Client Menu Reference : The File Menu : Add Assets to Catalog : Browse for Assets
   
Browse for Assets
Opens a dialog in which you can browse for assets you want to add to a catalog (in Cumulus-speak: you want to “catalog”.) Depending on your individual settings several options for cataloging might be offered to you before the dialog for selecting the assets is opened.
BACKGROUND INFO: Cataloging Assets
“Cataloging assets” is Cumulus-speak for adding media files to your catalog. There are several ways to catalog assets: via menu item, context menu and with drag and drop. As you catalog your assets, Cumulus creates special catalog entries called records that represent the assets to be managed. Each record contains vital searchable information about the asset it represents.
How Cumulus deals with your assets during the cataloging process depends on the Asset Handling Set used. Asset Handling Sets define many aspect of asset handling, including which Asset Stores and Filters should be used, where the assets should be stored when cataloged, and which metadata template (if any) should be automatically applied.
TIP: Cataloging Asset via Drag & Drop
You also catalog assets by dragging them from an Explorer/Finder window into the Cumulus window.
Options While Cataloging
Several options for the cataloging process are possible – most of them depend on the selections made in your User Settings ( Cumulus /  Edit > Preferences > User Settings > General or Asset Handling.)
Showing Progress Dialog
If activated in the User Settings, a progress dialog is shown while Cumulus is cataloging the assets. With Cumulus, you can have multiple cataloging processes running simultaneously and you can go on working with Cumulus while cataloging. With a Cumulus Client under Mac OS X you see an icon for each of the processes.
Selecting Asset Handling Set
If you have activated the option Show dialog when cataloging in the Asset Handling section of your User Settings, you will be prompted to select an Asset Handling Set for each cataloging process.
Make sure the selected Asset Handling Set fits to the catalog you want to add the assets to.
In the list of Asset Handling Sets, you can use the Customize option to access the preferences of the selected Asset Handling Set– if you have the appropriate permissions. (See “Overview: Asset Handling Sets” for details on how to set up Asset Handling Sets.)
Selecting Catalog
If you have multiple catalogs open in one window, you are prompted to select the catalog to which you want to add the assets.
If you have activated the option Show dialog while cataloging in your User Settings and have multiple catalogs open in one window you are prompted to select the catalog to which you want to add the assets and select an Asset Handling Set for this cataloging process. Make sure the selected catalog and the selected Asset Handling Set match.    
Employing the Metadata Editor
If the Asset Handling Set you use, has the Show Metadata Editor for New Records activated, a dialog is displayed when cataloging assets.It allows you to add metadata information to the records of those assets you are just cataloging. (The fields displayed depend on the Record View Set that was selected for the Metadata Editor in the settings of the Asset Handling Set.) You can use a Metadata Template and/or manually enter metadata information.
If you don’t want to add any of your own information to the current asset’s record, select the Skip button.
Creating TAG Files
If you catalog assets from a location where you are allowed to save files, Cumulus can create a TAG file for each cataloged asset. The file has the same name as the asset with the extension .tag added and is saved in the folder where the asset resides. TAG files are a standard exchange file format for metadata information on the asset. TAG files hold all of the information that can be viewed in the Asset Information – and more. For example, if a particular asset has been cataloged into different catalogs, this information is part of that asset’s TAG file.
If you want Cumulus to create these TAG files while cataloging, use an Asset Handling Set that has an activated asset storage module Cumulus Metadata Support (properties set to Always).