How do I setup an RSS Feed in AutoCast?
Step 1
Create your RSS page in GenCG before linking the RSS feed. Begin by opening GenCG. Create two blank pages: the first page will be our static RSS page while the second page will be an RSS crawl. With the first page selected, create a few text boxes and graphics as seen in the image below. Your textboxes act as placeholders for the RSS data, therefore the content of each text box does not currently matter. Add alias names of "1Title", "2Title", and "3Title" on all dynamic data fields. All alias names must have the form "#" + "text" for AutoCast to communicate properly. (To create alias names for your placeholder objects, right click the object and select [Assign Alias]. They are highlighted in yellow.)
Step 2
For the second page, change your Page Mode from [Still] to [Crawl] (located on the upper GenCG toolbar). To create dynamic crawls for AutoCast, you will need 3 alias objects: background bar, an image you would like to display between feeds, and your default text. If you do not want an image to display between feeds, simply make the image object 100% transparent. For the default text, be sure to type "@1" so that AutoCast can communicate properly. Be sure to set the desired font type, size, and color of the text to be displayed. After creating the objects, right click on each one an select [Assign Alias].
- Image alias name should be "@crawl_image"
- Default text (@1) alias name should be "@crawl_data"
- Background bar alias name should be "@crawl_bar"
Step 3
Go to [File] > [Save As] and save your RSS GenCG file inside the C:\Program Files\Compix\AutoCast\Templates folder. Close GenCG and open AutoCast. AutoCast now displays your new pages under the Template List to the left. They are named GenCG_file_name:1 and GenCG_file_name:2.
Step 4
Click on your first RSS page (GenCG_file_name:1) and check [Watch] in your Play Item Edit Window. Change your Data Type at the top to [RSS]. Now copy and paste your RSS feed address into the [Feed Source] in AutoCast and click [Add]. AutoCast will now load all data from the RSS feed. Click [OK]. You can now see the RSS feed data on the page within the Play Item Edit Window. Select [Fit] or [Wrap] if neccessary, otherwise click [Add] to add the page to your PlayList.
Step 5
Select the crawl page in the Template List. The three alias names appear in the Play Item Edit Window alias column. Check the [Watch] box and change the Data Type to [RSS]. Check the [Crawl Sequence] box at the top next to Data Type, then copy and paste the RSS feed address into the [Feed Source] field. Click [Add].
Step 6
Click on the Field column heading located at the bottom of the window, and then select the Title column heading above the first RSS feed data. You will now see the label "Title" under the Field column. Click [OK] Your RSS feed will load accordingly. Now click [Add] in the Play Item Edit Window to add the page to the PlayList. Your RSS feeds are ready for air.
