Nexio IconStation Data Source Wizard

Transcription

1 Nexio IconStation Data Source Wizard 6/18/

2 Publication Information 2014 Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. Imagine Communications considers this document and its contents to be proprietary and confidential. Except for making a reasonable number of copies for your own internal use, you may not reproduce this publication, or any part thereof, in any form, by any method, for any purpose, or in any language other than English without the written consent of Imagine Communications. All others uses are illegal. This publication is designed to assist in the use of the product as it exists on the date of publication of this manual, and may not reflect the product at the current time or an unknown time in the future. This publication does not in any way warrant description accuracy or guarantee the use for the product to which it refers. Imagine Communications reserves the right, without notice to make such changes in equipment, design, specifications, components, or documentation as progress may warrant to improve the performance of the product. Trademarks Nexio IconStation and Nexio Connectus are trademarks or trade names of Imagine Communications or its subsidiaries. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective companies. Contact Information Imagine Communications has office locations around the world. For domestic and international location and contact information, visit our Contact page ( Support Contact Information For domestic and international support contact information see: Support Contacts ( ecustomer Portal ( Academy Training ( Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 6/18/2014 Page 2

3 Contents Contents Introduction to the Data Source Wizard... 5 Create Data Tags... 5 Data Source Wizard Workflow... 6 Open the Data Source Wizard... 6 Change Selections... 6 Exit the Data Source Wizard... 6 External Data Output... 6 Set Up a Data Source... 7 Data Source Type Options... 8 Set Up a New Text File... 8 Add a Text File with ODBC... 8 Add a Text File without ODBC Set Up a New RSS/XML Feed Select an Existing Data Source Use ODBC Data Sources Use Non-ODBC Data Sources Link Data Tags to Data Sources Choose The Data Sources Link Data Tags to Data Sources Establish Other Source Tables Format, Refine, and Sort the Data Data Formatting Refine Range & Style Refine Data With Condition Selection Refine Data With Manual Entry Data Sorting Choose Playback Settings Data Playback Data Expiration Publish Data Source As Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 6/18/2014 Page 3

4 Contents Last Access Time Index Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 6/18/2014 Page 4

5 Introduction to the Data Source Wizard Introduction to the Data Source Wizard By creating data tags in your layout items and linking them to data sources with the Data Source Wizard, Nexio IconStation allows you to link your items to content in an external data source. Maintaining your data in an external file allows you to update information automatically, without needing to edit the items. You can add new text files or RSS/XML sources to the Data Source Wizard. You can also format the data tags, use SQL conditions to refine the data selection, color the text, sort the data, set rules for data retrieval, and set output behavior for when data sources become unavailable. Create Data Tags This guide assumes you have already created data tags within one or more layout items in IconStation. For information about creating data tags in IconStation, please see your IconStation Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 6/18/2014 Page 5

6 Introduction to the Data Source Wizard Data Source Wizard Workflow The Data Source Wizard contains multiple dialogs that you move through as you set up and link your data. The dialogs follow this workflow: Choose an existing data source to link to, or add a new data source to the wizard. Link an item s data tags to columns or entries in the data source. Format, refine, and sort the data as required. Choose playback settings for the data source. The rest of this guide describes how to use the features of the Data Source Wizard. Open the Data Source Wizard Check the External Data Source checkbox in an item s Content Editor. Click the Setup button to open the Data Source Wizard. Change Selections Click the Back button to change selections you made in previous Data Source Wizard dialogs. Exit the Data Source Wizard Click the Cancel button to exit the Data Source Wizard. You lose any changes you have made. External Data Output For information about how your external data will appear on output, please see your IconStation User Guide Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 6/18/2014 Page 6

7 Set Up a Data Source Set Up a Data Source Use the Data Source Wizard to link the data tags in your items to an external data source. The Data Source Wizard displays a list of ODBC sources that are already defined on your system. Select an ODBC source in the Existing ODBC Source list to view the tables associated with that source, then select a table from the Associated Tables list to see a preview of the data in the source s table Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 6/18/2014 Page 7

