media monorail application how-to and user guide media management services media monorail how-to 1...

ENTERPRISE MEDIA MANAGEMENT SERVICES MEDIA MONORAIL HOW-TO

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Media Monorail

Application

How-To and User Guide

Prepared by:

Enterprise Media Management Services (EMMS)

The Walt Disney Company

Version 0.9

September 20, 2011


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Welcome!

This document highlights a few of the new features in the upgrade to Media Monorail. It is

intended for current users of the TRON system. For assistance, please contact the Enterprise

Media Management Services team at Disney via email at [email protected]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

New Dashboard

I. Templates and Workflows

II. History

III. Sticky Notes

IV. Toolbar

Inside Workflows

I. Workflow Layout

II. Form Entries

III. Features

Managing Templates

I. Template Manager

II. Template Features and Permissions


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Introduction

Media Monorail (http://mediamonorail.disney.com) is the completely

updated and reconstructed upload and submission tool for sending files

to The Walt Disney Company. This application allows you to send

media files from your local workstation or storage and submit them for

processing, whether that’s into Jellyroll Digital Asset Management, sending to Landing

Pads, forwarding for User Delivery, or submitting to specific application processes. The

application will provide choices and assist you in creating the metadata for each file

transfer. There are a number of new features in Media Monorail, and this document will

demonstrate how to use them to your advantage.

The Media Monorail application is maintained by The Walt Disney Company’s Enterprise

Media Management Services (EMMS) group. If you have questions or encounter

problems, please contact us at [email protected] .

The following pages will describe the interface that you will see upon logging in to the

system. In each section, the intent is to help the user understand how to interact with

the tool. For specific questions regarding metadata, content, or use of the tool for a

particular work order, a user should contact the person at Disney requesting the upload

to ensure that process-specific tasks are followed and to obtain any specific information

regarding metadata and templates to use.


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Dashboard

Your Dashboard will be the first thing you see after logging in to Media

Monorail. This layout was designed to create a friendly user-interface

for the starting point of your file transfer. You can always get back to

the Dashboard by clicking on the Dashboard link in the Toolbar at the top. From here,

you’ll have quick access to often-used submission templates as well as a browsable

history of assets you’ve submitted or are uploading to Media Monorail.

The graphic above provides a sample dashboard. The next pages will describe how to

interact with the dashboard.


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TOOLBAR

This toolbar will always be located at the top of the page when you are using Media

Monorail. The name of your current section will be displayed next to the Media

Monorail logo for clarification purposes (below, it shows you are on the Dashboard). The

right side of the toolbar allows for easy access to 4 pages:

• Templates - Drag your mouse over Templates to either create a new template or

manage your current ones.

• Dashboard - Click on Dashboard to bring you back to the Dashboard no matter

where you are.

• Active Transfers - Click on Active Transfers to view current file transfer activity. This

is done by instructing the Aspera Browser Plug-in to show its “Transfers” window. In

some operating system/browser combinations, this may bring it up behind or not

bring it to the front of all your windows if it’s already open. The Aspera Transfers

window and the Aspera Connect plug-in functionality are not covered here.

• Help - Drag your mouse over Help to access the FAQ, Documentation, or Support

page.

TEMPLATES AND WORKFLOWS

Templates are specifically designed to streamline data entry, reduce time to enter data,

improve data consistency and reduce data entry errors. Generally, a user accessing the

MediaMonorail site will have both a file that needs to be uploaded as well as

instructions from the recipient as to a specific template to use or metadata to supply.

Templates do more than just supply information, they ensure that the user is selecting

the correct workflow, as different workflows can handle and route files in very different


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fashions to different destinations or locations. Creating Templates and managing them

is restricted to select users, and that is covered later in the document.

Start your file transfer at the Recent Templates section displayed at the top of the page.

Most users will always work with the same few templates, so their desired template

should always be displayed as:

• Recent Templates - One of the 9 most recently used templates.

• View All - Choose a template from all available templates.

• No Template - Start a transfer by selecting the desired workflow.

