File Synchronizer (FS) synchronizes the assets stored in a directory and all its sub-directories with Collection Pro.
Every asset found in that file system hierarchy is added to Collection Pro, and the created record is extended with metadata pointing back to the original source asset. If the source asset is changed or renamed, the linked record is also updated accordingly. This gives users the flexibility to browse assets either through Collection Pro or via the familiar file server. For example, in-house teams can work directly on the file server, while Collection Pro can be used to distribute assets to external users or customers.
Installation
FS is a stand-alone service application installed directly on a Windows file server that provides a directory to be monitored and synchronized, including all sub-directories.
- The installer is available for download.
- After installation, the Collection Pro connection must be configured in theÂ
afs.xml configuration file. - Configuration is managed via an ACC plugin, available from the plugin registry.
Instances
FS supports multiple instances, each monitoring a specific directory (including sub-directories) and synchronizing that file system hierarchy with a single object type and pool in Collection Pro.
Each instance has a unique name, referenced in the FS service application configuration file. The instance table provides the following status information:
- Enabled – Whether the instance is actively monitoring.
- Status – Indicates if the service is running and processing events.
- Queue Size – Number of unprocessed file system events.
- Unknown Assets – Assets found in the file system without a linked Fylr record.
- Unknown Records – Fylr records with missing source assets.
- Unknown Categories – Fylr hierarchy items with missing directories.
- Hash Problems – Mismatches between internal AFS hashes and asset locations.
Instance configuration
Each instance can be configured with the following options:
| Table | |
|---|---|
| Synchronize directory | Directory to be monitored by FS. |
| Asset table | Table used to synchronize assets. |
| Pool | If the table is pool-managed, select the pool for new records. |
| Asset field | File field in the table where FS stores assets. |
| Filesystem table | Hierarchical table for storing additional file system structure data. |
| Syncback | |
|---|---|
| Enable sync back | Allows FS to write assets uploaded directly into Collection Pro back into the file system if their record is assigned to a directory structure item. |
| Limit to records matching | Restrict sync-back to records matching a specific query. If left empty, all assigned records will be synced back. |
| Time-outs | |
|---|---|
| Action time-out | Delay between receiving a file system event and executing the corresponding Collection Pro operation. |
| Time-out for resync runs | Interval for full checks between Collection Pro and the file system to detect missed assets or records. |
| Time-out for resync fixes | Delay before fixing issues found during re-sync. Recommended to keep this above one hour. |
| Exclusions | |
|---|---|
| List of regular expressions | Assets with paths matching any listed regex will be ignored by FS. These can include full or partial path patterns. |
Service configuration
After installation, configure the Collection Pro connection in InstallDir/conf/afs.xml.