The Linked Folder module works great, nice work. I have a suggestion though, let me know what you think.
My ultimate goal was to have UltimatePlayout run the permanent playout that I described in my initial message, but with the ability to tell the program both where a video/still file is and the in/out lengths for each. Part of the reason for this is while local video files are usually rather small, I intend to use UltimatePlayout to run different parts of large video files (3+ GB each), and it is time-consuming and resource-intensive to move the entire file into the linked folder every time I need to play some or all of it. While I could theoretically use a .url file to do this, I wouldn’t be able to specify a specific in/out time for just that cue. Here’s what I would suggest:
Build off of the logic for the _settings.playoutfolder and allow for an optional .cue file instead of a direct video, still, or .url file. This cue file would follow the same overall layout as the settings file, but with options for the specific cue, as shown for the cues in the program itself. For example:
{
"type": "media", // The cue type. Can also be "still" or "webpage"
"path": "C:\\path\\to\\media.mp4", // The path to the cue's content. Can also be a URL if "type" is set to "webpage"
"title": "Cue Title",
"music": "C:\\path\\to\\music.mp3", // or an empty string
"in": "00:00",
"out": "00:00",
"vol": 100,
"Transition": {
"style": "none", // or "fade" or "dip"
"duration": 0.5
},
"follow": "pause", // or "next, "stop", "loop", or "black"
"link": "C:\\path\\to\\playoutfile.playout" // or an empty string
}With the above settings, the type and path values specify the cue type and path to the cue’s content, and the rest of the fields are standard user-editable values in a given cue in the program itself. Then you can allow the same naming conventions that were already added to determine the cue order. Combined with the _settings.playoutfolder file, you could support either scenario (local vs “linked” media):
LinkedFolderExample /
_settings.playoutfolder
1 – IntroImage.png
2 – OpeningVideo.cue [containing the above settings]
3 – NewWebsite.url
4 – ClosingSoundtrack.wav
Alternatively, you can keep the current logic in the Linked Folder module, call it “Playlist Mode”, and add a secondary mode called “Cue Mode”. These two modes would show in the Linked Folder’s dropdown menu under the Group button, and you can select a folder for either mode. Cue Mode would be similar to the above layout, except there is no _settings.playoutfolder file and UltimatePlayout only looks for .cue files in the linked folder.
Sorry if this is a lot, my software engineer side comes out sometimes. I hope this request wasn’t out of line.
I look forward to hear your feedback.
