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Work with a controlled vocabulary

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Find information about using a controlled vocabulary and limiting the number of Controlled Vocabulary terms that are downloaded.

A controlled vocabulary defines a list of valid terms that can appear in metadata fields within CONTENTdm. A controlled vocabulary allows an administrator to restrict metadata in selected fields to specific words or phrases. An administrator establishes which fields will have a controlled vocabulary. For information on enabling a controlled vocabulary, see Edit field properties.

When working in the Project Client to enter metadata, view the list of terms by editing items using the Item Editing tab. If a controlled vocabulary is enabled for a field, it is displayed when you click in a field to edit it. Entering a term that is not part of the controlled vocabulary displays a warning icon. If you ignore the warning, the unapproved term is submitted to the pending queue for approval when the item is uploaded.

Using a Controlled Vocabulary

When editing an item in the Metadata Editor on the Item Editing tab, the Controlled Vocabulary pane displays when you click in a field that has a controlled vocabulary. As you enter data in the field, the Controlled Vocabulary list at right updates to display the closest matches in the vocabulary.

 Note: Controlled Vocabulary terms have a 128 character limit. 

Edit or enter a term

  1. As terms are entered in the field, the closest match in the controlled vocabulary is highlighted in the right pane.
  2. Browse the approved controlled vocabulary list. Double-click the appropriate term in the controlled vocabulary list to add it automatically or type the term in the metadata field.
  3. You can add multiple terms by clicking additional terms from the list. Or type the additional terms in the metadata field, separated by semicolons.
  4. Click Save to retain your changes.

Limiting the number of Controlled Vocabulary terms that are downloaded

In the Metadata Editor on the Item Editing tab, the closest matching controlled vocabulary term displays in the right pane as you type into fields with controlled vocabulary. The controlled vocabulary is downloaded from the server configured in the project settings. Users can control the total number of terms downloaded in this find-as-you-type feature. Users with slower server connections may wish to limit the number of terms downloaded when checking a term.

The default limit for the number of terms to download is set at 15,000. This setting can be changed in the Project Client Project Settings Manager.  

Limit number of terms that are downloaded

  1. From the Project menu select Project Settings Manager and then click Project Options. The Project Options page displays.
  2. Under Controlled Vocabulary Download, select the number of terms that can be downloaded at one time.
  3. Click OK to close the Project Settings Manager and save your changes