What are labels?
Labels are visual tags: small pieces of metadata you can add to your files so you can see them in the browse view. They can be applied to any file and will appear underneath the thumbnail when browsing a folder.
Labels are useful for giving hints about what a file is or what a file is for, what state a file is in, or for simply drawing attention to a file.
There are two types of label:
- Text labels
- Icon labels
Text labels
Text labels are very similar to keywords. If you add a text label it will appear to the left.
Icon labels
Icon labels allow you to add a small picture to a file. Icon labels appear to the right.
When should you use a label?
Labels have a number of uses. We don't prescribe any particular use for them but we suggest they are idea for giving extra hints about what a file is or what it is for, what state a file is in, or for simply drawing attention to a file. We leave it up to each team to decide what they want to use labels for.
What do the icons mean?
The icons can mean whatever you want them to. We have tried to choose a wide range of icons that convey all sorts of meaning and to suit a multitude of uses. We have tried wherever possible not to pick icons that might be confused with icons in the main UI (so you won't find icons that look like close buttons or share buttons). We've also avoided icons that will be confused with future features (so no stars, love hearts or bookmarks).
The icons have been chosen mostly to convey some idea of how the file is being used or what state the file is in. So you will find various icons that could mean approval (or disapproval), icons that convey what a file is intended for or where a file might be being used: email, various social media logos, icons that convey legal status or licensing, seasonal icons, food icons, abstract icons that could convey anything. We've also included animal icons in case you want to collaborate by marking icons with a personal label (we've occasionally referred to these as 'Monopoly' icons as they could be used in a similar fashion to the counters on a Monopoly board).
Where can you see labels?
You can see a file label from 3 different places:
- On its thumbnail
- in the file preview info tab
- in the file preview metadata tab
Can you restrict which text labels can be used?
Yes. As text labels are just metadata they can have Controlled Vocabularies. They work just like keyword metadata in this respect.
Can you restrict which icons can be selected?
Yes. As labels are just metadata they too can have Controlled Vocabularies. If you create a vocabulary you will only see the subset of icons in the the icon drop-downs when adding icons.
Can you have more than one label field?
Yes. By default we give you a standard labels field (in a similar fashion to how we give you a keywords field). However you are free to replace this field with something else or to have as many label fields as you like. Label fields will cascade and panels containing label fields can be shared so it may be that you want to convey a status for each type of panel—video files could have video-specific labels, marketing files could have their own labels, and files needing approval from a legal team could have legal labels.
How do labels work?
Labels are simply textual metadata. The icons are represented by text-code that begins and ends in a colon. You can type an icon's code in if you'd prefer to not to scroll through the dropdown. When you have a controlled vocabulary you can type a colon and then some text you will be given a list of icons that match what you've typed so far.
Can you search for labels?
Yes. If there are labels available to search, the search bar will have an icon dropdown.
Labels can also appear as facets, be batched edited or appear in an advanced search.
Can you hide labels?
Yes. You can hide labels but going in the View settings by clicking the eye icon and unticking the "Show labels" option
Can you add labels to a folder?
Yes and no. Labels 'cascade' from a folder to the files within it, just like keywords do. You can add labels to a folder. However, they will not appear on the folder but they will appear on the files within the folder.
How do I add or remove labels on a file?
If you have a labels field already added to a metadata panel you can add labels in four ways:
1.Add them in the metadata editor in the preview window
2. Use the add-metadata action in the browse view
3. Batch edit them
4. Add them to a folder's metadata
Learn more on how to Add or remove labels from files in C18.2 Work with labels
