About Collections

The LUNA Library, LUNA Library Uploader and LUNA Collection Manager all work together to help you build collections. In order for your content to be viewed in the LUNA Viewer it first has to be part of a collection.

Collections are very tightly tied to data schema- or data templates- from the Collection Manager. When creating a collection you first select an existing data template or create a new data schema. Next, set up the collection properties (thumbnail labels, header graphic, sort order, etc). Once these properties are created you're ready to go to the Library Uploader and upload media items and data directly to a collection. Or, you can also move items from existing collections or the Independent Media Items Container into a collection.

Use the Record Editor to edit records in a collection, and to link additional images to records.

Viewing Collections

After a collection is built only the items that you have checked for display in the LUNA Viewer will be available to your audience. This can be done automatically in the LUNA Uploader or manually in the Record Editor. To see all items in a collection which are available in the LUNA Viewer use the "Other Criteria" menu in the advanced search. You'll also know an item is being displayed in the LUNA Viewer when you see the little green indicator on the media item thumbnail:

This allows you to organize all items into a collection but gives you the freedom to not expose them to your audience until you're ready. For example, if you add items to a collection but they don't have any record data yet it's nice to have them organized in that collection and not displaying in the LUNA Viewer yet.

Using the LUNA Administrator you can grant access to collections. You can create different credentials so as to grant different access permissions. Only administrators have access to the LUNA Administrator.

About Independent Media Items Container (IMIC)

Unlike a collection there is no data schema within the Independent Media Item Container and so the items in it do not have data records. You can add custom data fields using the Media Item Editor, but there is no Record Editor with the IMI since there are no records.

If you're not sure how to structure a collection but want to add your content to the system, uploading to the IMIC is a good idea. You can then organize the content using labels and easily copy items into a collection. Once a media item is copied into a collection a blank record is created for you. The IMIC allows you to add the same item to different collections. Consider it as a staging area for the content you haven't organized or cataloged yet.

My Uploads

The LUNA Viewer has a My Uploads feature which allows certain users to upload items directly from their desktop into the system without using the LUNA Library Uploader. These items are marked as public by default and will appear in the IMIC for all to see.

This is useful if you don't want to give a user access to the LUNA Library but they still want to upload content to the system. A collection administrator could then easily find those items by searching by owner and add them to a collection. In essence this is a simple way for people to add content to the system without having to give them access to the other tools.  

When you are in context of the IMIC you'll see all your items as well as other people's My Uploads items marked as public.