Live Data Feeds

Owned by BrightSign TechDocs
Last updated: Jun 09, 2023
2 min read

Similar to an RSS feed, a Live Data Feed consists of an indexed list of Titles and Values: Each Title has an associated Value. Live Data Feeds can have numerous applications in a presentation. They can be used as updatable text feeds in Ticker zones or as individual text widgets in a Live Text state. They can even be used to remotely update the values of User Variables.

Creating a Live Data Feed

Tip

You can create Live Data Feeds in the BSN WebUI as well. 

Follow these steps to create and upload a Live Data Feed.

  1. Click the Create tab and select Live Data Feed.

  2. On the menu bar, navigate to File > New Data Feed.

  3. Click the Add Item button to create a new feed entry.

  4. Enter a Title for the feed entry. The title, as well as the index number, allows you to pick a specific entry to display when using RSS feeds in Live Text.

  5. Enter a Value for the feed entry. This is the portion of the feed that will be displayed on screen.

  6. Use the up and down arrows to reorder the list of entries. You can also use the X button to delete an entry.

  7. When you are finished adding entries, click the Upload to network button in the upper-right portion of the screen (you must be connected to the BrightSign Network). You will be prompted to save the feed as an XML file before uploading it to the network. The name you give to this XML file will be the name associated with this feed on the BrightSign Network.

You can save a copy of the feed any time by navigating to File > Save New Feed or File > Save New Feed As. You can later retrieve the feed by navigating to File > Open Live Data Feed.

Adding a Live Data Feed to Your Presentation

Follow these steps to add a Live Data Feed to you presentation:

  1. While in the Edit tab, navigate to File > Presentation Properties > Data Feeds.

  2. Click Add Data Feed.

  3. Enter a Feed name. This does not need to be the same name given to the Live Data Feed.

  4. Under Feed Specification, select Live Data Feed and choose the feed from the dropdown menu.

  5. Under Data feed content usage, select Text.

  6. Use the Update Interval dropdown menu to determine how often the player should check in with the BrightSign Network servers to update the Live Data Feed.

  7. Click OK.

You can now add the text of the Live Data Feed to your presentation via Live Text and RSS Feed states.