Playlist template wizard

[bebo_saed]

Hello Bernd,

i'm using the new playlist form template wizard to schedule the program of my station for a day, I've created the the program in the scheduler manually as it will play form 6 PM to 12 Am, with no script loaded, just the time and the playing options, then i created playlist from script using the playlist template wizard and assigned the playlist to the program that I've created it before, by default it opens the playlist once the wizard finishes, I've checked the playlist, made some modifications in the files older, saved and closed it, what i got one the time of the program came, it opened the playlist but the songs order is scrambled!!! it plays the songs genres right but not in the order i made manually, or even with what the wizard created it!! is that a bug or am i doing something wrong?

Another question if i may ask, in the voice tracking menu, can i set a music bed to be played when the first file finishes and waiting to press next to play the next file, the bed will be played under the announcer voice i would like to automate that, is that possible?

THANKS....

[bebo_saed]

i would like to mention also that the voice tracks positions are also scrambeled and did not load on it's position, i hope that is fixed also..

Thanks

[radio42]

Unfortunately I am not able to reproduce your issue here.
In all my tests the track order incl. all VTs stay absolutely the same.
Can you please provide some more details or examples, what is exactly happening on your side?

[bebo_saed]

Hi Bernd Sorry For Taking too Long replying you.

i will explain to you what i do step by step

1- first i run the playlist template wizard and chose the timing for my playlist, also choose the script (note that the time of the program is not previously scheduled in the program scheduler)



2- i create for the playlist a program scheduler entry as shown below



3- by default when the wizard finishes it opens the created playlist for a preview ( notice the songs orders with respect to time)



4- i make some changes in the songs order also i record my voice tracks as follows (not that i made some modifications to the playlist in the middle but i recorded a voice track at the top to be noticed)



5- finally i save the playlist and when it's time come to play that's what i get



as you can see my songs order are scrambled and also my voice tracks..

hope that this helped you identifing the problem and hope that you helps me on solving it

MANY THANKS

[radio42]

Being honest...the two playlists look TOTALLY differnt!
There is not a single track listed, which is contained in your initial playlist also no VREC track is present.

So I do NOT believe, that the playlist you initially created (via the Template Wizard) got scrambled whatsoever, but that a totally differnt playlist/script got loaded/executed.
I also made a few tests here and they also proved, that any playlist scrambling is definitly never happening (I mean, that is such a fundamental thing).

So, there are a couple of things you should check:

1) Please open the 'Program Scheduler' and navigate to the date/time in question and make sure, that you have not (by accident) defined multiple different program scheduler entries in parallel at the same time.

2) Double check the 'Script' (which was automatically created via the template wizard) and is assigned to the related program scheduler entry.
E.g. when you open the related program scheduler entry (via a double-click) you might click on the 'Edit' button next to the script. It should have the following script-lines defined:
1. LoadPlaylist, C:\Users\....\plstmp\Admin\${start_yyyy}${start_MM}${start_dd}_${start_HH}\${start_yyyy}${start_MM}${start_dd}_${start_HH}${start_mm}.pfp, Count=1
2. Execute, Evening, Count=1
Note, that first script-line should have the following Options:
- SupressHistoryCheck
- SupressAddHistory

3) Please try to load the generated playlist manually into a new playlist window:
From the 'Main' ribbon click on 'Open' and navigate to the folder (which you specified within the Template Wizard) now open the generated playlist ('20130326_1800.pfp').
How does this playlist look like? If this one is equal to the initially generated one above - then some other script got executed in your test above!

[radio42]

Any news?

[bebo_saed]

Thanks bernd for the answer, i've made some tests based on you response and i did resolute the problem some way,

when making a playlist from a template wizard and if you did start the program automatically (i mean by waiting for the program to start on it's time) it starts with no problems, no scrambles, everything in it's order, but if you did start the playlist after the original starting time, as for example : the program starts at 6 PM and end at 9 and you started it 7:00 (in the middle of the playlist) here comes the scrambling, even if you started it 6:05 PM it also scrambles the order and here comes the problem, just in case a hardware failure of a software failure or any other unpredictable error would happen and you were forced to start the program again from the middle, would be a great problem.

waiting for your reply

[radio42]

I guess now we are near the real issue!
How do you actually start the program manually at e.g. 7:00?
I assume not directly via the 'Program Scheduler'?!

As already said above ProppFrexx does NOT scramble the playlist!
Let me try to explain what might happen (depending on how you started the program manually)...

Please take a look at the Script, which was created by the Template-Wizard:
- open the Program-Scheduler (from the Scheduler ribbon)
- double-click on the related program entry
- in the 'Program Editor' dialog you'll find the name of the script, which is assigned to that program
- click on the 'Edit' button
- The Script-Editor is now shown, having e.g. the following script-lines (as already explained above):
1. LoadPlaylist, C:\Users\....\plstmp\Admin\${start_yyyy}${start_MM}${start_dd}_${start_HH}\${start_yyyy}${start_MM}${start_dd}_${start_HH}${start_mm}.pfp, Count=1
2. Execute, Evening, Count=1

As you can see there are MACROS being used for the first entry!!!
Please see the User Manual of the exact meaning.
Basically the 'LoadPlaylist' script-line entry contains macros, which are being resolved at the time the script executes - this to create a dynamic filename and path on the fly.

I assume in your case (when manually starting the playlist) these macros simply resolve to a filename and path, which simply doesn't exist!!
As a result, this script-line entry is skipped and only the next script-line entry is executed.
And this next script-line executes the 'Evening' script - which is totally dynamic....

Again, when a script is started manually (NOT from the scheduler), this program start time info might not be available and ProppFrexx has no other chance to assume the current time - which might then lead to an incorrect filename path...see above!

Now to your "hardware or software failure or any other unpredictable error" scenario:
As long as the related script is being started from within the Program Scheduler (even if e.g. later as expected) - the macros are still resolved correctly!
As the Program Scheduler ALWAYS uses the defined "Program Start Time" to resolve the ${start_xxx} macros and not the effective system time!
So that is absolutely no issue!

ProppFrexx also rolls-forward a program/script which is started late!
E.g. if due to whatever failure the program is effectively started at e.g. 6:30PM and not at 6:00PM - the playlist items are rolled-forward automatically - so that playback starts with the track which would have been played/due at exactly 6:30PM!
Again, no scrambling - just a 'correct' roll-forward!

So in essence I believe in your testing you didn't consider the effect of the macros being used within the script.

[bebo_saed]

UPDATES : He Bernd, i remade my tests here, all what you have said is acceptable and right, i can manage entering the playlist from any time and the rolling forward is working fine but for 1 thing, when it roll forward for a start time later than the determined one for the the program it opens the playlist on the song schedualed for the current time but what is weired that it doesn;t load my promos for the first 20 songs but after that it works fine as for the picture :

The original PL :



The Loaded PL:



Wired isn't it?!!

[bebo_saed]

No the they are the same playlist, the file name shown is for the base script that will be executed if the first load playlist option failed.