8 Set Up a Data Source Data Source Type Options The Data Source Wizard provides the following options for setting up a data source. Data Source Type Options Data Source Wizard Option Use Existing ODBC Data Sources Use Existing Non-ODBC Data Sources Create New Text File Data Source Create New RSS/XML Data Source Description Allows you to use an existing ODBC database, ODBC text file, or RSS/XML data file. These are files that have been added to your system s ODBC system list, either with the Data Source Wizard or with the Windows Data Source Administrator. See Use ODBC Data Sources (on page 13). Allows you to use an existing non-odbc data source. These are text files which were added to the Data Source Wizard as non-odbc sources. See Use Non-ODBC Data Sources (on page 13). Adds a new text file to the Data Source Wizard s list of available data sources. More than one text file can be used in a single data source, and you can choose to handle the sources with the Windows ODBC driver. See Set Up a New Text File (on page 8). Adds a new RSS/XML feed to the Data Source Wizard s list of available data sources. See Set Up a New RSS/XML Feed (on page 11). Set Up a New Text File To add a new text file to the list of available data sources, select the Create New Text File Data Source radio button and click Next. In the following dialog you can define one or more text files to use as data sources, and you can choose to handle the sources with the Windows ODBC driver. Add a Text File with ODBC Use the ODBC driver to manage a single text file if you want to control user access to the data. The ODBC driver also gives you control over how the data is managed. 1. Click the Browse button and select a text file. The file s data is displayed in the Data Source Wizard s Data Preview list Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 6/18/2014 Page 8

9 Set Up a Data Source 2. Enter a data source name for the text file in the Data Source Name field. 3. Check the ODBC Handles Text Files checkbox. 4. If only the current Windows user is allowed access to this data, select the User DSN radio button. To allow all users on the system to access the data, select the System DSN radio button. If the content is being sent to player systems with Connectus, this setting will also determine which users on the player system can view the data source. 5. Click the Next button. A new dialog opens with options for managing the text file. 6. The Data Delimiter radio buttons allow you to choose ways of separating each data line into multiple columns. Select Comma to divide each data line into multiple columns based on the commas in the line. Select Tab to divide each data line into multiple columns based on the tab stops in the line. Select Specify My Column Width to specify how many characters can fit into each column. You will set the column widths in the next dialog. To choose your own character delimiter, select Custom and enter a character in the Custom field. Each data line will be divided into multiple columns based on the occurrences of the custom character. 7. Checking the Set First Row as the Column Headers checkbox sets the first line of the text file to be the column header names. You will not be able to change the names of the headers when this option is checked. If you don t check the Set First Row as the Column Headers checkbox, you will be able to name each column header in the next dialog. 8. Choose character set standards with the Character Set radio buttons. Select the ANSI radio button if the text file uses the ANSI character set. Select the OEM radio button if the text file uses an OEM character set. 9. Click the Next button. A new dialog opens with options for formatting the columns. The options available will depend on the delimiter selected and whether or not the first row is set as the column header Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 6/18/2014 Page 9

10 Set Up a Data Source 10. Select a data column in the Data Preview list. If you unchecked the Set First Row as the Column Headers checkbox in the previous dialog, you can type a new name for the column in the Column Header field. Select a data type from the Data Type drop-down list. If you select the DateTime data type you must specify how the date and time are stored in the database file. Choose a format from the Format drop-down list. To use a custom format for dates and times, choose the Custom option and enter date and time formats in the appropriate fields. If you selected the Specify My Column Width delimiter in the previous dialog, enter the width for the column in the Column Field. Any characters beyond this column width will be moved to the next column. Otherwise, enter the column s maximum number of characters in the Data Maximum field. Characters beyond this limit will not be displayed. 11. Click the Set button to finalize the column parameters you have changed. The data preview window reflects your changes. 12. Repeat steps 10 and 11 for the rest of the columns. 13. When you ve finished setting the parameters for the columns, click the Next button to start linking the columns to the data tags in the layout item. See Link Data Tags to Data Sources (on page 14) to continue. Add a Text File without ODBC You do not need to use the ODBC driver to manage text files. If you choose not to use the ODBC driver, you will not have the formatting options available to ODBC text sources. Once you have added non-odbc text files to the Data Source Wizard, you can access them in the future by selecting the Use Existing Non-ODBC Data Sources radio button in the Data Source Wizard s main window. 1. Click the Browse button and select a text file. The file s data is displayed in the Data Source Wizard s Data Preview list. 2. Enter a data source name for the text file in the Data Source Name field. 3. Uncheck the ODBC Handles Text Files checkbox. The Add Source button and the All Text Sources list appear. 4. Click the Add Source button. The data source is added to the All Text Sources list. 5. Repeat steps 1-4 to add additional text file data sources. Select the sources in the All Text Sources list to view their content in the Data Preview list Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 6/18/2014 Page 10

