DF Studio’s uploading tools work directly in the web browser, and facilitate quick, intuitive file transfers with advanced configuration options available.
Assignments, Upload Keys, Messenger Import, and Upload Users represent additional, customized approaches for importing new files into DF Studio, each tailored to a specific workflow.
Add Files to DF Studio
DF Studio supports uploading directly into any on-screen Library folder or Project. Files uploaded to a Project will appear in that Project, while files uploaded to a folder will be added to a new Project (or Projects) stored within that folder.
Begin by clicking the “Upload” button from the Project Inspector or Folder Inspector in the right-hand sidebar. (This button can also be found in the toolbar beneath the workspace window.)
A separate upload window will appear with the specified Project or Library folder as its upload target. Select files or folders and drag them into the upload window. The upload area will highlight with a bright border to indicate that it is ready to receive the files. Release the mouse button to begin the upload process.
Select Files for Upload
If it is inconvenient to drag and drop files onto the browser window, it is also possible to upload files using a standard file picker. Once the upload window is open, click the “Select Files for Upload” button to open a file picker in the web browser.
Choose one or more files from the file picker and click “Open” to begin the upload process.
Configure Uploads
Once files are submitted for uploading, a configuration panel will appear, with a summary of how the files will be handled upon upload. To accept the default configuration, click the “Upload” button and the file transfer will begin immediately. (See DF Studio Upload Monitor, below.)
Configure File Uploads
When uploading a selection of one or more files—or uploading a single folder containing files with no sub-folders—the configuration panel will provide options to specify how the uploaded files should be divided into Setups. New files can be added to a specific Setup by name, uploaded into the Project without being stored in a Setup, or automatically divided into Setups by their filenames.
If the files are being uploaded to a Library folder, this panel will also include an option to name the new Project in which the files will be stored.
Configure Uploads With Folders
When uploading multiple folders, including files nested in sub-folders, the configuration panel will separate the files according to the source folders from which they will be uploaded. A summary of each folder’s contents will be displayed alongside a set of options to customize the handling of these files separately for each source folder. (A source folder’s files can be omitted from the upload by using the “Ignore” option.)
When uploading to a Project, each source folder’s files can have unique Setup options specified. The checkbox at the top of the Setup column will select or deselect all of the Setup controls below. The “Rollup” option configures any sub-folder’s Setup options to match the options for its containing folder with a single click.
Setups are named according to their source folder by default. To upload files into the Project without placing them into Setups, un-check the Setup option using the checkbox at the top of the column.
To specify a custom Setup configuration for a folder of uploaded files, begin by checking the Setup option. A custom Setup name can be provided by clicking the “edit” icon. Type a new name in the input box, then click the “done” icon to save. To assign uploaded files to Setups automatically based on their filenames, move the mouse pointer over the Setup area, then click the “automatic” icon.
If the custom name for a Setup is an exact match for an existing Setup, the specified files will be placed in that existing Setup. Using the custom name “No Setup” is the same as un-checking the Setup option.
If uploading to a Library folder, the configuration panel will offer the additional options of creating new folders or Projects to store the files, along with the Setup options described above. By default, each folder of uploaded files will be placed into its own Project, with any sub-folders assigned to Setups within that Project. These settings may be adjusted for each source folder.
If the custom name for a new Project is an exact match for an existing Project, a new Project will be created with the same name as the existing Project. To upload new files to an existing Project, open that Project in DF Studio and click its “Upload” button.
When the folder option is selected, DF Studio creates a Library folder as specified, and automatically creates a Project within this folder to contain the uploaded files, along with a Setup in that Project. Similarly, when the Project option is specified, DF Studio automatically creates a Setup within that Project. These automatic items can be removed by un-checking the boxes in the Project or Setup columns.
If a Project or Setup is needed and is not automatically specified in the upload configuration panel, it can be added by clicking the “add” icon in the appropriate column. Further adjustments can then be made in the far right column of the panel.
In order to be uploaded, files must have a destination Project specified. If the Project option is un-checked for any source folder, files stored directly in that folder will not be uploaded. Files in sub-folders will be affected by the options specified for the sub-folders.
Once all configurations have been properly set, click the “Upload” button to begin transferring files.
DF Studio Upload Monitor
As soon an upload is initiated, the upload window will display the Upload Monitor. The file transfer will continue in this window, allowing the main DF Studio window to be closed or navigated to another view without interrupting the upload process.
Each source folder from the upload will be listed individually in the Upload Monitor task queue, with a file count and a label indicating the Project into which its files will be uploaded. An icon at the left of each row indicates whether the files are queued, in progress, or uploaded.
Above this, the Currently Uploading area displays the status of the current folder being uploaded, with a progress wheel tracking the percentage of files that have been completed. Individual file upload progress is displayed for up to four files at a time, and the destination Project is indicated.
Click the “Cancel” button to stop uploading files from this folder and skip to the next upload from the task queue.
To the left, the Total Queued progress wheel indicates the overall progress for all files queued in the Upload Monitor. This allows at-a-glance information about the percentage of files completed from all sources, including existing upload tasks already marked complete in the task queue. To reset this progress wheel to zero and clear the list of uploads in the task queue, click the “Clear Completed Uploads” button.
Click the “Cancel All” button to terminate all currently queued uploads.
Avoid closing the Upload Monitor window while files are being transferred. Closing this window will interrupt the upload process and it will be necessary to upload files again from any folders not completely uploaded when the Upload Monitor window was closed.
Begin a new upload to the same source by dragging and dropping additional files onto its upload window, or clicking the “Start a New Upload” button. Upload to a different source using the “Upload” button from that Project or Library folder.
Once the upload process has been completed, refresh the view of the affected Project or Library folder, or, if viewing another screen, navigate back to the affected view. (Recent uploads will be viewable on the Activity page for easy access.) The new folders, Projects, and Setups will appear, and asset previews will load shortly after the upload has completed.
For Mac users, the DFS Speed Link application is available to assist with uploads. It can be launched using the “Speed Link Upload” button from the Project Inspector, or launched from the desktop and authenticated via DF Studio login credentials, an application password, or an Upload Key or Assignment Key.