Using the File Auto-Associate Feature
Having good images and additional documentation is an important way to help your users ensure they are getting just the product they need. One method of attaching your images and documents to your items is to name the image or document as the Part Number. WebAlliance has the perfect tool to help you automate the process of attaching these types of files to your items.
We'll use item RBB101000 as an example.
There are two images and a PDF file that you want to link to that item. Name the images RBB101000.png and RBB101000_1.png, for instance. Then name the document RBB101000.pdf. Once they are renamed, make sure that they are all in the same folder together.
- To have multiple images for an item, simply add _1 at the end of the first additional image name (before the extension), _2 at the end of the second additional image, and so on.
- For documents, the text after the underscore represents the clickable text the user will see. Clicking that text will download the document.
Auto associate is not available with restricted characters (for example #,+,=,&). Any file with those characters is not going to work in a browser and if associated with an item must be manually linked. You can find a full list of restricted characters here: https://www.mtu.edu/umc/services/websites/writing/characters-avoid/
From the Tools menu, select "Auto Associate Files".
In this case, we will auto-associate images (documents work the same way).
- Select "Images" as the File Type
- Select the Folder where your files are stored.
- Click "Associate Files".
The files will be associated with the item they are named after, and will appear in the "Attachments/Tags" tab.
You don't have to do this one file at a time. You can prepare a large number of images or documents, and then associate them all at once. The system will make sure they make it to the right items.
In these cases, we recommend have a centralized folder that stores the files you would like to auto-associate to items.