Recent Templates

If your desired template is visible in the Recent Templates box, simply click on the

template and proceed. It will open the workflow belonging to the template and all of its

prepopulated data would be available. For users who send files along multiple

workflows, Media Monorail incorporates specific visual cues in this list to help you.

• The highlighted bar for each template contains the short name of the workflow

that the template applies to. In the sample above, There are two workflows

(Dailies and CNG Program) represented in this list of templates.

• Workflows are color-coded to make it easy to differentiate between them in the

display even if the template names are similar.

• Users will only see workflows for which they have been granted access.


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View All

If your desired template is not visible, either because you haven’t used it before or

you’ve more than nine other templates more recently, you can search for it among all

templates by using the View All Templates interface. Follow these steps:

1. Click on View All Templates link in your recent template history and a screen will

appear that shows all templates. The screen should look something like the one

shown below:

2. Filter the results by one or more of the following ways:

a. You can limit your selection to only display templates applicable to a specific

workflow by choosing that workflow name from the drop down list. Or, you

can select “All” to see templates for all the workflows you have access to.

b. Whether you choose to limit to a specific workflow, you can search for a

template by entering part of the name in the SEARCH box. The results will

filter after a brief lookup, allowing you to select from the portion of the list

that matches your search string. To reset, simply delete any text you typed in

the search box, or click “Cancel”

3. Click on your desired template and proceed, or you can browse through the list

using the page links at the bottom. Clicking Cancel will close this window and

take you back to the dashboard.


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Uploading without using a template

If you do not have a required template, click on Submit a file without template in your

Recent Template history. A screen will appear showing all the available workflows. Click

on your desired workflow and proceed.

Warning: Before uploading files without using a template, a user should verify

this with their Disney contact, as most uses of the MediaMonorail tool are strongly

suggested to use templates

HISTORY

The History section allows you to view and check the status of past and current

transfers. These is the history of the logged in user id.

You can arrange the columns in the History table to match your preferences. Click the

top of each column (DATE, FILE NAME, PRIORITY, STATUS) once to sort in ascending

order and twice to sort in descending order.


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Click on the to the left of

each record to view the

metadata that was sent with

the file.

STICKY NOTES

Sticky notes will appear in the top

right of the Dashboard to inform you

when there is a scheduled

maintenance, available upgrade, or

any change to the system. Simply

click on the sticky note to open and

click on the to close.

Inside Workflows

After selecting a template (or selecting to upload without a template),

you will be directed to a specific workflow form that has been

constructed to more easily select files, add metadata, and send to

different destinations.

The new features inside workflow forms are (I) Workflow Layout, (II) Entries, and (III)

Features.


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WORKFLOW LAYOUT

The layout of each workflow is split into sections. These sections can be manipulated

and better understood by the symbols and hints used in the application. The sections

represent the logical groupings of metadata and information for the workflow, and each

may have specific fields and functionality that vary by workflow. Generally, each section

may be expanded or collapsed by the user.

Symbols

You will notice the use of symbols in the workflow layout that are new to Media

Monorail. Each symbol has a specific function that helps make the interface more user-

friendly.

Side Arrow – Click this arrow to expand the section.

Down Arrow – Click this arrow to contract the section.

Red Asterisk – This indicates a required field.

Green Check – This indicates that you have entered a sufficient value in the field

to satisfy the business rule.

Sections

The workflow form is divided into several sections. Each section has a specific set of

related fields for selecting files and entering metadata. Some examples of sections are:

• Files

This section is where you select the file(s) that you would like to transfer. Some

workflows allow the user to attach multiple files, others only a single file. Some

workflows support naming specifications that provide you a specific file name that must

be used.


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• File Properties

This section allows you to enter metadata to describe the file(s). Each workflow will

have a different set of fields for entering the necessary metadata.

(Some workflows will have an Additional Metadata section, which allows you to enter

any extra metadata to your file transfer.)

• Delivery Info

This section allows you to specify the Jellyroll destination, landing pad, and flexible

delivery. The following fields are important to understand:

�� Primary Contact - Enter the email address in this field that belongs to the person

that should be contacted in case there are questions about the asset.

