Using the media library: images, video, documents and accessibility

Scenarios can include images, audio, video and documents - in the instructions, the script, resources and questions. All uploaded files live in your organisation's shared media library, and every file can carry the descriptions, captions and transcripts that make it accessible. Administrators can also decide who may upload, which video providers may be embedded, and whether new uploads need approval.

Adding media to a scenario

In any rich-text field of the scenario editor, select Add media. This opens the media library where you can:

Browse files your organisation has already uploaded, filter by type or tag, and Add one to your scenario
Upload new files - images, audio, video and documents (PDF, Word, PowerPoint), up to 200 MB each

When you upload an image, SimChat asks for an Image description (alt text) and an optional Caption before the file is sent, so the accessibility details travel with the file from the start.

Files can't be added by link. Images, audio, video files and documents always come from the media library, so your organisation's upload and approval settings apply to all of them.

Embedding YouTube and Vimeo videos

Videos hosted on YouTube or Vimeo don't need to be uploaded. In any rich-text field, select the editor's YouTube or Vimeo link button and paste the video's page URL. The video stays on the hosting site and plays inline when the scenario is viewed.

YouTube and Vimeo are the only providers SimChat supports. If you paste a link from another site, the editor tells you which providers you can use. Administrators can switch off either provider for the whole organisation - see Media policies below.

Describing media for accessibility

Each file in the library has an Accessibility panel. What it asks for depends on the type of file:

Images - an Image description (alt text) read out by screen readers. Describe what the image shows; leave it blank only for purely decorative images. An optional Caption is shown beneath the image for everyone
Video - Subtitles (WebVTT): upload a .vtt captions file and it plays as a subtitle track. A Transcript gives the full text for people who can't watch or hear it
Audio - a Transcript of the spoken audio

Alt text and captions are also editable from the image itself in the editor. Accessibility details are saved on the file, so every scenario that uses it benefits.

Tagging files

Administrators curate a list of media tags on the library's Tags tab. Anyone uploading or editing a file can apply those tags, and the library can be filtered by them. Deleting a tag removes it from files but leaves the files in place.

The media library page (administrators)

The Media library page itself is for administrators. Authors work with media through Add media inside the scenario editor rather than from the sidebar.

Administrators open it from Scenarios → Media library:

Browse - search and filter every file, preview it, rename, delete, tag and edit accessibility details
Awaiting approval - files uploaded by authors that need a decision, shown only when approval is on
Upload new - add files directly to the library
Tags - add, rename and delete the tags authors can use

Authors can rename and delete only the files they uploaded themselves; administrators can manage any file. Deleting a file removes it from the library, and scenarios that embed it will no longer show it.

Media policies (administrators)

Under Organisation settings → Media, administrators control how media is used across the organisation:

Allow media library uploads - when off, nobody can add files to the library. Existing files stay available, and authors can still embed video from the enabled providers by link
Require approval for new uploads - new uploads by authors stay visible only to the uploader until an administrator approves them. Uploads by administrators are approved automatically
Video embed providers - tick the providers authors may embed. Both YouTube and Vimeo are on for new organisations; untick one to limit authors to the other, or untick both to block video embeds entirely. This setting only chooses among the providers SimChat supports - it can't add new ones. It is applied when a scenario is saved, so existing content keeps its embeds until someone edits it

These settings don't affect media library files. Uploaded images, audio, video and documents are governed by the upload and approval settings only.

Approving uploads

When approval is on:

An author uploads a file. They see it marked Awaiting approval and can't insert it into a scenario yet
Administrators see a count on Media library in the sidebar and receive an email. If a file has been waiting more than 24 hours they get a daily reminder
On the Awaiting approval tab, an administrator can Open the file to check it, then Approve or Reject with an optional reason

The uploader is emailed either way. Rejected files are removed from the library.

Updated on: 08/09/2026

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