Configuring asset details in Sitecore Content Hub can feel overwhelming, especially if you're new to the platform. In this easy-to-follow guide, we'll break down a few essential building blocks in Content Hub—in particular, taxonomies, schema extension, and pages—and then show you how they all work together in a step-by-step example that will guide you through how to extend asset details to better organize your assets.
In Content Hub, taxonomy serves as the organizing framework for your content. It categorizes your various assets—like images, videos, and documents—into specific groups, making it easier for users to find what they need. The primary aim is to streamline the user experience, like how a library or search engine organizes its content for easy navigation. In Sitecore, taxonomies are particularly handy when setting up search filters, configuring conditional fields, or adding security.
With taxonomies, you can sort your digital assets however you'd like, such as by asset type, business department, or subject matter. And, as Content Hub taxonomies are hierarchical by nature, you can streamline how your assets are organized. For example, "Brand Assets" can be used as a parent taxonomy for child items like "Logo", "Letterhead", etc.
Content Hub also offers the ability to create option lists. An option list is a list of possible values defined for a property. While taxonomies offer a hierarchical, flexible way to categorize complex content, option lists provide a simpler, flat structure for categorization, ideal for straightforward content that doesn't require multiple layers of organization. Confused as to which one you should use?
Use taxonomy relations if:
Use option lists if:
In Sitecore Content Hub, the configurable data model serves as a structured guide for your database. This guide, called a schema, organizes your data into different categories, such as assets, products, or projects. Each category has its own set of specific characteristics known as properties. These categories are not standalone; they connect to each other through relations, creating a network of interlinked data.
A schema is like a blueprint that defines how your content is structured. It tells the system what kinds of information, or "fields," each piece of content should have. When you're "configuring" or "extending" a schema, you're essentially adding, removing, or adjusting these fields to better suit your specific needs. The schema is fully customizable. You can edit or create new categories, define sorting methods like taxonomies, establish option lists, and establish relationships between categories. So, if your content requires a new type of information, such as a 'Publish Date,' you can extend the schema to include that field, making it easier to manage and organize your content.
In this example, we’re going to extend the schema of M.Asset by configuring both a taxonomy and an option list to categorize our assets by Barbie type. We want to define our assets by type, and for Barbie specifically, we want to further categorize by career.
Giddy up.
First, we will create a taxonomy list to categorize our Barbies by doll type (Allan, Barbie, Ken, Midge, Skipper).
Navigate to the Taxonomy manager by clicking Manage (the gear icon at the top right), then Taxonomy.
Add a new taxonomy by clicking on New taxonomy. Then, name and label the taxonomy, and click Create.
Next, I’m going to add values. Simply click on the + sign to start.
Fill in the Name and Label fields. The Identifier will dynamically render. You can also add a description or an icon to visualize the taxonomy (I mostly use the Name and Label fields).
Next, we'll create an option list so that we can further organize Barbie dolls by career type.
Navigate to the Option Lists manager from the Manage screen. Then, click on the + Option List button from the Option Lists page to create a new list.
Next, select Flat (flat ensures all items or elements we add exist at the same level; there is no hierarchy or layered arrangement) from the two radio buttons and name the list. Click the Create button when complete.
Click on the option list you just created ("BarbieCareers" in our instance 💅). Then, click the + Add item button and add values by filling in the Labels field. When you’re finished adding values, click Save.
For our taxonomy to appear on Asset Details pages/ to put our work into use, we must extend the schema for M.Asset.
Navigate to the Schema manager from the Manage page. Then, select M.Asset from the Schema page.
Select Overview from the panel on the left-hand side, then click New member.
Select Taxonomy to create a new relation to a taxonomy definition.
From the General Information tab on the New member pop-up modal:
Click Save.
Next, we’re going to add the option list we created and make it so that it’s only visible when “Barbie” is selected from the taxonomy relation. Select New member from the M.Asset page, then select Property.
Select Option list from the dropdown menu, then click Next.
Name the member, select “BarbieCareers” from the Option list dropdown, label the list, and add help text.
Click on the Conditional tab to make this list conditional on whether or not the “Barbie” taxonomy was selected. Then, select “Barbie Categorization” (the taxonomy we created) from the dropdown list. Press Add.
Click the + Add button, select “Barbie” from the pop-up modal, and click Save.
Click Save from the New member modal.
A quick note on pages. Each "screen" you see in Content Hub is considered a page. For example, when you view an asset, you are looking at an "Asset Details" page. When you click on "Assets" from the main menu, you are looking at the "Assets" page.
In Sitecore Content Hub, the Pages section offers a comprehensive list of all available pages and a variety of management tools, such as:
Our taxonomy relation should have automatically rendered on the Asset details page, but I want to show you how to turn the visibility of members on/off from the Asset details portal page. First, navigate to the Pages manager from the Manage page. Then, select Asset details from the menu on the left.
Scroll down a bit and select the Details component from Column 2 of the second row under the main zone.
From this page (the Details component page), scroll down and make sure the “Barbie Categorization” and “Barbie Careers” are toggled on.
Click Save.
Note: There are two asset details pages: one for video and one for all other assets. Be sure to make changes to both pages so that asset details pages are consistent and relevant across all asset types.
Now, all that’s left to do is to start categorizing your assets. Navigate to any asset, then click on the pencil in the Overview panel.
Next, click on the + button to add values. If everything was set up correctly, “Barbie Careers” should only display when “Barbie” is selected from the “Barbie Categorization” field. Click Save.
That’s it! If you have any questions, check out the official Sitecore Content Hub documentation or message me at [email protected]; I’d be happy to help.