If you're planning on uploading very large single or multiple files, or if you would like to preserve an existing directory structure then we recommend uploading via FTP (File Transfer Protocol).

Once enabled & configured for your Asset Bank, the following guide will show you to upload files via FTP. If you are interested in uploading via FTP and it is not currently configured for your site then you will need to contact an admin user for your site (or please contact customer support if you are an admin user).

1 - Download an FTP client

An FTP client is a desktop application which allows you to upload, download and modify files once connected to a server location. Asset Bank only supports FTPS (File Transfer Protocol Secure) which is supported by Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption.

We recommend using FileZilla as it supports FTPS, is available on Windows, Mac and Linux and is free of charge. We will be using FileZilla for the purposes of the instructions in this article.

You can download and install FileZilla from the following link https://filezilla-project.org/.

2 - Getting started with your FTP client

Once installed, open up FileZilla where you should see something similar to the screenshot below. Important sections have been numbered and annotated below.

1 - This is the bar you use to connect to a server. You will need the host, username and password. We will go over how to get these in the next section.

2 - The is the directory tree for your local computer. It shows you the structure of the directories on your machine and is how you navigate to the directory you will be uploading files from.

3 - This is a list of files and folders in the current directory you are currently working in. If you are in the right directory this will be a list of files you would like to upload to Asset Bank.

4 - The directory tree for the server you are connected to. This will be blank until you have connected to the Asset Bank FTP server.

5 - The list of files and folders in the current directory you are currently working in on the server. Again, this will be blank until you are connected.

3 - Connecting to the Asset Bank server

Once your Asset Bank has had FTP enabled and configured, you will see the following options when you click Upload:

On the next screen you can click 'Show help for using an FTP client to upload your files »' to see the credentials needed to connect to the server.

If you do not see the option to show help for using an FTP client then you should contact an admin user for your site or get in touch with support@assetbank.co.uk.

In FileZilla enter the details into the connection bar and click 'Quickconnect'. You should now be connected to the server and will see the directories within it.

4 - Transfer your files

Once connected to the server you will see a list of all the users for your site. In the 'Local Site' section (left-hand side) navigate to the folder that you would like to upload from. Navigate to your user's directory in the 'Remote Site' section (right-hand side). Double click the file that you would like to upload or alternatively, right-click and select 'Upload'.

You should now see your file uploaded to your user directory on the server.

5 - Finish the upload and add metadata

Back in Asset Bank click the 'Next' button on the upload page and the file(s) you uploaded to the FTP server should now be added to Asset Bank and you will be taken to the page to add metadata to the asset.

If you are looking to ingest a folder structure as well as the files themselves, then you can simply recreate the folder structure in your upload directory on the FTP server. 

When the upload has completed in Asset Bank you will be prompted to select a directory from which to import the assets as in the screenshot below.