Understanding asset usage

A website or application can contain hundreds of entries that reference shared assets. Understanding where an asset is used helps you safely update, replace, or remove it without unintentionally breaking content.

In Contensis, assets can be referenced from:

• Asset fields
• Image fields
• Assets in Canvas

To explore how an asset is connected to entries in your project, use the Asset usage panel.

You can also reach this panel from the confirmation dialog when you delete, unpublish, or archive an asset. Each of those dialogs shows how many entries use the asset, with View usage to open the panel and see which ones.

1. Open an asset for editing.
2. In the asset editor toolbar, select Asset usage.
3. The Asset usage panel opens, displaying all entries that reference the asset.

Each linked entry shows:

• The entry title
• The field that references the asset
• The entry's content type

If an asset is used in many entries, you can narrow the list to find what you're looking for. The panel offers two controls, and you can use them together.

• Search. Enter a keyword to match against entry titles.
• Content type. Choose a content type from the dropdown to show only entries of that type.

You can open and edit linked entries directly from the Asset usage panel. Select an entry in the list to open it in the entry editor.

To see at a glance how widely an asset is used, check the usage count in the Asset information panel.

1. Open the asset, then select Information in the panel toolbar.
2. Find Usage, which shows how many entries currently reference the asset.

This is particularly useful when deciding whether an asset can be safely updated or removed.