Filling the folder from another program

Because the part follows the folder, another program can build a running order by writing files. This is useful for a permanent playout, for example when a scheduling program or a script prepares the material for the day. That program needs no connection to Ultimate Playout, because it only writes files.

What the other program does

To	The other program
Add a cue	Copies a file into the folder
Set the order	Puts a number and a full stop in front of each name
Remove a cue	Deletes the file
Move a cue	Changes the number in front of the name
Make a group	Creates a subfolder
Make a group play as a playlist	Writes _settings.playoutfolder in that subfolder

An example

Daily
├── 1. Opening.mp4
├── 2. News
│   ├── _settings.playoutfolder
│   ├── 1. Headlines.mp4
│   └── 2. Weather.png
└── 3. Closing.png

In the cue list, this folder becomes a part called Daily with the cue Opening, a group called News that holds Headlines and Weather, and the cue Closing.

Writing files safely

Write a file under a temporary name, and give it its final name when it is complete. The program waits until a file has stopped growing and no other program holds it open for writing, so a file that is still being written does not normally appear. On a network share and on Linux that check is less certain, but a temporary name always works. The program never shows a file whose name ends in .tmp or .part, or whose name starts with a full stop.

Keep the name of a file when you replace it. The program recognises a cue by its name without the number. A file with the same name replaces the cue and keeps what the operator set on it, such as the volume. A file with a new name becomes a new cue.

Write the settings file in one go. Write only the settings that you need, because a missing setting is off. If the file cannot be read, for example because it is only half written, the program uses the default settings and writes a line about it in the log.

A folder on the network

A linked folder can be on another computer. The program looks at it every second, which also works on a network share. If the folder cannot be reached for a moment, the part keeps what it had and catches up as soon as the folder is back.