This article...

Describes how you can upload, store, and organize media files in Asset Manager for use in templates and messages.
Explains the distinctions between the Files and Common repositories, including which assets are editable and which are restricted.
Details supported file types, size limits, and image-dimension requirements.
Outlines file-management actions (e.g., creating folders, editing images, and handling asset organization).
Warns of potential broken links in messages or templates if files are moved, renamed, or deleted.

Asset Manager in your account

The Asset Manager feature in Higher Logic Thrive Marketing Professional (Thrive Marketing Professional) enables you to upload and store media files for use within your account (your account "assets"), such as in your templates and messages. Essentially, Asset Manager can be your "asset library."

After uploading files into Asset Manager, you can organize them into folders and manage them (e.g., copy, edit, move) at your convenience. Your "asset library" becomes your "asset manager."

TIP: Refer to Organize your Asset Manager files, in this article, for recommendations on establishing a good "file organization" routine from the start!

Two file repositories

Asset Manager has two file repositories ("repos"), as described below.

NOTE: You cannot manage (e.g., change the name) these two repos. You cannot add repos or folders at this level.

As you navigate through the directory structure to access the files, the "breadcrumbs" trail makes it easy to back-track, as spotlighted below for the Common repo.

The Files repo

The Files repo is the collection of files that have been uploaded from within your account. This is your account-specific repo in Thrive Marketing Professional.

You cannot rename the Files repo.
You can manage (add, edit, delete) folders and files within this repo.
You can preview these images (click Manage > View).

NOTE: This repo and how you can manage its files are the focus of this article.

The Common repo

The Common repo is a collection of preloaded "out-of-the-box" image-type files. This repo is prepopulated with a variety of "stock" images, buttons, and other graphics. These assets are pre-grouped into category-based folders (such as people, nature, and places) to simplify finding what you're looking for.

These are free image files that you can use at no cost.
You cannot edit or manipulate the files in this repo.
You cannot preview these images; choose the Thumbnails view for a "preview."

Asset Manager overview

This section provides general information that you might find useful in understanding the nuts-&-bolts of Asset Manager and how to maximize its use in your account.

Question	Answer
What is the benefit of using Asset Manager?	Asset Manager is an internal repo in which to store and organize your files. Having files: stored within your account saves having to "hunt" for them on your device, or not being able to access them if you're on a different device; organized makes them easier to find from within the designers, which simplifies tasks, such as adding an image to a message.
What can I upload to, and store in Asset Manager?	You can upload image, video, and document files to Asset Manager. Refer to Asset Manager files, below, for information on valid file types and sizes, and other helpful info.
How can I manage my assets in Asset Manager?	You can create folders and upload files, and then: copy, rename, move, and delete folders. copy, rename, edit, move, and delete files. download folders and files to your local device.
How can I access and use these assets in my account?	You can insert images into your templates and messages when you access Asset Manager from within: Template Designer when creating a template and Message Designer when creating messages, campaigns, and landing pages. NOTE: The in-designer "version" of Asset Manager is less feature-rich and is described in Asset Manager in the Designers. You must use the Admin version of Asset Manager to manage its files.

Access Asset Manager

To access Asset Manager:

Access the Admin interface.
Navigate to Messages > Asset Manager.

The Asset Manager file library automatically displays on the page in the Files repo and the Thumbnails view selected.

If it doesn't, click Show next to the page title.

Access Asset Manager in the designers

You can also access Asset Manager from within Template Designer and Message Designer, which simplifies inserting images into your templates and messages.

Note, however, that Asset Manager functionality is limited when it is accessed via the designers. For example, in that version of Asset Manager:

You cannot rename or move files; but...
You can edit (e.g., resize, crop, and more) an image as a "one-off modification" for the template or message into which you are inserting it.
- The changes will not be "back-fitted" to the original file in Asset Manager.
- You cannot overwrite the original file with the modified file.
- You can save-off the modified file, upload it into Asset Manager (via Messages > Asset Manager), and then delete the original file.

To learn how to access and work with Asset Manager in the designers, see Asset Manager in the Designers.

Asset Manager files

You can upload the following types of files into Asset Manager.