11 Set Up a Data Source 6. When you are finished adding data sources, click the Next button to start linking the sources to the data tags in your items. See Link Data Tags to Data Sources (on page 14) to continue. Set Up a New RSS/XML Feed If you are accessing an RSS or XML feed, select the Create New RSS/XML Data Source radio button. After you have selected the Create New RSS/XML Data Source radio button, click Next. A new dialog opens with options for browsing to the data source, giving it a name, and setting its user permissions. Note: If your layout contains multiple items that connect to the same RSS feed, all of the items can share the same source. If, however, different items all connect to the same RSS feed, you must create a new source with a unique name for every layout that wishes to use the feed. 1. In the URL/XML File Path field, enter a URL for an RSS feed or an FTP location to access an XML file over a server. You can also choose an XML file manually by clicking the Browse button and selecting an XML/RSS file. 2. Enter a data source name for the XML file in the Data Source Name field. 3. If only the current Windows user is allowed access to this data, select the User DSN radio button. To allow all users on the system to access the data, select the System DSN radio button. If the content is being sent to player systems with Connectus, this setting also determines which users on the player system can view the data source Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 6/18/2014 Page 11

12 Set Up a Data Source 4. Click the Next button. 5. If the data source is being retrieved from a URL or FTP location, the next dialog allows you to enter a user ID and password. If your data source does not accept authentication, select the No Authentication option. Select the Anonymous radio button if the data source does not require a specific user ID or password. Select the Login With the Following radio button if the data source requires a user ID and a password. Enter the login information in the User ID and Password fields. If the data source is being retrieved from an FTP location, navigate to the proper directory using the FTP File Directory list. When you have finished entering the login information click Next to continue. 6. Use the next dialog to select the data elements you want to retrieve from the XML file: a. In the Data File Structure list, select the data element you want to link to. b. Click the arrow button to add the element to the list of selected data sources. The element is added as a column in the Data Preview list. c. Repeat to add additional elements to the list of data sources Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 6/18/2014 Page 12

13 Set Up a Data Source 7. To remove data sources that you have chosen, select the data source in the Selected Data Source list and click the Remove button. 8. When you have finished adding data elements, click the Next button to start linking the elements to the data tags in your item. See Link Data Tags to Data Sources (on page 14) to continue. Select an Existing Data Source Each time you open the Data Source Wizard, all of the previously-added sources are available to be selected and linked to the data tags. Use ODBC Data Sources Follow these steps if you would like to use an existing ODBC database, ODBC text file, or RSS/XML data file. 1. Select the Use Existing ODBC Data Sources radio button. 2. Select a source in the Existing Source list. The tables in that source are listed in the Associated Tables list. 3. Select a table from the Associated Tables list. A preview of the table s data appears in the Data Preview list. 4. Click the Next button to start linking the table to the data tags in the layout item. See Link Data Tags to Data Sources (on page 14) to continue. Use Non-ODBC Data Sources If you want to use existing non-odbc files: 1. Select the Use Existing Non-ODBC Data Sources radio button. 2. Click Next. 3. The next dialog displays all of the existing non-odbc data sources. Add or remove sources within the list as described in Add a Text File without ODBC (on page 10). 4. Click the Next button to start linking the data sources to the data tags in the layout items. See Link Data Tags to Data Sources (on page 14) Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 6/18/2014 Page 13

