Workspaces

A workspace is an area of the media library. It serves two purposes: to organise media by use, such as product images, marketing materials or archived files, and to control who can do what, as user permissions are assigned separately for each workspace.

Media in multiple workspaces

A media item can belong to several workspaces at the same time. An image created for the catalogue and also used in a campaign can belong to both the product and marketing workspaces, so anyone working in either workspace can find it without having to duplicate it.

A media item must always belong to at least one workspace.

Workspaces with a special role

Two workspaces have a role defined by the system.

• The incoming workspace, usually called Incoming, receives files uploaded through the library. You cannot assign media to it manually: a media item enters it only when uploaded and leaves when assigned to another workspace.
• The archive workspace, usually called Archive, holds media you no longer need but want to keep. It is exclusive: when a media item enters the archive, it leaves all other workspaces, and when it is assigned to a regular workspace, it leaves the archive.

Public and private workspaces

A workspace can be public: its media are also visible outside openlane, for example on sales channels that receive the catalogue. In the library sidebar, public workspaces have a globe icon and private workspaces have a padlock icon. The difference and its implications are described in Public and private media.

Workspaces and media attributes

A product's media attribute can accept media only from specific workspaces, selected by the administrator in the attribute configuration. For example, the catalogue images attribute might accept only media from the product workspace.

This has two consequences:

• a file uploaded through a media attribute is created directly in one of that attribute's workspaces;
• when a media item is removed from a workspace, openlane checks whether any attributes accept it only because it belongs to that workspace. If so, it displays the products and attributes from which the media item would be removed and asks you to confirm before proceeding.

To edit a media attribute, that is, to add, remove or reorder its media, you must be able to view all of the attribute's workspaces; otherwise, the attribute remains read-only. Without this requirement, you would not see all the linked media, and saving would remove those you could not see.

Selecting a media item already in the library does not modify it: you only need permission to view it. Uploading a new file, however, creates a media item and assigns it to a workspace. This requires permission to upload to both the incoming workspace, which the file passes through, and the attribute's workspace.

Who can move media

Moving a media item between workspaces changes who can see it and where it can be used. You therefore need three permissions together: permission to change media workspaces, permission to edit the media item, and edit permission for the workspace you are adding or removing.