NewTek LiveText - Manual (Page 45)

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
The Network Linker keeps an eye on user-defined RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds
from Internet sources, and updates values embedded in title pages as appropriate.

The Serial Linker monitors a data feed from external hardware controllers (commonly
associated with game clocks, and typically connected by serial cable).
In addition, LiveTime brings more capabilities, using the LiveText host’s internal system clock to
supply time displays embedded in title pages.
Sections of this chapter displaying the scoreboard icon (seen at left) are of
special interest to users who plan to connect their LiveText system to a
supported external hardware scoreboard controller.
4.1 DATALINK OVERVIEW
4.1.1 KEY NAMES AND TITLE PAGES
DataLink dynamically updates special key name entries in your title page. When the page is
displayed on output, information drawn from external data sources is substituted for the key
name. (The external data is formatted with the attributes you assigned to the key name entry
when creating the title page).
You could think of DataLink this way: the Data portion of the name refers to external
information (data) expressed as a ‘key-value pair’.
The data is thus formatted as follows:
(key name) = (value assigned)
Here is a typical key-value pair:
current temp = 75° F
The Link part of DataLink reflects the fact that key entries in your title pages are linked to
matching data from the key-value pairs. DataLink dynamically updates the information
displayed, quietly operating in the background to monitor data sources for changes.