File types & size limits

Listed below are some of the more common file types.

Image: BMP, JPG, JPEG, GIF, PNG (refer to Image files notes, below)
Document: DOC, DOCX, DOCM, XLS, XLSX, PDF, PPT, PPTX, PPTM, TXT
Video: AVI, MOV, MPG, MPEG, MP3, WMV, WMA, WAV
Zip: ZIP, 7z

NOTE: The maximum size for files uploaded to Asset Manager is 10 MB.

Image files notes

Image files that are upload into Asset Manager must be no larger than:

700 pixels (wide) x 800 pixels (high)

NOTE: Image files that exceed these dimensions are automatically resized. The is done by "aspect ratio" in order to preserve image quality.

Image files integrity

To ensure that image files display as expected in messages, do not:

Use spaces or special characters in file names.
Delete, rename, or move an image file after it has been inserted in a message or template.

NOTE: If you delete, rename, or move an image file after it has been inserted into a template or message, the template/message will have a broken link. Refer to Manage broken links, below, to learn what to do.

Customize the Asset Manager display

The header row in Asset Manager has several options that you can use in order to customize which files display in the files gallery and how the files display.

These options are available in both repos.

Refresh

Click this button whenever you want to refresh the display of files in the gallery.

Views

The display defaults to the Thumbnails view.

Hover over a folder or file to display its checkbox.

Click the List icon to display an alphabetical list that includes information about the folders and files. In this view, the files' checkboxes display in the left-most column.

Click a column header to sort the list on that column; click the column header again to reverse the sort order.
The small up arrow and down arrow icons indicate which column is sorted on and in which order.
Folders (Type = dir) always display above the files.

Sort

You can sort your folders and files in order to more easily find what you're looking for. This is also a great (and easy) way to group files of the same format.

The sorting works in both views (List and Thumbnails).
The sorting applies to folders and to files, but separately.
Folders (Type column = dir) always display before files, irrespective of the sorting.

TIP: Sorting is very useful in the List view because of the properties that display. Also, you can click a column header to toggle the sort order.

Click the dropdown and make a selection.

Name to sort the folders and the files by name, in alphabetical order.
Size to sort the files by size, from smallest to largest.
Type to sort the files by file type (e.g., .JPG, .PNG), alphabetically.
- TIP: Use this option to group files of the same format (e.g., all .JPG files together and all .PNG files together).
Modification date to sort the folders and the files by their last modification date, from oldest to newest.
- Modification date for a folder can be when it was created or renamed; a folder is not "modified" when files are added or removed.
- Modification date for a file can be when it was uploaded, edited, or moved; a file is not "modified" when it is renamed.

Search

You can search for folders and files based on their names. The search includes all valid characters.

TIP: Any character in a file name is considered valid and can be the search criterion here.

Specify a character or characters in the Filter field and press Enter (or click the magnifying glass icon).
Delete the search term and press Enter (or click the magnifying glass icon) to clear the search and restore the original gallery items in the current folder.

Asset Manager action buttons

The header row in Asset Manager has several "action" buttons that you can use to manage the folders and the files.

NOTE: These action buttons are available in the Files repo only. You cannot manage the folders and files in the Common repo.

Create

Use this button to add a folder. You can create folders at the main level and within an existing folder.

NOTE: When you create a folder in Asset Manager, it is added at whatever level you are in the structure when you click Create; you cannot navigate through the structure during the folder-creation process.

Click Create and then click Folder.
Specify a name for the folder and click Create.
Confirm that the new folder is listed.

TIP: Higher Logic recommends establishing a good "file organization" routine from the start! Refer to Organize your Asset Manager files, later in this article, for helpful information on organizing and managing files in Asset Manager.

Upload

Use this button to add a file.

NOTE: When you upload a file into Asset Manager, the file is stored in whichever folder you initiate the upload from; you cannot choose a folder during the upload process.

Navigate to the folder in Asset Manager where you want to store the file.
Click Upload.
In the file-explorer window, navigate to and select the file that you want to add to Asset Manager.
Confirm that the new file is listed. Note that it is automatically selected (its checkbox is checked) when the upload completes.

