Managing label sets

Overview

This article describes how to use Label sets. Labels are found throughout the database and help you organize your data. Administrators can use Label sets to control which options are available in dropdown fields, both inside Filmchief (for festival crew) and in the Festival Portal (for filmmakers and guests).

Audience

By default, you need an Administrator Role to be permitted to manage Label sets.

How label sets work

A Label set is a collection of options (labels) that can be selected in one or more dropdown fields across Filmchief. Some Label sets are small (for example a simple Yes/No choice), while others can contain many labels (for example Languages, Nationalities, or Film formats).

Some larger Label sets are organized in Categories. Categories help keep long dropdowns readable and can make Portal forms easier to complete. For example, Film formats may be organized in categories such as Digital formats, Film prints, Videocassette formats, Disc formats, Immersive formats, and Other formats.

Getting started

1. Open the editor of a dropdown field of which you want to manage the Label set.
   
   
2. Edit Categories (if applicable) and Labels.
3. Save your changes.

Note: The same Label set can be used in multiple places. Changes affect every dropdown that uses that Label set, including in the Festival Portal.

Under "Used in columns", you can see exactly which fields use the Label set:

This example shows that the Labels in the Label set "Functions (for volunteers/crew)" can be used to indicate both volunteers' Interested in functions as well as in the actual Function of a Shift.

Managing labels

Label fields

Each label has two display values:

• Value: the internal value, as shown inside Filmchief.
• Value in Portal: the external value, as shown in the Festival Portal.

If your Filmchief setup has multiple active languages, you can enter translations for both variants. This allows you to use wording that fits each audience, while keeping the underlying label consistent.

Visibility and status

In addition to its text values, a label can have visibility and lifecycle settings:

• Visible on Portal: when unchecked, the label is no longer selectable in the Festival Portal (for example on a submission form). The label remains available inside Filmchief.
• Deprecated since: marks a label as no longer in use. Obsolete labels cannot be selected going forward, but they continue to exist for historical reasons.
• Color: gives a label a distinctive color. This can be helpful when labels are shown as tags, but use this sparingly to keep the interface readable.

Note: Changing visibility or marking a label obsolete does not automatically change existing data. Records that already use the label keep that label, unless you actively migrate the data (see Auto relabel to below).

Creating or editing a label

1. Add a new label (or open an existing one for editing).
2. Set Value and Value in Portal.
3. If you use multiple languages, enter translations for the relevant languages.
4. Decide whether the label should be visible on the Portal, and whether it should be marked obsolete.
5. Optionally set a color.
6. Save your changes.

Working with categories

Categories are optional. You can use them to group labels and control how the dropdown is presented.

When to use categories

• To keep long dropdowns readable.
• To highlight commonly used options (for example a Common languages category).
• To reduce friction in Portal forms by grouping related options.

Category tips

• Keep category names short and clear.
• Avoid creating too many categories. A few meaningful groups are usually enough.
• If your Portal users are international, consider translating category names as well (if supported in your setup).

Translations

If multiple languages are active in your Filmchief environment, you can translate labels so that Filmchief and the Portal display the correct language variant. This applies to both Value and Value in Portal.

Tip: Use Value for internal shorthand if that helps your team, and use Value in Portal for more user friendly wording if needed. This is especially useful for technical terms or internal naming conventions.

Visibility in the Festival Portal

Label sets often appear in Portal forms and pages (for example film submissions, guest forms, and other external workflows). For each label, Visible on Portal determines whether it can be selected by external users.

• If Visible on Portal is checked, the label can be selected externally (where that field is used).
• If Visible on Portal is unchecked, the label is hidden from external selection, but remains available inside Filmchief.

Note: Hiding a label from the Portal is a good way to stop new external selections without disrupting internal workflows.

Abbreviations and integrations

Some labels have an Abbreviation. Abbreviations are especially useful for API integrations and other technical workflows where a short, stable identifier is required.

• Prefer abbreviations that are stable over time.
• Avoid changing abbreviations once they are used in an integration.
• Use a consistent format (for example uppercase codes without spaces) to prevent confusion.

Free text mode

Some dropdowns include an option such as Other. This is useful when none of the available options apply. At the same time, selecting Other without any clarification often leaves you guessing what the user actually meant.

That is what Free text mode is for. For each label, you can choose whether selecting that option should show an extra text field where the user can add a clarification.

How Free text mode works

• off (blank): no extra text field is shown.
• optional: a text field is shown, but the form can be submitted with the field left empty.
• required: a text field is shown, and the form cannot be submitted until the user enters a value.

Inside Filmchief, labels that were selected with an entered free text value are displayed as a combined value, for example Other: I don't know!.

Example: Animation techniques

The column Animation techniques can be used to describe which techniques were used in the production of an animated film. A typical label set might include:

• 2D computer
• 3D computer
• Rotoscoping
• Stop motion
• Other...

If you set the label Other to Free text mode required, film submitters must specify what they mean. For example, they could enter Paint on glass, which will be displayed as Other: Paint on glass in Filmchief. This gives you structured data (the label) plus a meaningful clarification where needed.

Free text label

Sometimes it helps to guide the user toward the kind of clarification you want to receive. You can do this by setting a label’s Free text label.

For example, in the Film production cooperation parties label set (used by the Looking for film property), you might allow the label Sales. By setting its Free text label to Worldwide or specific regions, the form prompts the user to enter a useful clarification.

If you do not set a Free text label, the form shows a generic prompt such as Please specify....

If multiple languages are active in your Filmchief environment, the Free text label can be set per language so that Portal users see the prompt in their selected language.

Auto relabel to

The Auto relabel to feature helps you clean up and standardize your data by mapping an outdated or incorrect label to one or more correct labels. This is useful when you:

• merge duplicates (for example two spellings of the same option);
• replace outdated terminology;
• correct a label that should not be used anymore, while keeping historical data consistent.

How to use Auto relabel to

1. Open the label you want to phase out.
2. Optionally set Deprecated since to prevent future use.
3. Set Auto relabel to to the correct replacement label or labels.
4. Save your changes.

Tip: Auto relabel to is most useful when you need a clean set of options going forward, while still preserving (and correcting) historical usage across your database.

Best practices

• Keep Portal forms lean. Hide options that external users should not choose, instead of exposing the full internal list.
• Prefer obsoleting over deleting. Keeping labels for historical reasons helps preserve reporting, exports, and audit trails.
• Use categories for long lists. If one group is used most often, place it at the top.
• Be careful with colors. A few meaningful colors can help, but too many reduces clarity.
• Be consistent with abbreviations. Treat them as technical identifiers, not display text.