Blocs offers two primary workflows for managing assets such as images, videos, and music in your websites. The Embedded Asset workflow stores all asset files directly inside a single Blocs project file, while the Linked Asset workflow references files stored on your device.
Each workflow has its own advantages and limitations, which we’ll explore in this post. It’s also worth noting that Blocs also supports a Hosted Asset workflow, allowing you to use both Embedded / Linked Assets along with assets hosted on a web server.
Embedded Assets
New Blocs projects use the Embedded Asset workflow by default. With all your images, videos, and other files stored inside one .bloc file, moving projects between devices is simple and stress-free. This approach also simplifies backing up and sharing projects, as everything your website needs is contained within a single, self-contained file.
There are only a few limitations to using the Embedded Asset workflow. Large media files, like videos, can make your project file much bigger. And because Blocs keeps its own copy of each asset, any edits you make to the original files outside of Blocs won’t appear in your project unless you replace them manually.
Overall, the Embedded Asset workflow is the best choice for building websites with Blocs. It’s hassle-free, makes transferring projects between devices simple, and its main limitations, such as handling large media files, are easy to work around with Web Hosted Assets.
If you see a size warning ⚠️ next to any large media files while using the Embedded Asset workflow, it’s best to remove those files and replace them with Web Hosted versions to keep your project running smoothly.
Linked Assets
With the Linked Asset workflow, you get complete control over your website’s assets. Any changes you make to the original files outside of Blocs automatically appear in your project, and because assets aren’t stored inside the .bloc file, their file size remains small.
However, the Linked Asset workflow does have some drawbacks. When moving projects between devices, you may encounter missing or broken assets, as Blocs will look for files in their original locations. In addition, linked projects can be more difficult to back up, since assets may be stored across multiple folders or drives on your device.
The Linked Asset workflow is a great fit for web professionals who are organised and comfortable managing external assets.
Blocs includes a built-in Package feature that gathers all assets and project files into a single, organised folder. This is especially useful when using the Linked Asset workflow, as it helps prevent missing assets when transferring projects between devices.
Web Hosted Assets
With Web Hosted Assets, your files are stored on a personal web server and loaded into Blocs each time you open a project. The key advantage of this approach is reliability. As long as the assets remain on your server, you’re unlikely to encounter missing or broken assets when working across multiple devices.
However, this workflow does depend on your internet connection. If your connection is slow, project loading times may increase, and if you’re offline, assets won’t be visible within Blocs.
While a complete Web Hosted Asset workflow is supported, it’s best used selectively for large media files like videos.