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How Do I Publish a File With Attribute Details Via MS Excel? (Bulk Upload)

This article will explain how to bulk publish files with Attribute details using the Import from MS Excel feature.

Required Folder Permissions

To publish files to the destination folder using this method, one of the following permissions is required on that folder:

Permission

Description

Publish

Allows users to publish files.

Publish & Link

Allows users to publish and link files.

Admin

Provides full administrative rights, including publishing controls.

NOTE: Folder permissions defined at the default or role level can be overridden.

How Do I Download The MS Excel Import Sheet?

  1. Select the required Project.

  2. Navigate to the Files tab.

  3. Choose the destination folder.

  4. Click the Upload dropdown (top-right).

  5. Select Files.

  6. An Upload window will appear.

  7. Select one or more files using Select File(s) or by dragging and dropping them into the Drag Files Here area.

    • The files will not be published at this stage.

    TIP: It is recommended to select the actual files that will be uploaded later, as this will make the import process easier.

  8. In the Upload window, click the download template icon (top right) to download the MS Excel template for importing file Attribute details.

NOTE: In order for this method to work, Simple Upload must be disabled on the folder. To learn how to disable Simple Upload on a folder, check Publish a File.

Fill Out the Excel Import Sheet

  1. Open the downloaded Excel file.

    • The Notes sheet, provides general guidance about file Attribute import.

  2. Switch to the Import-Data sheet.

  3. Starting from cell B3, enter the required file information.

    • The File Name column is mandatory as the system uses the file name to identify each file during import.

    NOTE: The value entered in File Name must match the actual file name and extension exactly.

    TIP: Enter the file name exactly as it appears, including any spaces. Do not replace spaces with underscores or other characters.

    EXAMPLE: If the file is a PDF, enter the full file name as Architecture Design_Ver1.pdf.

  4. Complete the remaining columns as required for each file.

    NOTE: If an Attribute is left blank in the Excel sheet, the system will still accept the import. If the Attribute is mandatory, it must be completed on the Upload page before the files can be published.

    Mandatory Attributes may include:

    • System-mandatory Attributes

    • Custom Attributes created by the Project Administrator

    TIP: If the folder uses Auto-Fetch or Auto-Numbering conventions, the Doc Ref field does not need to be completed in the Excel sheet. The system will populate it automatically during upload.

    • If neither convention is enabled and Doc Ref is left blank, it must be completed manually on the Upload page.

  5. If the Project includes Custom Attributes, select column J.

    TIP: System Attributes are included in the import sheet by default. To check whether the folder includes Custom Attributes, open the Upload page for the folder. Custom Attributes will appear between the Status field and the Rev Notes field.

    EXAMPLE: This Project includes the Custom Attributes Functional Breakdown and Spatial Breakdown. Add separate columns for these Attributes in the Excel sheet.

  6. Right-click the column and select Copy.

  7. Select the next empty column (e.g., Column K).

  8. Right-click and select Paste.

  9. Repeat this process to add as many Attribute columns as required.

    • Each new column should represent one Attribute from the Upload page.

  10. Enter the Attribute display name in the header row of the Excel sheet, starting from Cell J1.

    NOTE: The name must match the Attribute name in the Project configuration exactly.

    TIP: If an Attribute contains date values, enter them in DD-MM-YYYY format.

  11. Enter the Attribute values for each file.

    NOTE: For Attributes with multiple values, separate each value using # with no spaces.

    EXAMPLE: For a multi-select dropdown, enter Value1#Value2#Value3 in the same Attribute column.

  12. Save the completed Excel file.

How Do I Upload the Excel Sheet and Use it To Fill in My Attributes?

  1. On the Upload page, click the Import File Attributes icon.

  2. An Import File Attributes pop-up will appear.

  3. Browse for the completed Excel file or drag it into the pop-up window.

  4. When selected, click Import (bottom-left).

  5. The system will automatically populate all Attributes.

  6. Click Upload to publish.

Secondary Files

If adding secondary files, enter them in the Secondary File Name column of the same Excel import sheet as the primary files. The row where the secondary file is entered determines which primary file it will be linked to.

NOTE: The Asite platform does not support uploading .EXE, .PHP, and .HTACCESS files to maintain system security and integrity.

  1. Access the Excel Import sheet.

  2. Add the secondary file names (with extensions) to the Secondary File Name column alongside the corresponding primary file.

  3. After the Excel sheet is imported, the system will identify any secondary files listed and prompt for those files to be uploaded.

  4. Upload the secondary file.

    • If successful, a confirmation message will appear (bottom-right).

    NOTE: The secondary file name entered in the Excel sheet must match the uploaded secondary file name exactly. If the names do not match, the system will display the following error: "0 Secondary Files Matched".

How Do I Import Attributes for Placeholders Via the Excel Import Sheet?

  1. Select the required Project.

  2. Navigate to the Files tab.

  3. Select the destination folder.

  4. Click More Options (top-right).

  5. Select Create Placeholder.

  6. In the pop-up, click the Download Placeholder Template icon (top-right).

  7. Navigate to the Import-Data sheet.

  8. Fill in the metadata for the placeholder.

    • The File Name column is not mandatory, because the actual file will not be imported at this stage.

    TIP: For guidance on completing the Excel sheet, see the Fill Out the Excel Import Sheet section. When creating a placeholder, leave the File Name column blank and start entering metadata from Cell C3.

  9. Once the Excel sheet is complete, navigate to the Create Placeholder page on Asite.

  10. Click the Import File Attributes icon (top-right).

  11. A confirmation message will appear, warning that importing an Excel sheet will override any unsaved metadata entered for the placeholder.

  12. Click Continue (bottom-left).

  13. Select the completed Excel sheet, then click Import (bottom-left).

    • The Attributes entered in the Excel sheet will be imported with the placeholder.

  14. Click Create Placeholder (bottom-right).

  15. A success message will appear: "Placeholder created successfully".

Check: FAQs

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