NewTek TriCaster Advanced Edition User Guide - Manual (Page 67)

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C ONFIGURE D ATA L INK K EYS
FIGURE 52
DataLink™ is an astonishingly useful TriCaster Advanced Edition exclusive, allowing the handling and
updating of text and image data from both internal and external source for use in title pages in realtime, as
well as other purposes. Briefly, DataLink tracks variables, called DataLink keys, and their values, and updates
these values on-the-fly when keys are used in title pages.
Hint: DataLink keys can serve in other ways, too, as for example to automatically insert information such as time
or scores into labels and comments of social media uploads, or as instant replay clip metadata.
Since DataLink falls into the general realm of automation and also has access to external sources, complete
coverage of its features and capabilities is found in the companion Automation and Integration Guide included
with this product; but we’ll mention a few highlights as we go along in this manual as well.
Hint: If not today, we urge you to make definite plans to read the DataLink chapter in the Automation and
Integration Guide. Without exaggeration, DataLink is a game-changer. It can save you a great deal of time,
prevent embarassing and potentially costly mistakes, and lift your productions to new heights.
The Manage group link labeled Configure Datalink Keys opens a dialog that allows you to pre-assign values
to three special DataLink keys. These session keys serve as the default first and second line text inserts and
image used by many of the supplied template title pages. (By taking a moment to populate these keys with,
for example, a company name, motto, and logo, you will find much of the included graphic content ready to
use for a given production without ever having to type another line.)
B ACKUP S ESSION
Clicking the Backup Session button opens a system file explorer that you can use to assign a storage location
for the backup files. Backup operations can take some time, depending on the amount of content in the
session. For obvious reasons, then, it would be wise not to begin a major backup operation shortly before a
scheduled live production. A progress gauge is displayed during processing, and if necessary you may Cancel
the operation. Of course, the session to be backed up is the current session (to back up a different session,
return to the Home Page and Open a different session.