�� Sender Email - This will be filled by default and will appear as the email address

of the person sending the file.

�� Priority (new) - Indicate whether your transfer is a high, medium, or low priority

by clicking on the drop-down menu and selecting your desired choice.

�� Email Notifications - Enter an email address to receive a notification when the

file has been transferred. The template may default certain email addresses, but

the user can add more contacts to the list if necessary.

FORM FIELDS

The workflows forms are comprised of numerous fields that allow you to enter data.

There are several types of fields and features that come along with them.

Types

You will find 5 different types of fields. Each one has a different procedure for entering

metadata, so it is important to understand how they work. Below is each type of field

and the icon that signifies the specific field:


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Buttons

Search Field

Read-Only Field

(may be any field type)

Drop-Down Field

Free-Form Field

•••• Select Files – This field allows you to select files for your transfer. Click Select Files to

choose one or more files from your computer. When you have highlighted the

desired file, click Choose or Open.

You have the option to select additional files at this point. Repeat the same

process by clicking Select Files, highlight the desired file, and clicking Choose or

Open.


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Note: As mentioned previously, some workflows allow only a single file, others will

allow the user to attach multiple files, so this may not be applicable to the workflow you

are using.

On workflows that allow multiple file selection, the metadata you enter will be attached

to all the files selected.

•••• Input Field – These fields allow you to search for values that are found in the

nomenclature registry. Begin typing any portion of the title and the flexible search

will show 10 hits. Select the title with your mouse or keyboard and the value will be

validated. The progression below shows a user selecting the Brazilian Portuguese

language folder for “Phineas and Ferb” language masters.


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•••• Read-Only Field - These fields will be colored grey

and are pre-populated by the template. You can

see the value, but you cannot change it. The

template author controls whether template values

are read-only. If read-only template values make a template unusable, contact the

template author or your Disney contact.

•••• Drop-Down Field – Click on the boxed-

arrow to select from a drop-down list of

options.

•••• Free-Form Field – When there is no icon, this means that the field is a free-form

entry, though there may still be business

rules applied to it. If you have questions

about specific contents to enter, the

best person to ask is your Disney contact.

Field Entries

When you enter information into fields other than the free-form entry fields, Media

Monorail will give you feedback to let you know you’ve entered a valid term. Some

boxes also support entry of multiple items.

Single Entries – There are certain fields that only allow for single entries. If the field

does not expand after entering a value, you may not enter additional values.


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Multiple Entries - Some fields allow for multiple entries. If the field expands after

entering a value, you may enter additional values. Examples are titles, keywords,

landing pads, and User Delivery recipients

Validated Entries – If you enter an accepted value in the field, it will become

validated by a green check above the field. In this example, Media Monorail is

checking to make sure you’ve entered valid email addresses.

Tip: Email addresses will validate when you enter a comma, press enter, or use

the tab key. You can copy/paste a comma separated list of email addresses into

the Email Notifications space and it will automatically validate all of them at

once.

Incorrect Entries – If you enter an incorrect value in a field, you will notice a red X

above the field. You must enter a correct value in order to send a file. Items that are

not free-form, the selection you entered could also be colored red to further indicate

hint you to the problem.

Deleting Entries – If you have entered an

incorrect value or have selected the wrong

value, you can delete this by clicking on the

delete button (X) to the right of the value. Note that for read only entries supplied

by templates, you will not see an (X) on the token and will not be able to delete the

entry.


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Features

There are 2 primary features that play crucial functions in the workflows. These

features allow Media Monorail to enforce business rules that are applicable to the

selected workflow.

Feature: Workflow Validation

This feature ensures that sufficient data is entered before the file is sent. All required

fields will be marked with a red asterisk, which will turn into a green check when they

become validated. The Submit button will remain grayed out until you have validated all

required fields.

If you attempt to click Submit while

the button is still grayed out, a

yellow box will appear that will

provide you a brief description of

the required fields that must be

entered or any problems with data entry that must be corrected before you can submit

the transfer.


