Index

Merge External Log File Action

The Merge External Log File Action is used to merge external playout content, such as commercial traffic logs, into the playout log.

Folder:

Specify the folder where the external log files are stored. use the Browse button to select the folder path.

Date pattern:

Defines the naming convention of the external log files using dynamic date parts enclosed in % signs. This ensures that the correct file is loaded based on the current date and time.

Other text is treated as normal text. Date parts that can be used are:

%yy%: 2 digit year.

%yyyy%: 4 digit year.

%M%: Month of year (e.g. 6)

%MM%: Month of year, zero-padded (e.g. 06)

%MMM%: Abbreviated month name (e.g. Jun)

%MMMM%: Full month name (e.g. June)

%d%: Day or month (e.g. 3)

%dd%: Day of month (zero-padded, e.g. 03)

%ddd%: Abbreviated day name (e.g. Sat)

%dddd%: Full day name (e.g. Saturday)

%H%: Hour of day in 24-hour clock (e.g. 7)

%HH%: Hour of day in 24-hour clock, zero-padded (e.g. 07)

%h%: Hour of day in 12-hour clock (e.g. 7)

%hh%: Hour of day in 12-hour clock, zero-padded (e.g. 07)

%tt%: AM/PM designator, (e.g. PM)

Merge type:

Determines the scope of the merge:

Day: Merges all items from the external file for the rest of the day.

Hour: Merges items from the file for the rest of the current hour.

Hour offset:

Allows you to start merging from a specific future hour, different from the current when the action is actually executed. For example, to merge the log items for the next hour, select 1.

Example Configuration

If you configure the following settings:

Folder: C:\MergeLogs

Date Pattern: %yyyy%-%MM%-%dd%.pipl

Merge Type: Day

Hour Offset: 0

And today’s date is 18th December 2024, the system will look for the file:

C:\MergeLogs\2024-12-18.pipl

And the content of the file contains the following entries:

00:30:00<TAB>SPOT001

00:30:00<TAB>SPOT002

00:30:00<TAB>SPOT003

01:30:00<TAB>SPOT001

01:30:00<TAB>SPOT002

01:30:00<TAB>SPOT003

...

Where the first column is the Start Time and the second column is the Track ID.

This file will then be merged into the playout log for the remainder of the day into the Merge Start/End segments with the start times defined in the merge file, e.g. 30:00.

Typical Workflow

Prepare the external log files

Use your external traffic software to generate log files.
Ensure the files are saved in a consistent location, e.g. C:\MergeLogs and follow a clear convention using a Date Pattern such as %yyyy%-%MM%-%dd%.pipl
Example content of the file:

00:30:00<TAB>SPOT001

00:30:00<TAB>SPOT002

00:30:00<TAB>SPOT003

01:30:00<TAB>SPOT001

01:30:00<TAB>SPOT002

01:30:00<TAB>SPOT003

...

Each line contains a Start Time and a Content ID, separated by a tab.

These entries specify when each external content item will play during the scheduled period.

The PIPL format definition can be found at https://pipl.playitsoftware.com/

To determine which Merge Start/End segment will be used to insert the items, PlayIt Live selects the first Merge Start item where the Start Time is earlier than or equal to the time specified for the item in the merge log.

Set Up the Merge Action

Go to Manage > Scheduled Events.
Add a new Scheduled Event and select the trigger time.
Add a new action and select Merge External Log File.
Configure the action with the following settings:
Folder: C:\MergeLogs
Date Pattern: %yyyy%-%MM%-%dd%.pipl
Merge Type: Day to merge items for the remainder of the day.
Hour Offset: 0 to begin merging immediately.

Alternatively, you can add a Scheduled Event Action to the playout log at the position when you want the Merge Action to be executed.

Insert Merge Start and Merge End Items
In your clocks, insert a Merge Start item where the external content should begin.
Insert a Merge End item to define where the merge segment should end.
These items act as markers to indicate where the merged content will be inserted

At the scheduled time, the merge log file will be read and inserted between the Merge Start and End markers.