.  See this article for an overview of metadata features.

Administrators can create sections for metadata to allow their users to add and edit metadata for files and folders within the WebUI. The metadata properties are displayed in the file details and the folder details pane. It can be used to simplify the search process, making it easier to locate related folders and files. This article covers how to create new metadata using the WebUI, how to edit and delete existing metadata, and how users can add metadata to files and folders.

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Create Metadata

Add Metadata Sections to Folders

Remove Metadata Sections from Folders

Edit or Delete Metadata

Add Metadata to File

Auto Tag a File

Tag Manually 

Edit Metadata for a File

Edit Metadata Section from File Preview

Purview Labels as Metadata

 

Create Metadata

Admins can use the following steps to create new Metadata sections:

1. Navigate to Settings -> Metadata Tags -> Configuration. Click on Add New Section.
    
2. Enter the section name.
3. Choose a scope for the section. The scope can be one of the three values below.
   • Global - This metadata section is applicable to all files and folder 
   • Folder scoped - This metadata section is only applicable to items in the specific folders (and their subfolders).
     If Folder scoped is chosen, then the admin can optionally select one or more folders to associate with this section.
     
     
   • Filetype scoped - This metadata section is only applicable to specified filetype(s).
     If Filetype scoped is chosen, the admin must choose at least one filetype from the dropdown list.
     
4. Use the toggle to choose whether inheritance should be enabled on this section.
   
   

   Inheritance can only be enabled at creation time. This property cannot be changed after the section has been created. See this article for a description of Metadata inheritance.

5. Enter the following property values for the new section. Up to twenty properties can be added to any given section.
   
   1. Property Name: Create a name for the property (required).
   2. Description: Provide additional details about the property (optional).
   3. Type: Select a type for the property (required). See descriptions of the types below:
      • Integer - A whole number
      • Decimal - Integer and non-integer numbers
      • String - A string of arbitrary characters
      • Date - Past, present, or future date
      • Dropdown with options - Provide predetermined options for users to select from
        
6. Once all of the needed information has been entered, click Save Changes.
   

Add Metadata Sections to Folders

After a folder scoped Metadata Section has been created, an admin or a folder owner can associate the section with a folder by following these steps:

1. Go to the folder listing view.
2. Click on the three-dots menu and choose More actions ->  Details and Options.
   
3. On the resulting pop-up dialog, click on the Associate metadata sections menu and choose the section to associate with this folder.
   
   
   

Remove Metadata Sections from Folders

An admin or a folder owner can dissociate a section from a folder using the same dialog box as above. In order to remove the association between a Metadata Section and a folder, perform the following steps: 

1. Go to the folder listing view.
2. Click on the three-dots menu and choose More actions -> Details and Options.
   
3. Click on the Remove option next to the section that is to be removed.
   
4. Note that if a value has been set for a property in a section, and that section is removed from the folder, the value of that property is not automatically deleted. Instead, the property is moved to Unassociated metadata sections.
   
5. The unassociated properties can be used for searching and filtering, just like any other metadata.

Edit or Delete Metadata Sections

Admins can use the following steps to edit or delete existing Metadata sections.

1. Navigate to Settings -> Metadata Tags -> Configuration. Hover over any of the metadata tags to see the respective edit and delete options.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Clicking on the Edit icon allows making the necessary changes to the metadata section name or properties, including deleting a specific property. Click on the Save Changes button after making the changes.

   Section scope or inheritance cannot be changed after the section has been created.

   
   
3. To delete a section, click on the Delete icon. Confirm that you want to remove this section by typing in a confirmation message and clicking Remove section.
   
   
   

Add Metadata to File

Admins and users can use the following steps to add Metadata in files.

1. Open the file in preview and navigate to the Tags option.
   
2. Users can choose to auto tag the file or add the tags manually using the dropdown options.
   

Auto Tag a File

1. To tag the file automatically, choose Auto tag from the dropdown and select a specific section. The sections will be listed as per the configured metadata in the domain. 
   
   
   

2. The system will extract the metadata tags. Users can review and click on Save after making the necessary changes.
   
   The tags will then be displayed for the file.
   
   

Tag Manually 

1. Choose Tag Manually from the dropdown.
   
   
2. Select the desired section to create the tag.
   
   
3. Enter the associated values and click on Save.
   
   The tag created will then be displayed for the file.
   

Edit Metadata for a File

1. Open the file in preview, navigate to Tags and click on the three-dots option for the tag added. Click on Edit tags.
   
   
2. Make the necessary changes and click on Save.
   

Edit Metadata Section from File Preview

Open the file in preview, navigate to Tags and click on the three-dots option for the tag added. Click on Edit section.

The user will be redirected to the Metadata configuration page in Settings to edit the metadata section. 

Edit section option will be disabled for the metadata sections that are restricted or cannot be modified.

Purview Labels as Metadata

Egnyte provides the ability to automatically detect and read the Microsoft Purview sensitivity label applied to a file whenever that file is uploaded, created, or edited in Egnyte. When a file containing a Purview label is added to Egnyte, the label information is captured and stored as Egnyte metadata on that file. This allows the sensitivity classification to remain visible and searchable within Egnyte, even if the file was labeled outside of Egnyte or prior to being stored in Egnyte.

Refer to this article for more details about the functionality.