Hi, is there any documentation/manual for the CasparCG client? I’m having some trouble getting something to work and it might just be that I’m new to the app.
For example, the Next command under playout doesn’t seem to play the next item in a rundown.
Thanks,
Gene
The “Next” command is not for the rundown, it sends a NEXT command to a template. Every command under Playout is for individual items in the rundown except for Clear Layer and Clear Channel.
Thank you.
Is there a way to play the next item in a rundown?
You just need to move to the next item and play it, either selecting it with the mouse or DOWNARROW and hitting F2.
During playout operations I sometimes find it helpful to collapse the library selection panel and the inspector panels. This is done by mouse drag on the finely spaced lines on the right edge of the library and the left edge of the inspector. Drag the library panel to the left, and the inspector panel to the right.
The rundown media elements still display, and once you have given focus to the zone by clicking an entry with the mouse the zone retains focus ensuring the cursor commands are directed at the rundown list in the CasparCG client.
For some operational functions, such as clip replays into a programme, you may find it helpful to set the ‘Freeze on load’ item in the inspector. Then you can load the clip by hitting F3, seeing the first frame of the clip displayed on the channel output. F2 then starts playout, and the cursor keys allow you to move to the next item in your rundown.
There is a further trick that you can use to advance through a playlist, but it needs some extra set-up time when creating the rundown.
You create groups that each contain exactly 1 media item. To create the group, select the media item in the rundown, then press CTRL+G. Go to the inspector display for the group and enable the Auto Step property. To play the media item in the group select the group and hit F2. The media item plays, and the client auto selects the next item in the rundown ready to be played.
Thanks. Very helpful. In the Playout menu, what does Invoke and Update do?
Update and Invoke are used with templated graphics.
When a template is played it will either cut up on the channel output, or perform some input animation, displaying the text sent as part of the CG Play command (actioned using the F2 Play key). When the template is sent the Stop command (key F1) it will either cut off the channel output, on perform some animation to remove the text and any associated logos. These actions are defined by the programming of the template.
Consider the headline sequence of a news programme using a template that has input and output animation. When the first headline video clip runs the CG Play command is issued, sending the text to display as key f0 (see client inspector panel for a template). When the next headline video clip starts we need to change the displayed templated text, but without the animation running. This is where the Update becomes useful. You place a second instance of the template in the rundown, but with different text in the f0 key value. Instead of pressing the Play key, press the Update key. The template invokes a processing function called update(), passing it the new text. The function installs the new text into the text holder in the template, updating the display. The template programmer again decides if the text change is a simple cut, or if some other animation is used - for example fade out old text, fade in new text.
The Invoke key allows the user to ask a template to do something extra. You enter the name of a function to call into the Invoke box of the template inspector. That name can include parameters - so Invoke text of setspeed(4) will cause the server to try and call a function called setspeed, and passes the value 4 as part of the call.
When I am developing HTML templates I often use the Invoke facility as a simple mechanism to test out various parts of the template operation without the need to do an edit and template reload. If you are developing a template using the Chrome remote debug ability of the HTML producer you can use the console to also invoke the update, play, stop and invoke functions as if the client were in use.
I have also adopted the invoke facility as a simple documentation tool. If the template user has forgotton which key names are used and the function of each key they can invoke a function called templatekeys(1). This toggles the display of a simple panel that lists the key names, their use, and any associated graphics needed. A second call to the same function removes the documentation overlay.
Over the last few months I created a document that describes the functions in the CasparCG server and client for a specific installation that I specified. My intention was always to offer a more general version for use by the CasparCG community, and this thread has encouraged me to convert that document from the specific installation version to a more general version.
The document uses a commercially licensed publication package, so I have only published the PDF version output by the publishing package.
I have posted that general document on Github so that any issues are easy to log. The document is available from https://github.com/amwtech/CasparCG_Documentation
By only reading the contents index (slow internet on holyfays! it looks like quite compleate. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Andy! This is excellent!
@andyw must say your document is very complete and for the part’s i read very well written. well done !