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Submitting Files

When all required fields are

validated, the Submit button

will turn blue in the workflow.

Click on it to review the entered

metadata (an example shown

here). In some cases, you may

find that you forgot to enter

metadata that may not be

strictly required, or you may have entered incorrect metadata inadvertently. If this is

the case, click Cancel to return to the workflow form. If everything is ready for upload,

click Submit.

After you confirm the Transfer

Information and click the

dialog’s Submit button, Media

Monorail will supply you a dialog

confirming the submission of the

metadata and it will attempt to

queue the file for transfer to the

Media Monorail servers via the

Aspera Connect plug-in on your

machine. Once the file is

queued, Aspera should start transferring the file. The Aspera Plug-in has multiple

options for setting and monitoring bandwidth and reporting errors, and it may require

some firewall updates or configuration to optimize use if it’s the first time you’re using

the tool. The files will transfer using the Aspera Connect service, so you do not have to

wait on this page or keep the browser open to complete uploading the file. You may

move immediately onto sending your next file. When the file is finished uploading, the

Aspera Connect Transfers window will show you that status, and it will be updated in

the Dashboard History section.


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Bandwidth Warning: The Aspera Connect plug-in allows the user to set the bandwidth

to use for the connection, or it will use a default speed of 45mbps. If the connection

speed in the plug-in is set too high for the user’s connection, the file transfer may flood

the user’s network and cause applications (including Media Monorail) to become

sluggish, unresponsive, or even crash. If in doubt, work with your networking contact to

set appropriate bandwidth levels from your machine.

Aspera file transfer Status: Once a file is queued in Aspera Connect, any connection

problems or status on that transfer is only visible through the Aspera Connect plug-in.

The plug-in does not currently support providing that status within the Media Monorail

application. The plug-in does support pausing, resuming, viewing bandwidth usage, and

other capabilities. See documentation from Asperasoft.com on the Aspera Connect

browser plug-in client for details.

Feature: File Renaming

Some workflows, such as the CNG Program workflow, require the upload of specific file

names that are based on the entered metadata. Media Monorail will help ensure your

file is named correctly by generating the correct file name from the metadata that you

enter.

1. As you enter metadata in the required fields, it will fill in portions of the file

name. Some fields may not be required except in certain situations (e.g.

“Revision” or “Episode Number”). If you leave them blank, then their

corresponding token will be hidden from the filename being generated. The

token will appear if you enter text in this field. Be sure to enter all the metadata

required for this upload, which may in some cases be more than just the required


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fields.

2. After all of the required fields are filled in, highlight and copy the filename. You

can readily spot missing required elements in the file name because Media

Monorail shows them as having bullets for their contents.

3. Go to your file system to ensure your file is named correctly (if not, rename the

file). To assist with this, you can use your mouse to highlight the filename being

shown and copy/paste that onto the file on your local disk/storage. If your

workflow supports it, you may also see a button that will help you select the

filename so that you can copy it to your clipboard more easily.

4. Use the Select Files button to attach the properly named file.

If you select a file that is

named incorrectly per

the workflow, there will

be an error message

explaining this. To

correct this, you will

need to select either a

different file that

matches the name

Media Monorail is

expecting, or change the name of the file on your local machine/storage to the name

Media Monorail displays. Then, you will be able to select the file for upload.

Managing Templates

The use of templates in uploading files has already been described in this

document, this section covers specific functionality for users granted the

rights to create and manage templates. You will be able to easily identify

whether your account has this right by looking for the “Template” menu in the header

of Media Monorail. If you see it, you are able to manage templates. Standard users will

not see that menu. If you do not see that, then this section does not apply to you.


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The template menu is accessible at all times within Media Monorail, but depending on

where you are, some options may not be active. The contents of the template window

are described in the following table.

Template

Menu Option

What it does…

New Prompts you to select a workflow and opens a blank data entry

screen to start a brand new template. Always active on the menu.

Save Saves the current contents of the workflow screen as a template.

See later discussions about template ownership. Active when you

on a workflow screen.