14 Link Data Tags to Data Sources Link Data Tags to Data Sources After you have chosen one or more data sources, use the Data Source Wizard to link the sources to the data tags in the layout item. Choose The Data Sources See Set Up a Data Source (on page 7) for information about choosing data sources. Link Data Tags to Data Sources After you have chosen one or more data sources, a new dialog opens which allows you to link the data sources to the data tags in the layout item. The Data Preview list shows a preview of the available data source headings. 1. Select one of the item s data tags in the Field drop-down list Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 6/18/2014 Page 14

15 Link Data Tags to Data Sources Note: If your item has been set to associate an audio source, an Audio tag is available in the list. Link this tag to a source containing paths to your audio files. 2. From the Source drop-down list, select the heading that you want to link to the data tag. If the heading is an external key to another table, check the This Source Is An External Key checkbox. You will establish the other source table when you proceed to the next dialog. 3. If the item has more than one data tag, add each tag link to the Assignment list. Click the Add button to add a link to the list. To remove a link from the Assignment list, select the link and click the Remove button. Each column can only be linked to one field by default. If you want to link a column to multiple fields, check the Show Selected Columns checkbox. When this option is checked, columns remain available in the Column drop-down list even after they have been linked to a field. 4. If the link is an external key to another table, select the link in the Assignment list and click the Modify button to establish the other source table. You can also establish any other source tables by clicking the Next button when you re done linking your tags. See Establish Other Source Tables (on page 16). 5. When you have finished linking data tags to data sources, click any of the buttons on the bottom of the dialog to format, filter, color, or sort the data: Click the Data Formatting button to format the text, data, and date fields. See Data Formatting (on page 17). Click the Refine Range & Style button to filter or add color to the data. See Refine Range & Style (on page 18). Click the Data Sorting button to sort the data. See Data Sorting (on page 20). 6. Click the Next button when you are ready to set up playback and expiration rules for the data. See Choose Playback Settings (on page 21) to continue. If any of the links are to an external key on another table, a dialog opens with options for establishing the other source table (see Establish Other Source Tables (on page 16)) Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 6/18/2014 Page 15

16 Link Data Tags to Data Sources Establish Other Source Tables If any of the data tags are linked to data sources which are keys to other tables, you need to establish the other source table, the column that contains the external keys, and the column that contains the data that needs to be returned. 1. From the Found In Table list, select the table that the link connects to. 2. Pick the column that contains the external keys in the External Key References drop-down list. 3. Select the column that contains the data that needs to be returned in the Return the Value In drop-down list. 4. Click the Commit button to finalize the settings. If you are only establishing a link to one source table, the next dialog allows you to choose playback and expiration settings for the data. See Choose Playback Settings (on page 21) to continue. If you are establishing links to multiple source tables you are returned to the Assign Source dialog (see Link Data Tags to Data Sources (on page 14)) Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 6/18/2014 Page 16

17 Format, Refine, and Sort the Data Format, Refine, and Sort the Data While you are using the Data Source Wizard to link data tags to data sources, select the buttons at the bottom of the dialog to format, refine, and sort the data. Data Formatting Click the Data Formatting button to format text, data, and date fields. The choices you make will appear when you output the layout. Select a field from the Detected Fields list. The available formatting options depend on the type of data in the field. The data types for the fields were chosen when you added the data source to the Data Source Wizard or to the ODBC System List. Presentation Style Formatting Options Field Type Date / Time Numerical Formatting Options Select a date format from the Format drop-down list. Add a prefix to the date by checking the Prefix checkbox and entering a prefix in the text field. Add a suffix to the date by checking the Suffix checkbox and entering a suffix in the text field. Select a Comma, Period, or Space for the Numerical Separator. Select a Comma or Period for the Decimal. Select the number of decimal places from the Decimal Places drop-down Add a prefix to the numbers by checking the Prefix checkbox and entering a prefix in the text field. Add a suffix to the numbers by checking the Suffix checkbox and entering a suffix in the text field Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 6/18/2014 Page 17