Manage

Use this dropdown to access the options with which to manage your folders and files.

The Manage button does not display until either a folder or a file is selected.
The dropdown menu offers:
- different options for folders as it does for files;
- different options based on the type of file that is selected; and
- fewer options when folders and files are selected.

The options perform the expected, established actions.

NOTE: The Cut, Copy, and Paste actions that are available are valid only within Asset Manager. You cannot, for example, copy an Asset Manager file and paste it elsewhere on your device (for that action, use the Download option).

CAUTION: Before you use the Cut, Paste, Rename, and/or Remove options to manage your folders and/or files, Higher Logic encourages you to review the information in Moving, renaming, and deleting folders and files.

Option	Description
Cut	Copy the selected folders and/or files to the clipboard and delete them from the current location. This is, effectively, a "move" action. A Paste button displays to facilitate pasting the selection in the new location.
Copy	Copy the selected folders and/or files to the clipboard but leave them in the current location. A Paste button displays to facilitate pasting the selection in the new location.
Paste	Paste the (cut or copied) folders and/or files from the clipboard to the new location.
View (image-based files only)	Click to open a preview of the selected image. If you select multiple files, you can arrow through your selections in the preview window.
Edit (image-based files only)	Click to open the selected image in the image editor. The editing options that are available are dependent on the type of file being edited. For example, a .GIF file has fewer editing options than a .JPG file. Refer to Edit an image to learn how to crop, resize, and add effects to images in the Asset Manager image editor.
Rename	Click to open the Rename dialog to change the name of the selected folder or file.
Download	Click to download a folder, a file, or both to your device. If you select a folder, it downloads as a .ZIP file and contains all files that are in the folder.
Remove	Click to delete the selected folders and/or files; click Ok to confirm. CAUTION: This action is irreversible. Before you delete a file, make sure it is not currently being used in a template, message, campaign, or landing page!

Moving, renaming, and deleting folders and files

You have several folder and file "management actions" via the Manage dropdown in Asset Manager. However, before you move, rename, or delete a folder or a file, you should understand the possible consequences of the action.

This is of the utmost importance if a file has been inserted into either a template or a message.

Let's look at why...

IMPORTANT: When you insert an image into a template/message, that image in the template/message is "mapped" (via a URL path) to its "original location" (at the time of insertion) in Asset Manager. If anything about the native file changes (e.g., its name, its location, its existence!), that URL path (that "mapping") is broken!

The image in the template/message cannot "find" its native file, so the template/message displays a broken link.

TIP: If a file has not been inserted into a template or a message, you can manage it and its folder however you want.

So, before you move, rename, or delete a folder or a file, determine whether the file (or, in the case of a folder, a file in that folder) has been inserted into a template or a message and is dependent on that existing "mapping."

Example

Assume that a picture of the Sales team (file name, Sales-Team_01) that was taken at the recent annual gala is uploaded to the Files/2025_Gala/Image-Files folder in Asset Manager. Then the image is inserted into the newsletter template (upon which the message, Monthly Newsletter, is built) and the template is saved. Then, that file is moved:

from the Files/2025_Gala/Image-Files folder
to the Files/2025_Gala/Newsletter folder.

Now, when the Monthly Newsletter email message is sent, the Sales-Team_01 picture in the email message will display a broken link to recipients because the inserted image cannot map to its native file.

Preview and Test!

The example offered above demonstrates why it's always good to preview and test a message before you send it. It's better to discover an issue, such as a broken link, before the message is sent.

NOTE: If you had previously opened a message, an image (that is now broken) might actually display as expected, but this could be because the image is cached in your browser. To be sure that you're viewing the message "fresh" when you test, you can either: clear your browser cache or view the message in a different browser (that you have not previously used to view it).

If, for any reason, a message gets sent and the broken link had not been discovered, what can you do? That's the focus of the next section.

Manage broken links

If a folder or a file has been moved, renamed, or deleted after its host message is sent or before the message was sent but the issue wasn't caught, you have only one option: replace the image to re-establish a valid mapping within the template/message.

The replacement would have to:

be in the same location and
have the exact same file name.

Another, less likely, option is to simply delete the image from the template/message.

