This type of Middleware Source is used for inserting counters into your screen. You can integrate it through our Middleware with your graphics system allowing you to display, in real-time, counts On-screen.
When you create this type of Middleware Source, you must associate it with the Flow from which it will take the data.
1. General Settings
Name (1): Naming your Counter Middleware Source is a good practice so that you and your teammates can identify it for later use.
Connected Flows (2): When you create this type of Source, you should assign it to the Flow that contains your counted posts in real time. Click on Select and choose any of the listed Flows you wish to assign to this Source.
Count (3):
Total Posts: Indicates the number of times a hashtag, keyword, or social account was mentioned. This way you can show your audience the real volume of participation.
Unique Authors: Indicates how many people participate. This count is very useful for polls since it prevents a user from being able to participate more than once.
Posts per Minute (PPM): This shows the average number of times a hashtag, keyword, or social account per minute is mentioned.
Number Formatting (4): According to the selected language, the thousands separator will be a period (.) or a comma (,). For additional information click here.
2. Ranges
Name (1): Naming your Range is a good practice so that you and your teammates can identify it for later use.
Time Ranges (2):
3. Integration
Integration type (1): Select how you want to integrate the data according to the graphics system you have. If it is not listed click others.
Vizrt Integration
Integration Steps (2): From here you will be able to access the XML and JSON or you will find the steps on how to integrate according to your CG integration system.
Version (3): This refers to the Middleware version. We recommend always using the higher from the dropdown.
Connect to Middleware (4): Enable it, pick your middleware from the dropdown, and find the destination path where the File or Database is being written in your destination unit by the middleware.
4. Previewing Counter Middleware Source
After you have saved the Counter Middleware Source configuration you can preview its data. Keep in mind that this information is not updated in real time, so you should refresh the window to see the latest results.
XML File integration
5.1.1 XML Example
<counter> <widgetId>29992</widgetId> <widgetTitle>#ElClasico</widgetTitle> <flowId>bf47aca8c0ea02cb232ca7e5969e71cd</flowId> <name>El Clásico - Real Madird vs Barcelona</name> <integrationId>Teams</integrationId> <count>2619</count> <formattedCount>2,619</formattedCount> </counter>
5.1.2 Fields Description
Note that some field names change when using the Avid Maestro integration type.
Field | Description | Field (Avid Maestro integration) |
counter.widgetId | Id of the Widget | counter.widgetId |
counter.title | Title of the counter, as configured in the Widget. | counter.title |
counter.flowid | Id of the Flow associated with the Middleware Source. | counter.flowid |
counter.name | Name of the Flow associated with the Middleware Source. Normally used to display the hashtag that is being tracked. | counter.name |
counter.integrationId | Id that a User can assign to the Flow associated with the Widget to integrate with external systems. | counter.integrationId |
counter.count | Exposes a number representing the selected Counter type. If you choose
| counter.countX |
counter.formattedcount | Similar to counter.count but the number will be formatted according to the locale requested (added thousands separator). | counter.formattedcount |
Database integration
When using this kind of integration, a database table with the following columns is created. The type of columns is textual. For the specific type, check the middleware configuration, but they typically are text for MySQL or PostgreSQL and ntext for Microsoft SQL Server.
Column | Description | Column (Avid Maestro integration) |
widgetId | Id of the Widget (same value for each row) | widgetId |
widgetTitle | Title of the Counter, as configured on the Widget (same value for each row) | widgetTitle |
flowId | Id of the Flow associated with the Middleware Source. | flowId |
name | Name of the Flow associated with the Middleware Source. Normally used to display the hashtag that is being tracked. | name |
integrationId | Id that a User can assign to the Flow associated with the Widget to integrate with external systems. | integrationId |
count | Expose a number representing the selected Counter type. If you choose:
| countX |
formattedCount | Similar to counter.count but the number will be formatted according to the locale requested (added thousands separator). | formattedCount |
JSON File integration
7.1.1 JSON Example
{ "widgetId":34307, "title":"Contador", "updatedAt":"2020-10-08T15:11:22Z", "flowId":"59539c973583bbb88c810fe9dab11a16", "name":"#RealMadrid", "integrationId":"", "count":528, "formattedCount":"528" }
7.1.2 Fields Description
Field | Description |
widgetId | Id of the Widget |
title | Title of the counter, as configured in the Widget. |
updatedAt | Last modification datetime of the Middleware source (not data itself). ISO8601 format. |
flowid | Id of the Flow associated with the Middleware Source. |
name | Name of the Flow associated with the Middleware Source. Normally used to display the hashtag that is being tracked. |
integrationId | Id that a User can assign to the Flow associated with the Widget to integrate with external systems. |
count | Exposes a number representing the selected Counter type. If you choose
|
formattedCount | Similar to count but the number will be formatted according to the locale requested (added thousands separator). |