The social content collected by Flowics can be integrated with Viz Pilot Edge allowing you to create graphics and other visual content that incorporate real-time social media content to engage your audience.
One of the key features of this integration is that you can get a preview of the social media content you plan to use in your broadcasts before going on air.
Requirements
To get started, you'll need to ensure that you have the following installed:
Flowics Middleware 5.1 or higher
Vizrt Pilot Edge 2.4.1
Vizrt Preview Server 4.5
Vizrt Pilot Data Server 9.0.2
Vizrt Template Builder 2.4.1
Viz Graphic Hub 3.7.1
Viz GH REST 2.8.6.
Viz Media Sequencer
If you don't already have the Middleware installed, you can learn how to download and install its latest version by clicking here or upgrading a previous version by clicking here.
It is important that the .bin file to run the middleware is run as "Run as administrator"
Setting up a web service
Once you have the necessary software installed, you'll need to set up a web service since Viz Pilot Edge cannot read XML files that are hosted locally. To do this, follow these steps:
Go to the webapp folder in the Middleware (usually located at: C:\Flowics\middleware-cli-5.1\webapp)
Create a subfolder within this folder and name it "data". This is where the Middleware will write the atom files and host downloaded media.
Go to the conf folder (usually located at C:\Flowics\middleware-cli-5.1\conf\middleware.properties) open the conf.properties file and below the token add the following lines:
webapp.authz.type=mock
webapp.cors.allowedOrigins=*
Middleware configuration
To access the Middleware configuration, on the TOP menu in Flowics, click on SETTINGS and then choose Middlewares (if you don't have it listed then contact our support team at support@flowics.com)
Within the Middleware configuration, you need to:
Type as Shared Folder Path the path of the folder previously created within the webapp.
Add a Media Folder Alias, this path will be recognized by the .atom file and will allow the display of images and videos. In this field you need to add the following:
/data/media
*where data is the name of the subfolder created in the webapp.
3. The Integration mode must be File.
Creating a Collection Middleware Source
(1) From the home Project look for the Broadcast Middleware Soucers card and click on +.
(2) From the catalog of Middleware Sources choose the Collection. If it is not available please contact support.
Setting up a Collection Middleware Source
To set up a Collection Middleware Source, you must:
Pick a collection. If you don't have one created go to the Content Inbox to create a new collection and feed it with social content. Learn more here.
Go to the Integration tab > Pick the Middleware > click on the Checkmark to connect this Middleware Source with the Middleware
In File Type select: atom
Add a file name to identify the atom file locally stored. Remember to keep the extension .atom
.atom file
It is a document format based on the XML format and allows searching for updates to content published on a website.
To see the content that is being stored in the .atom file, open your browser and type the following:
localhost:9090/data/
In that URL you can get the data written and downloaded by the Middleware on the web server.
This is the data that will be integrated with Pilot Edge.
Viz Template Builder
Open the scene that you will use to display the information.
before you bind the data from the .atom to the pilot edge, in your Vizrt scene you must add a prefix to the fields. To learn more about it here.
In the Fill-in Forms tab, you will configure the following fields:
Select Social1. (Social1 is the prefix used within the plugin in the vizartist scene.)
In Data entry -> Enable feed browser.
Add Atom feed's URL
The Atom feed URL can be obtained from the web browser.
localhost:9090/data/{ATOM FILE NAME}
The next step is to set the graphic data for:
Text element like Author:
Data entry: Parent Feed Browser
Select from Atom entry: Author name
Media:
Type: Image
Data entry: Parent Feed Browser
Select from Atom entry: Link
Linked in access entry: Image.
Viz Pilot Edge configuration
Select your previously built template in Viz Template Builder.
Click on Browse to open the Feed Browser so you can have a Preview of the posts previously added to a Flowics collection.
Select the message in the Feed Browser.
You can see the selected message in the Preview.
Save the post as a Pilot Edge item.