Moved or Renamed - folder or file

If a folder or a file has been moved or renamed, you have to:

locate the file that you want,
edit the template or message that hosts the now-broken image,
delete the existing image from the template or message,
upload the image, and
save the template or message.

This establishes a new path to the image in the template/message and the move or renaming are no longer relevant.

Be sure to preview and test the message to verify that the image displays.

Deleted - folder or file

In the case of a deleted folder, what happened to the image file?

Was it deleted along with the folder? If so, it'll have to be re-created and inserted in order to establish a valid mapping within the template/message.
Was it moved before the folder was deleted? If so, refer to the prior section.

The regrettable part of this scenario is that the remedy is for only a single instance of the image.

If the image was inserted in multiple templates and/or messages, each of them will have to be individually "fixed."

This is why previewing and testing a message before it is sent is recommended; it's the one sure way to determine that the elements and contents in the template and in the message render and behave as expected!

Edit an image

Asset Manager has a built-in image editor that is not overly complicated, but which offers plenty of image-editing options. This makes it:

ideal for experienced and novice image editors and
perfect for making simple but effective changes to your images.

To edit an image:

Check an image's checkbox to select it.
Click Manage > Edit.

The editor opens and your image displays on the canvas.

The next section provides information on the image-editing options.

When you've finished editing the image, click the X in the upper right or the Close button to close the editor.

Editing options

As you edit the image, the Apply button displays only when you've clicked an option in the palette.

Click Save as you work to preserve your changes. When you save, you can either overwrite the existing file or save your changes as a new version.
Click Revert to "undo" all changes up to that point. (This returns the image to what it was when you started this editing session.)
Click Undo to back out your last change; click multiple times to "step back" multiple changes.
Click Redo to re-apply a change that you'd undone; click multiple times to re-apply multiple changes.
Click Zoom fit (after zooming in or out) to return the image to its original perspective.
Click the Zoom slider to "zoom" in on and out of the image.
Click Apply after making a change to apply the change and review the affect.

Alter options

You can manage the dimensions and the orientation of the image with individual controls in the header bar.

Option	Controller
Resize	Use the width (W) and height (H) fields to customize the dimensions of the image. Check the Constrain proportions box to maintain the "aspect ratio" of the image as it changes.
Crop	Use the "handles" on the image to change the width and/or height; use the fields to make minor tweaks.
Flip/Rotate	Use the Flip buttons to achieve horizontal and vertical "mirror images" of the image. Use the Rotate buttons to apply 90-degree rotations of the image.

Filter options

We encourage you to explore the image-editing options (under Filter) on the "palette" and their effect on your image.

Most of these present "slider" bars with which you can regulate the degree of the affect; others (e.g., Grayscale, Invert, Sharpen, and Invert) simply apply the affect when clicked.

Organize your Asset Manager files

Higher Logic recommends establishing a good routine for organizing your folders and files before Asset Manager gets overloaded with files. Having a logical folder-file structure can:

save time when looking for and mapping to files (from within the designers),
simplify any file-management that might be necessary in future.

If you use a lot of images in your templates and messages, some measure of file management (moving, deleting) is inevitable — so, having your files organized from the start should minimize the amount of "clean up" that you'll have to do.

Organize your files with folders

If you have a lot of files in Asset Manger, it's a good idea to organize them into folders because:

Folders are listed first at every level in the List and Thumbnails views, which simplifies navigating the structure, especially if it's logically organized.
Files are easier to find if they are organized by whatever folder-naming "system" or convention works for you and your colleagues. For example, you could create folders based on your files':
- topics (animals; places; hobbies)
- types (image files; videos)
- targeted placement (in templates; in messages)
- intended purposes (monthly newsletter; quarterly report; annual conference)

IMPORTANT: Do not store your files at the "root" of the structure (i.e., the Files repo), especially if you have a lot of files. This will eventually impact performance when image files are being retrieved for insertion.

Asset Manager is also available from within Template Designer and Message Designer; this simplifies inserting images into your templates and messages.

To learn how to access Asset Manager via the designers and how to make "one-off" modifications for the template or message you are working on, see Asset Manager in the Designers.

Asset Manager in Admin