Dynamic Library: Updating content

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Written by Romain | Updated

UpSlide Dynamic Libraries give you access to relevant on-brand content such as tombstones or bios in a variety of formats directly within PowerPoint. This article is aimed at Administrator users looking to add or edit content. If you want to understand how to use this feature in your documents or reports, see this article.

Accessing the Dynamic Library source folder

To edit the Dynamic Library content you need to navigate to the folder where the information is stored.

Click on the Folder button at the bottom of the Dynamic Library pane and you will be taken to an area containing:

  • A folder called Images containing all of the image files required for the tombstones or bios
  • A folder called Templates containing the formats for the tombstones or bios
  • A CSV file called Data
  • A CSV file called Schema

Folder_Icon_Location_2.png

Add or edit existing content

Data

To add a new item in the Dynamic Library (tombstone, bio etc):

  • Open the Data.csv file in Excel (if English is not your computer language please see the next section)
  • Fill in a new row of the CSV, ensuring all the required fields are filled in in the appropriate formats
  • Save the Data.csv file

Each filter in the Dynamic Library relates to a column in the CSV file. Make sure all the required fields are filled in and in the same format as previous entries.

Important
With the image column, make sure you have the correct file path after and the name matches the file stored in the Images folder.
Date formats need to be in the specific format already in the CSV file. Do not apply an Excel date format to this column

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Images

All image files that the Dynamic Library uses are stored in the Images folder. If the new content you are trying to add needs a new company logo or staff headshot, save the file in this folder with the same name that is in the image column of the Data.csv.

If you are updating an existing image, make sure the file name and extension are the same as the original or you will have to update the Data.csv file.

Tip
Ensure that the file size and quality are reasonable (not too large or small) before adding to the folder.

Templates (Formats)

Administrator users are not currently able to edit the shape formats.

Contact your UpSlide Consultant to request changes to your Dynamic Library templates.

Dynamic_Library_Formats.png

Schema

Administrator users are not currently able to edit the underlying filters.

Contact your UpSlide Consultant to request changes to your Dynamic Library filters.

Editing csv files in non-English speaking countries

In non-English speaking countries, when you save a CSV file in Excel the separator is saved as a semi-colon (;) instead of a comma (,). As a result the CSV file is not readable in the Dynamic Library.

There are two separate methods we recommend using for non-English speakers.

Using OpenOffice

OpenOffice is an open source version Microsoft Office that provides useful functionality when saving CSV files. Follow these steps when editing the file:

  1. Open Data.csv in OpenOffice Calc
  2. Add the additional rows of information as you would in Excel
  3. Go to File, Save As and tick Edit filter settings
  4. Save the file as Data.csv (make sure the file type is Text CSV)
  5. Click Yes when prompted to replace existing file and Keep Current Format when asked if you want to convert
  6. Select the comma (') as the field delimiter and the speech marks (") as the text delimiter
  7. Press OK and your Data.csv file will have updated

OpenOffice_csv_saving.gif

Using a text editor

A text editor is a software such as Notepad or Notepad++. Follow these steps to edit your CSV:

  1. Copy the Data.csv file onto your Desktop and open it in Excel
  2. Edit the file in Excel following the steps in the Data section above and save it
  3. Now open the Data.csv on your Desktop in the text editor
  4. Replace all of the semi-colons (;) with commas (,) and save your file
  5. Copy this new version of the Data.csv from your Desktop to the shared folder
Important
We do not recommend using this method if you have blocks of text containing commas within the Data.csv file, as these could be replaced.

Importance of backing up

UpSlide users will be directly accessing the source files in the shared folder every time they search the database (no local copy saved for each user). If you accidentally corrupt the Data.csv file, all users will be impacted immediately.

If the source files are stored in a SharePoint Online folder, this will be automatically backed-up and versioned so your IT can quickly restore previous version of the file.

If the source files are stored in a server folder we recommend you keep regular versions of all the materials in the Dynamic Library folder backed-up elsewhere. Then if anything happens to the shared folder you can quickly copy in a previous version.