Product Media Library
About this article
Centra recognises that in today's world, your product media are often not just images, but also their related meta-data. For a while now we've supported custom attributes on product_media level, which can be handled either manually in AMS backend or using the Integration API. With growing EU regulations around accessibility and multilingual content, enabling translations has become a crucial step to ensure compliance and inclusivity.
To support this further, we’re introducing a new basic attribute in Centra, Alt Text. This field is not only essential for implementing the new EU accessibility regulations, but also plays a key role in SEO performance. By making alt text translatable (the feature is coming soon!), we empower brands to stay legally compliant while optimizing their media assets for search visibility and better content discoverability.
The new Alt text attribute is exposed in all webshop APIs - Checkout, Shop and DTC API. It is also available for read and write using Integration API.
To ensure optimal image accessibility and search visibility, please contact your frontend agency to ensure the provided alt text is correctly implemented within the <img> tags on your site.
Media Library page
The new wiew in AMS backend, the media library, allows you to view your product media by its unique media ID. This ID is always assigned when you upload product media to Centra, either through the AMS backend, or via the Integration API (where it is connected to productMedia object). It's also the same ID which you can later use to assign uploaded media to product displays, making them visible in your webshop and APIs.
This view allows you to view product media, download it in different resolutions, view its connection to existing products, variants and/or displays and view the image URL (in standard size).
Below the image preview, in the General section, you can view both your custom product_media attributes, as well as the Centra's built-in multi-line text attribute for Alt text. As you know, alternative text can be used for usability purposes, when the source image is not available, or to improve readability for visually impaired. And when paired with support for translations in any configured language, the alt text field becomes a strong tool for SEO visibility, making your content not only more accessible, but also potentially more visible in the search engines.
Media attributes export and import
This view also allows you to manage your product attributes in bulk. You can export the media attributes to either Excel or CSV file directly with the Export attributes button, or filter and select as many media as you need (e.g. by product or variant) and choose the bulk action to export only this selection to a file. After, you can modify the media Alt text as well as pre-defined custom attributes, save the file and import it back to Centra, making sure each row is still identified by the unique media ID.
Here's how to achieve it step by step:
- Navigate to Centra AMS
- Select Media library in navigation panel
- Click Export attributes button on top right of the page
- Select the file format and export
- Add media attributes values to the file
- Navigate back to Media library page (or Products → Import → select Media attributes option)
- Click Import button on top right corner of the page
- Follow the ‘how-to’ instruction and import the attributes into Centra
- Verify if the data is correct in cross-check
- Confirm the import and apply the changes
How to use the Alt Text media attribute
With Integration API, you can access ProductMedia objects from product, productVariant or display level, depending on your configuration. The API can then be used to assignAttributes individually or assign them in bulk. Same is possible to unassign attributes value or do it in bulk.
In Shop/Checkout APIs, the Alt text attribute value is returned on all media by default, e.g. "altText": "Centra logo". Please contact your front end agency in order to implement this new feature in your webshop.
In Integration and DTC API, the attribute is returned under each media object as a new altText string field.
Please ensure that your images are activated on product displays, and that at least one image size is selected in the Shop/Checkout API plugin settings. Otherwise, no product media will be returned, and therefore no media attributes will be visible.
Important notes
- The cross-check allows to review 100 rows at a time, since we've enabled pagination in this view. When user goes to next page, Centra saves the changes from the previous page.
- It’s possible to ‘Save all’ without verifying all pages. Centra also saves incomplete imports, so users can come back to it and finish later.
- It’s not possible to update the connection to product, variant, bundle display via import. This import updates media attributes only.