18 Format, Refine, and Sort the Data Field Type Text Formatting Options Add a prefix to the text by checking the Prefix checkbox and entering a prefix in the text field. Add a suffix to the text by checking the Suffix checkbox and entering a suffix in the text field. Click the Commit button when you are finished formatting the fields. Refine Range & Style Click the Refine Range & Style button to filter data using SQL statements. You can also use statements to show, hide, and add color to the data. The SQL statements can be entered either manually or with condition selection. Switch between methods with the button in the bottom-left corner of the dialog. You can only switch to Manual Entry when you have no conditions in the All Defined Parameters list. Refine Data With Condition Selection Use the If connector to show, hide, and add color to the data. 1. Select the If connector from the Connector drop-down list. 2. Choose the conditions for the query: a. Select a data source column from the Column drop-down list. b. Select an operator from the Operator drop-down list. c. If applicable, enter a value in the Value field. 3. Choose how to display the data that meets the conditions: 2014 Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 6/18/2014 Page 18

19 Format, Refine, and Sort the Data To prevent a particular data tag from being displayed, select Hide Field from the Apply Style drop-down list, and select the tag you want to hide from the Field drop-down list. To colorize the data in a particular data tag, select Change Field Color from the Apply Style drop-down list, select the tag you want to colorize from the Field drop-down list, and click on the color box beside the Apply Style drop-down list. A color picker opens, allowing you to choose a color for the data tag. To display ONLY the data that meets the conditions, select None from the Apply Style drop-down list. 4. Click the Add button to add the condition to the All Defined Parameters list. Add additional conditions to the All Defined Parameters as required. To delete a condition, select it in the list and click the Delete button. Use the And and Or connectors to filter the data. Use multiple conditions to further refine the data range. 1. Select a connector from the Connector drop-down list: Choose the And connector to apply the current condition to the previous condition using "and" logic. Choose the Or connector to apply the current condition to the previous condition using "or" logic. 2. Select a data source column from the Column drop-down list. 3. Select an operator from the Operator drop-down list. 4. Enter a value in the Value field. 5. Click the Add button to add the condition to the All Defined Parameters list. All data that meets the condition will be displayed. 6. Create and add additional conditions to the All Defined Parameters list. These conditions will further refine the data range. 7. To delete a condition, select it in the All Defined Parameters list and click the Remove button. Click the Commit button when you are finished refining your data range. Refine Data With Manual Entry Click the Switch to Manual Entry button to manually enter conditions with SQL statements. You can only switch to Manual Entry when the All Defined Parameters list is empty. Type a valid SQL statement in the SQL Statements field and click the Set button to apply the statement. Its result displays in the Data Preview list. Click the Commit button to finish refining the data range Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 6/18/2014 Page 19

20 Format, Refine, and Sort the Data Data Sorting Click the Data Sorting button to establish a sorting priority for the data. 1. Select the column with the highest sorting priority from the Reference drop-down list. 2. Use the Sort Order drop-down list to select the way your data is sorted. If the column contains text, the text is sorted alphabetically. Select Ascending to sort the content in ascending order. Select Descending to sort the content in descending order. 3. Click the Add button to add the column to the Sorting Sequence list. The Data Preview list sorts the data according to the sorting sequence. 4. Add more sorting sequences as required. 5. To delete a sorting sequence, select a sequence from the Sorting Sequence list and click the Delete button. 6. When you are finished sorting the data, click the Commit button Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 6/18/2014 Page 20