Save As Saves the current contents of the workflow screen allowing you to

choose a new template name. Active when you are on a workflow

screen

Manage Opens the Template Manager (described next). Always active on the

menu.


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Template Manager

The Template Manager is a screen that is an enhanced version of the “View all

Templates” screen. In this screen, you can see and browse templates just as before, but

as a manager, you have additional capabilities for template you author.

From the Template Manager, you can:

• Delete your templates by selecting their checkbox(es) and clicking the delete

button. After confirming the delete, the template will be removed from the

database. This is non-recoverable, there is no “undelete”. This will not impact

previous files uploaded using that template, it will be unavailable for future use.

There will only be a checkbox if you are the author.

• View the template contents by selecting the button.

• Use the template by selecting its name. This is an easy way to update templates,

just select them for use, make your updates in the workflow screen, and then use

the “Save” option on the Template menu.


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Template Features and Permissions

Media Monorail offers a greatly expanded set of capabilities and features for templates

that give the template creator much finer control over how the user makes use of the

templates and interacts with the tool. This section provides information on those

features and offers tips to template authors to help create robust templates for their

users.

Getting started on a template is simple: just start entering metadata on the workflow

screen as though you are using the tool for an upload. Templates can be saved on a

workflow screen by an author without completing all business rule validations and

metadata entry. The author chooses how much metadata needs to be captured within

the template, and there is no need to select a file for upload when you’re creating a

template.

Enter any information you want the user to have on the template, then select “Save” or

“Save as” from the Template Menu. Save As allows you to choose a name for a

template, Save will save your changes if you are editing an existing template that you

authored. Media Monorail will not allow you to “Save” changes to a template that was

not authored by you, but you can always “Save As” to make a new template that you

would own. The method for data entry on any field is identical to that described

previously in this document.

When you elect to save the template through one of the two options, you’ll be given the

Save confirmation dialog. A sample is shown below and the different sections are

described in more detail:


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• Enter the name of the template in the box provided. There is a limit on name

length to ensure that names fit in the Dashboard.

• Select whether a template is public or private. Private templates are only

available to their owner. Public templates are available to all users with access to

the workflow the template supports. The default is public.

• Review the information captured as part of the template in the center section

• Near the Save button, there is an option to Lock the supplied values of the

template when it’s used. This is enabled by default and its function is described

in detail later.

From this point, the user can select to cancel the save or continue to save the template.

If the user attempts to save a template that they do not own, this will only allow them

to review the information, not make any changes. To save a new copy, they should

select “Save As” instead.

If the user enters a template name that’s already in use, a message will be shown on

save that explains the problem and the user will be returned to the save screen to

change the name.


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Locking Supplied Values

New in Media Monorail is the ability to force the user to use your template values for

any fields you set. If you save your template with the “Lock Supplied Values” option

selected, any metadata supplied by your template will be read-only for the user when

they start their data entry. This means that if you select, for example, a Jellyroll folder

for upload, the template will always upload to that folder, users cannot change it. Any

field you leave without values will follow the normal rules for the workflow.

Some points to keep in mind when considering using locked values:

1. This feature allows the template author to ensure that the template is followed,

increasing consistency.

2. Locked fields in a template are easily identified by the user as grey read-only fields,

and the user will easily see which fields are still left to potentially fill in with

metadata

3. In fields that support multiple values (e.g. landing pads, email notifications, user

delivery recipients), the user can supply additional entries by adding more items to

those lists, but they cannot change or remove any values provided by the template.

In this fashion, an author could dictate that deliveries are always send to landing pad

X by locking that in the template. When sending a file, a user of this template could

add landing pad Y as a second destination, but they cannot stop the file from sending

to landing pad X.

4. The data is truly locked. Entering an invalid entry in a field will make it so that no

user can correct that invalid entry. Likewise, entering text such as “Enter a

description here” in the “Description” field will lock that field, the user will be unable

to edit it.

If you save a template without the “Lock Supplied Values” option, a user can remove or

change any of the metadata values when they use that template.

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