Apple Final Cut Server User Manual
Page 194
194
Creating Automations Using the Panes of the Administration Window
Using the automation panes of the Administration window provides you the greatest
flexibility and the most power when setting up your automations. This flexibility and
power does add to the complexity of the process though.
Note: In most cases, you will find that using Automation Setup Assistant is easier and
provides the types of automation you need.
All of the automations you set up are based on one of the three following operations,
with the goal of each being to issue responses at the appropriate times:
 Watchers: File system watchers monitor a device for specific changes, based on an
interval you configure. Once the specified change happens—for example, a new set of
still images is added to a folder on the device—the watcher issues one or more
responses. The responses can perform a variety of functions. In the example with a new
set of still images, the responses can transcode the still images to a different format,
copy them to a second device, and send an email to the editor listing the images.
 Schedules: Schedules issue responses at predetermined intervals. Most often they are
used to scan a device to detect changes to respond to. For example, you can have a
schedule that every day at 2 a.m. clears the items from the Log pane, providing a
fresh start each day.
 Subscriptions: Metadata subscriptions issue responses based on specific actions.
Unlike watchers and schedules, subscriptions do not run based on predetermined
intervals, but react directly to Final Cut Server events. For example, a subscription can
monitor the Search All Jobs window and send an email response if a job fails.
Each of the above automation types has its own pane in the Administration window.
There is also a Response pane for configuring the responses used by these automation
types. Responses are not able to run as a standalone automation—responses are what
watchers, schedules, and subscriptions use to accomplish their automation tasks. There
are a wide variety of types of responses, from copying, transcoding, and deleting assets
to sending emails and scanning specific devices.