In Hudu, an asset is any named item stored within a customizable asset layout. Asset layouts are the categories you create to separate and organize your assets, usually grouped around a shared theme (for example Contacts, Computer Devices, or Sites). Each asset is made up of cards, which group the asset's information by the source the data came from.
For example, a Desktops asset layout holds individual desktop assets, and the information on each desktop is organized into separate cards based on how it was brought into Hudu.
Visit Asset Layouts and The Card for additional information on how asset information is structured.
Guides
Creating asset layouts
Asset layouts are created in the Hudu admin area, so layout creation and management are limited to admin and super admin roles.
Visit Asset Layouts for the full guide on building and managing layouts.
Creating assets
This covers populating an asset layout with relevant, client-specific information — that is, creating assets that belong to a given layout. Creating assets can be done by the author role and above, as long as no security permissions restrict it.
- Navigate to a client space within your Hudu environment.
- Toward the bottom of the left-hand sidebar, find the section titled Other. This lists all of your active asset layouts.
- Hover over an asset layout and click the (+) Add button to add a new asset — or click into the asset layout and select (+ New) in the top right.
- This window contains all of the fields created for that asset layout type.
- Enter the information required based on the format your team has designated.
- Click either Create or Create and Add Another to save the asset.
Editing assets
When editing an asset, you can update any of the custom fields chosen for that asset layout.
- Navigate to a client space and click the individual asset you'd like to edit.
- Click the Edit (pencil) icon.
- From here you can change or add information in the asset fields.
- To change which fields are available, add or edit the fields on the associated asset layout.
Managing assets
Hudu includes several built-in tools for managing stored assets. Access varies by role — expand each section below to learn more.
- Navigate to an asset layout within an individual client space.
- From here you can manage all assets stored within that layout. You can:
- Export the asset list to .csv format;
- Use Bulk Actions to move assets in bulk to other client spaces, archive them to the museum, or permanently delete them (admins and super admins only);
- Or select Manage Asset Layout, which takes you back to the admin layout creation and editing page.
- Navigate to an asset layout within an individual client space (for example, a Desktops layout within Company X).
- Click a specific asset stored within the layout (for example, Michael's Desktop).
- Click the More Options (ellipsis) icon in the top right. From here you can:
- Favorite: add the asset to My Favorites on your dashboard.
- Duplicate: clone the asset.
- Mark as Gold Standard: flag the asset as an example for others to follow.
- Archive: hide inactive documentation; items move to the museum.
- Unarchive: bring an asset back out of the museum.
- Permanent Delete: remove documentation forever (admins and super admins only).
- Change Permissions: change viewing permissions (admins and super admins only).
- View Current Access: see which users can currently access the asset.
See all assets within an asset layout in a convenient table view. Columns include:
- Name — listed A–Z by default; click the arrows in the header to sort Z–A.
- Custom fields — the field must have Add to list view checked in Admin → Asset Layout.
- Last Card Sync — requires an integration card on at least one asset in the view.
- Flags — shows which flags have been added to each record.
- Created — timestamp of record creation.
- Updated — last manual update timestamp.
Choose which columns are visible using the dropdown above the table, then click Apply to save.
- Spectators and above can view assets.
- Authors and above can create, update, duplicate, and archive.
- Admins and super admins have all options available, including permanent delete and permission changes.
Visit User Management for additional information on roles and permissions.
Tools
The sections below introduce tools associated with assets that support additional organization, management, and documentation strategies. Expand each section for an overview.
Gold Standards let you designate high-quality documentation for other technicians to follow. When an asset layout contains assets marked as Gold Standards, those examples are available to view whenever a new asset of that type is created.
Visit Gold Standards for additional information.
Relationships let you connect relevant assets to other items, such as related credentials, KB articles, and processes.
Visit Relationships for additional information on relating assets to other information.
The Files module lets users attach files to an asset. Any user with access to the asset can view the attached files, and users with the author role or above can upload their own. Find it on the right-hand sidebar: click the drop zone to browse, or drag and drop files directly into the section.
Visit File Management for supported file types, size limits, and full details.
The Photos module lets users attach photos to an asset so pictures can be viewed in the browser without downloading (unlike the Files module). Photos appear as thumbnails you can click to enlarge, and all photos added to assets also appear in the Photos section on the left-hand sidebar under Core.
Visit Photo Gallery for supported formats, size limits, and management options.
The Comments section provides a simple text field for any additional information that may not fit neatly into your asset layout fields or other sections.
Additional Abilities
The sections below introduce additional features associated with assets. Unless noted otherwise, these can be found at the bottom of the right-hand action menu when viewing an asset.
Revision histories provide a breadcrumb trail of when edits were made to an asset, and by whom. To open an asset's revision history, click the name of the user who last performed an action.
- To view an older version, move down the timeline or use the Older Version / Newer Version buttons.
- To revert to an older version, select Revert to Version.
Activity logs provide detailed information on the actions performed on assets stored within Hudu. Any action on an asset is recorded in that asset's activity log — click View all activity at the bottom right — and in the Hudu admin area under Global → Activity Logs.
Activity logs can be filtered by:
- Client name
- Action performed
- User who performed the action
- IP address the action was performed from
Visit Activity Logs for additional information.
This lets admins and super admins see who has access to a specific asset.
- Users with access are marked by a green check mark.
- Restricted users are marked by a red X.
Generate a physical copy of asset information by clicking the Print icon in the top right and selecting Printable Version. Printable versions only include information added via your custom asset layout fields — integration card data is not included.
Quick-Response (QR) codes can be generated for any stored asset. Click the print option and select Generate QR Code to open a window with the code.
Flags can be added to any asset to mark it for later review. To add one, click the Flag icon in the top right.
Visit Flag Types for additional information on creating different flags.
FAQ
An asset layout is the category or template — it defines the fields for a type of item (for example, Desktops). An asset is an individual entry stored within that layout (for example, Michael's Desktop).
Yes. Navigate to the asset layout, then use Bulk Actions to move one or more assets to another client space.
Archiving moves the asset to the museum, hiding inactive documentation without deleting it. You can bring it back at any time using Unarchive. Permanent deletion is a separate action available only to admins and super admins.
Troubleshooting
You'll see this warning when:
- You changed a field in an asset layout to Required but haven't entered a value for it yet, or
- The field was already Required prior to 2.39.0 and the assets are syncing from an integration (see the integration card), so no values have been entered for those required fields.
To clear the warning:
- Enter a value for the required field on each affected asset, or
- Navigate to the asset layout, edit the required field, uncheck Make Field Required, and save.