Make sure that `Allow Automated Production Tab` is enabled if you want to use Automated Production.
Note, the domain also needs to have Automated Production enabled. This must be done by a BLOX Digital (formerly TownNews) staff member. Please file a support ticket at https://www.bloxdigital.com/support/ You'll need a ticketing system account. All sites have multiple users with ticketing system accounts.
Calculating the Placement Score is a processor intensive functionality. If a site isn't actively using Automated Production we don't want to force that delay on a user so the tab is automatically disabled. This also disables the ability to see the score in Budget View. To turn it on, choose `BLOX Total CMS > Settings and Support...`. Click once on the `Asset Manager` tab. Then make sure the `Allow Automated Production Tab` is checked. Click the `OK` button.
Make sure that `Allow Automated Production Tab` is enabled if you want to use Automated Production.
Note, the domain also needs to have Automated Production enabled. This must be done by a BLOX Digital (formerly TownNews) staff member. Please file a support ticket at https://www.bloxdigital.com/support/ You'll need a ticketing system account. All sites have multiple users with ticketing system accounts.
If that option isn't available, make sure you have both the most current version of the BLOX Total CMS client for Adobe InDesign AND you have had BLOX Digital (formerly TownNews) enable Automated Production for your site. The feature requires staff to enable it. You can request it, no charge, at https://www.bloxdigital.com/support/ All sites have multiple users with a ticketing system account.
Passive Budgeting provides everyday users a quick way to locate assets for their publication.
Click the headline for details on configuration and using this important new feature.
On the lowest end of the spectrum you need to apply Passive Budgeting. That involves nothing more than a one time setup to explain your site's or publication's asset slugging convention and then slugging the assets consistently to establish the Page Tracker edition where the assets need to be placed. Almost every BLOX Total CMS site has been adding these type of slug prefixes to their assets since day one because it makes it easy for their user to find the assets in searches. Now with Passive Budgeting, it's even easier.
The more traditional budgeting, Active Budgeting, involves assigning the asset to the Page Tracker Edition, the Section of that Edition, or a specific Page of that Edition.
The more specific you budget the assets, the better the Automated Production results. For many BLOX Digital sites, this is already done daily.
However, two of the options for Active Budgeting are selecting a Page Location and Design Element Snippet (Geometry item) for each asset. Passive Budgeting can make an informed decision, but an Active Budgeting user can guide it precisely.
No assets showing up?
If no assets to place are showing up to place in the Asset Manager's Automated Production tab, go back to the Budgeting section.
Asset Ordering
The assets are ordered in the Automated Production tab based upon their score. The score is determined by a dozen attributes. The attributes affect on the score is described in the article below:
One of the ways that Automated Production works its way into everyday page production is via the selection of assets to place on a given page or in a given frame. Part of that process is governed with an asset's score. This document outlines how that score is calculated and thus how the BLOX Total CMS client for Adobe InDesign selects assets to place on the page using both Automated Production and the Budget View tabs.
In general, the easiest way to control the order is to assign a Print Placement Priority value and place that at the top of the heirarchy order. That combined with a Page Location and an assigned geometry item will surely force the assets to the top of the list.
Repeatably Testing One Asset?
If you are testing Automated Production and placing an asset on a page and then want to modify some settings to see it's effect, remove the asset and save the document!
BLOX Total CMS has always considered the asset placed in the document until the asset frames have been deleted from the document and the document is resaved.
Automated Production will not place an asset that is considered placed! Nobody would want that. So you have to get the asset's status changed to unplaced by deleting its frames and saving the document. That's as simple as choosing File > Save or using it's keyboard shortcut.
However, even a Passively Budgeted asset changes to an Active Page Budgeted asset after it has been placed on that page. And this will have an effect on the available assets the next time you open the Automated Production tab in the Asset Manager as it always looks for Page Budgeted assets first.Â
Double-click is Disabled in the Automated Production tab
Historically the Asset Manager allowed you to double-click on any asset to place it. This has been disabled for Automated Production because the user should take the time to check the Placement Options including the Page Location and the Geometry item or Design Element Snippet.
Page Locations
When Actively Budgeting Assets, the most important aspect to planning out the page is assigning a Page Location for each asset. There are a number of named page locations. And each page location can actually be used by multiple assets. The Page Locations are described below.
No asset gets placed on a page by the Automated Production functionality without first determining where! There is a finite set of generic positions and this document outlines those locations and any special properties they poses.Â
While the Automated Production functionality will select a location if the asset hasn't been actively budgeted with a location, the user can build better looking pages faster by guiding the process by forcing a specific page location for each asset.
There is a `One +` Automated Production User Mode that will auto open the Asset Manager after each placement is completed allowing you to select each asset's page location. This isn't necessary, however, if the assets are fully actively budgeted with Page Locations already assigned.
Geometry
When budgeting you can assign Design Element Snippets, referred to as Geometry, to select how the asset's heads will be formatted if you don't want to rely upon the ruleset defaults.Â
Another example of Geometry being assigned to an Article Asset from the Print Publications tab of the asset editor.Â
For the Snippets to appear there, and work with placed, they need to be exported using the BLOX Total CMS Plug-in. This is NOT the same BLOX Total CMS client for Adobe InDesign that your using the Asset Manager with. It's a new plug-in available from the Adobe Marketplace. That tool has new functions for generate both types of snippets and also allows the user to place snippets.
Building a Page
So the process to get the ball rolling is:
Budget Assets
Have the Adobe InDesign document open for the page to use
Choose BLOX Total CMS > Asset Manager...
Make sure the Automated Production tab is selected
Select the Asset to Place, check the Placement Options, click the `OK` button.Â