21 Choose Playback Settings Choose Playback Settings After you have chosen the data sources and linked them to the layout item s data tags, set the rules for data playback and data expiration. When you have finished choosing the playback settings, click the Finished button. If you still have data tags that you haven t assigned to a data source, a dialog allows you to either return to IconStation or continue linking tags to data sources. Data Playback The Data Playback section of the dialog allows you to set when IconStation checks the data source for new information. Select the Every Time radio button to update items whenever the data source updates. Select the Retrieve Updates at the Following Interval checkbox to specify how often IconStation looks for new information in the data source. Enter a time in the Interval box. Choosing this option speeds up retrieval and playback if the connection to the data source is slow. Data Expiration The Data Expiration section of the dialog allows you to set when IconStation expires data if the data source is unavailable. For example, the data source may be unavailable if it is stored on a network and the network is down. Select the Show Last Known Data radio button if you want to show the last available data when the data source becomes unavailable. Select the Don t Show Any Data radio button if you do not want to show any data when the data source becomes unavailable. Select the Expire After An Interval Of radio button and enter an interval to expire unavailable data sources after a specific time. When a data source becomes unavailable it will continue to display until the interval has elapsed. If you choose to expire data or not show data from unavailable data sources, you can display a message when the data has expired. Check the When Data Expires checkbox and type a message in the field. Publish Data Source As Use the Publish Data Source As controls to set where your data source handle is created Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 6/18/2014 Page 21

22 Choose Playback Settings Network Source: A network data source (such as an ODBC connection to a file on a network share, or a network text file through direct reading) is left in its original location and not published to the player. Don t Publish: The data source is not published at all and the ODBC DSN is not registered on the player. This allows the user to manually reconnect data sources on the player machine. Last Access Time The Last Access Time button is enabled when the data source is an SQL/Oracle database. Click the button to update a separate table with the time the data was last accessed Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 6/18/2014 Page 22

23 Index Index A ANSI character set 8 Associate Audio Source link to database 14 Audio data tag 14 C character set standards 8 close Data Source Wizard 6 color data fields 18 column in an ODBC text file 8 maximum number of characters 8 name 8 set first row as the column headers 8 width 8 Content Editors open the Data Source Wizard 6 D data delimiter 8 data expiration 21 data formatting 17 Data Source Wizard add a text file with ODBC 8 add a text file without ODBC 10 add RSS/XML feed 11 add text file 8 cancel 6 character set 8 color data fields 18 data expiration 21 data playback settings 21 data type 8 delimiter 8 DSN choice 8 external keys 16 filter data 18 format data source 17 last access time 22 link column to multiple tags 14 link data tags to database 14 name column 8 open 6 player values 18 publish data source 21 refine data range 18 select existing data source 13 select RSS/XML data elements 11 set first row as the column headers 8 sort data 20 SQL statements 19 update interval 21 workflow 6 data tags audio 14 color data fields 18 link to database 14 database add RSS/XML feed 11 add text file to Data Source Wizard 8 becomes unavailable 21 color data fields 18 decimal point 17 external keys 16 filter data 18 format text 17 last access time 22 link column to multiple tags 14 link to data tags 14 numerical separator 17 refine data range 18 sort data 20 SQL statements 19 use multiple data sources 10 decimal places 17 decimal point 17 E expire data 21 external keys 16 F filter data 18 H hide data 18 I item link to RSS/XML feed Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 6/18/2014 Page 23

24 Index L last access time 22 link data tags to database 14 local source 21 M machine name 18 multiple data sources 10 N network source 21 numerical separator 17 O ODBC DSN choice 8 handle text file 8 OEM character set 8 open Data Source Wizard 6 P player external data 18 machine name 18 player location 18 player name 18 player values 18 prefix date/time 17 presentation style 17 publish data source 21 R refine range & style 18 color data fields 18 RSS select data elements 11 user ID and password 11 RSS feed 11 S set first row as the column headers 8 show data 18 show last known data 21 Show Selected Columns 14 sort data 20 SQL external keys 16 filter data 18 last access time 22 manually enter conditions 19 suffix (Data Source Wizard) 17 system DSN 8 T text file add to Data Source Wizard 8 handle with ODBC driver 8 handle without ODBC driver 10 multiple data sources 10 separating into columns 8 U update database 21 user DSN 8 X XML select data elements 11 user ID and password 11 XML feed Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 6/18/2014 Page 24