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The asset manager
preferences window contains settings that enable creative
and production staff members to use Clients & Profits
to track digital art files for jobs
The settings in asset manager preferences tell
Clients & Profits where your shop's digital assets are stored.
It lets you name the location of the shop's art server, which
is required for the asset manager to work. The Preferences window
for the Asset Manager identifies the file type, server path,
and other customizable information for job assets.
With the database path defined, Clients & Profits X can create a
job assets folder for every new job, creating a place to store assets
so there’s no more searching for misplaced (or worse, lost) job
files. You can store any type of file in the job assets folder--whether
it is a graphics file, word processing, or spreadsheet--then load it
right from Clients & Profits X. In order to work properly, the job
assets folder must be a folder. It can't be a root level of your computer's
hard disk.
Anyone with manager-level access can change the asset manager preferences.
These settings are system-wide preferences, so they affect every user.
These system-wide settings can be changed:
Automatically create
a folder for each job Checking this option tells Clients & Profits
X to automatically create a folder on the art server each time a new
job ticket is saved. The new job's folder will be named with the job's
number. There can be only one art server.
 When
you click this option for the first time, Clients & Profits
will prompt you to create a job folder on the art server
for any open job. If you want to automatically create art
folders for your existing jobs, click Yes. To skip adding
these folders, click No. (You can also add the job folders
later by making new folders manually on the art server. Be
sure to name them with the job numbers exactly as they appear
in Clients & Profits.)
Art server This is the name and location of the file
server that's used for storing the shop's digital files.
It tells Clients & Profits X where to look for the job's
files, so it is required for asset management. The full path
to the art server (including the drive name and sub-directories,
if applicable) must be included. The art server name is case-sensitive.
If the art server entered here isn't found, you'll be prompted
to reenter the name.
Custom fields These optional data fields supplement
the information saved for each job asset. The names of the
custom fields are by the system manager and apply to every
client and job and their digital artwork, but can be customized
for individual assets. One, some, or all of the custom fields
can be used. These fields can be used to print custom reports
listing the shop's artwork and production elements.
File types The file types list contains icons, extensions,
and creator codes for the most commonly-used design programs
for Windows and Macintosh. Clients & Profits lists the
selected job's files from the art server when the Asset Manager
window opens, looking up each file's icon from the file types
table. File types are identified by their extension (in Windows)
or creator code (on the Mac). You can add additional file
types for the programs you use that aren't listed by clicking
the add link.
File types are needed to display an icon for each type of digital file
in the Asset Manager window. As your shop adopts new programs for design
and production, you should add their file types to the asset manager
preferences.
When a new database is created (or when your database is upgraded), the
standard file types and their icons are loaded automatically when a new
database is created, or when an existing database is upgraded to Clients & Profits
5.0.
To add a new file type
1 Click the add link,
The Asset File Type window opens, prompting you to enter the new file
type's details.
2 Enter the file type's extension (e.g., .PDF) or
click on the Get file link to select the file type
from your hard disk or file server. The extension will identify
the file type for your Windows users.
3 Enter file type's creator (e.g., CARO) or click
the Get application link to select the file type.
The creator code identifies the file type for your Macintosh users. The
creator code is not part of the file name, unlike the extension in Windows,
but embedded inside the file. When you select an application from your
hard disk, Clients & Profits X copies the application's creator code
automatically.
4 Enter the application name, or press Tab to leave
it.
5 Paste the file's icon into the Icon field.
The size of the Icon field is 14 pixels wide by 14 pixels high. You'll
need to use a screen capture program and an image editor to grab and
resize the file type's small icon, which shouldn't exceed the size of
the Icon field's borders. If so, users won't see the entire icon in the
Asset Manager window. If no icon is entered, a generic one will be displayed
in the Asset Manager window instead.
6 Click Save.
Once the file type is saved, it is available immediately to any Clients & Profits
X user.
To duplicate an existing file type
Duplicating a file type copies its creator, application name, and icon
onto a new file type. It's a shortcut for using the same icon for several
different file types used by the same application.
1 Click once on a file type to select it then click
the dupe link.
2 Enter the new type's extension and other information
(if needed), then click Save.
To edit a file type
1 Double-click on the file type from the asset manager
preference window, or click once on a file type to select
it then click the edit link.
2 Make your changes, then click Save.
To delete a file type
Deleting a file type removes it from the Clients & Profits X asset
manager. File types can be deleted when you no longer use a particular
application, or someone adds a file type by mistake. Deleting a file
type doesn't prevent its files from being displayed in the Asset Manager
window; instead, it just won't have any information about the file.
1 Click once on a file type to select it then click
the delete link.
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