Players

In Ad Manager, users can identify their digital inventory. This inventory is located under a Site as "Players". Each Player in Ad Manager links to a Player/Output combination in [Scala] Content Manager.

Attachments

For more information on the Attachments page, click here

Categories

The Categories Page maintains a listing of all items that have been specified as positive conditions or restrictions at a Player. Site conditions and restrictions are inherited by each Player and are shown in this window.

Items in the Conditions box on the left side of the screen are considered to be positive attributes for this Player. Items in the Restrictions box on the right side of the screen are considered to be negative attributes.

The functions available through the buttons immediately above the Categories pane are:

- Add a new Condition or Restriction to the Player. To add a new condition (positive attribute), select the above the left box. To add a restriction (negative attribute), select the above the right box.

- Delete the highlighted Condition or Restriction from the Player. To remove a condition (positive attribute), select the above the left box. To remove a restriction (negative attribute), select the above the right box.

For additional information on the buttons that appear at the top of the window, click here. For information on the menu items that appear under the Tools menu, click here.

If the word "Yes" appears in either Inherited column, this indicates that the condition or restriction has been set at the Site level, and it applies to all Players at the Site. Site Conditions or Restrictions cannot be deleted from the Player. It must be done at the Site Categories page.

Classification

The Classification Page is used to assign specific characteristics to a Player. These Player classifications can be used when scheduling Players to Subcontracts (Digital) by specifying the target classification.

The functions available through the buttons immediately above the Classification pane are:

- The properties button is used to select a classification value for the classification item currently selected.

For additional information on the buttons that appear at the top of the window, click here. For information on the menu items that appear under the Tools menu, click here.

The pane in the bottom portion of the screen shows each of the classification categories that have been set up (for information on adding Classification Categories, see Custom Classifications).

To enter a value, double click on the classification, and select the value from the list. If the value is not on the list, it must be added from the Classifications Table (for information on adding Classification Values, see Custom Classifications).

Day Parts

The Day Parts page provides a listing of all Day Parts that have been created when defining the Slot Structure. Day Parts cannot be added, edited or removed from this screen. To change Day Parts, it must be done by creating a new Slot Structure and applying it to the Player.

The Day Parts screen shows the details of all Day Parts that have been assigned to a Player. It will show when they were active, the Frame they are scheduled for, the Name of the Day Part, the maximum loop length for this Day Part, the duration that this Day Part covers over the course of the day, and the frequency of plays that can be expected for a campaign scheduled to this Day Part.

Details

The Details page shows the basic information about the Player.

For information on the buttons that appear at the top of the window, click here. For information on the menu items that appear under the Tools menu, click here.

Fill in the appropriate information for each field. Select the appropriate item from any of the drop down lists (in the boxes) or enter the information if it is not present.

Fields

Name: This is the name of the Player as it appears in Scala Content Manager. This name must match in order for data to be transferred between the two systems.

Output: This is the output number of the Player as it appears in Scala Content Manager. This name must match in order for data to be transferred between the two systems.

Description: This is where a desired descriptive name of the player by which it can be referred is entered. This can be the same or different from the Name field.

Area: This is where users specify the predetermined geographic area where this Player is located. Selecting an Area from the list associates the Player with a Market.

Screens: This is the number of screens that are controlled by the Player/Output.

Exceptions

This page shows any issues that may have occurred at the Player. This list can be manually populated in order to provide a history of any issues. As well, a list of Player Exceptions can be displayed on a Digital Proof of Play report.

- Add a new exception for this Player. Click the New button and choose either "New" to create a new Exception or "Select" to pick from an existing list of Player Exceptions. When "New" is chosen, a window will appear to enter the information about the issue that occurred. When "Select" is chosen, a Filter window will appear to enter criteria to find the existing one.

- Delete an exception for this Player. Select the item, and click the Delete button.

- Open the document or File item. Select the item and click the properties button.

The Filter check box is used to filter the listing of Player Exceptions to show only those that meet a certain criteria. When selected, a filter screen will appear, to enter criteria in order to see Player Exceptions with particular start dates, end dates, descriptions, etc. When a filter is active, a check mark will appear in the filter box. To clear the filter and see all records, click on Filter, then the Clear button on the Filter screen, followed by the OK button.

Inactivity

The Inactivity Page maintains a history of all dates that a Site or Player has been/will be inactive.

The functions available through the buttons immediately above the Inactivity pane are:

- To add an inactivity, click the New button. When selected, a screen will appear to enter the reason for the inactivity, the date range the PLayer will be inactive, and any other notes that need to be maintained about this inactive time frame.

- To delete an inactivity period from the list, select it and click on the Delete button. A Site Inactivity cannot be deleted from the Player. It must be done at the Site Inactivity page.

- To modify an inactivity period, select it and click the Properties button. Make the appropriate changes to the dates or notes, and click the Save () button.

For additional information on the buttons that appear at the top of the window, click here. For information on the menu items that appear under the Tools menu, click here.

Inactivity items with a "Yes" in the Site column indicate they are Site inactivities and affect all Players at the Site.

The Filter check box is used to filter the listing of Inactivity periods to show only those that meet a certain criteria. When selected, a filter screen will appear, to enter criteria in order to see Inactivity periods with particular start dates, end dates, durations, etc. When a filter is active, a check mark will appear in the filter box. To clear the filter and see all records, click on Filter, then the Clear button on the Filter screen, followed by the OK button.

Indoor Maps

The Indoor Maps page is used to specify the location of the Player on maps that are used to display the location of indoor or place based media. A new map cannot be imported from the Indoor Map page; users can only select an existing map on which to position the Player. To import a new map, it must be done from the Indoor Maps database.

- To add an Indoor Map, click the New button. When selected, a screen will appear asking for the Place from which to load the map. Enter the filter criteria, click OK, select the map to be loaded and click OK again.

When the map of the Place displayed, in order to identify the position of the Player, click the Set Coordinates button(). Move the cursor to the desired location on the map and click. The player location will be marked with a "[" icon. To rotate the icon counterclockwise enter the desired amount to rotate it in the Angle (Degrees) box. Once the Player is positioned, click the Save and Close button.

- To delete an Indoor Map from the list, select it and click on the Delete button.

- To modify an Indoor Map, select it and click the Properties button. Make the appropriate changes and click the Save () button.

Line of Sight

Ad Manager allows users to establish line of sight relationships between Players. When the scheduling of Reservations is done to Players that have a line of sight relationship Ad Manager will automatically check those Players to ensure there are no Advertiser or Category conflicts.

The functions available through the buttons immediately above the Line Of Sight pane are:

- To add a new line of sight relationship between the current Player and another, click the New button. Enter search criteria to filter for the other Player(s) and click <OK>. Select the Player(s) from the list and click <OK>. Ad Manager automatically enters the inverse relationship between the two Players.

- To delete a line of sight relationship, select the Player in the pane and click the Delete button. Ad Manager automatically deletes the inverse relationship between the two Players.

- To view information related to the Player that is in line of sight, select it and click the Properties button.

For additional information on the buttons that appear at the top of the window, click here. For information on the menu items that appear under the Tools menu, click here.

The Filter check box allows you to filter the listing of Players in line of sight to show only those that meet a certain criteria. When selected, a filter screen will appear, in which to enter criteria to choose to see Players related to a particular market, area, facing a particular way, etc. When a filter is active, a check mark will appear in the filter box. To clear the filter and see all records, click on Filter, then the Clear button on the Filter screen, followed by the OK button.

Map

The Player Map Page allows the Player to be viewed on a map and to edit the latitude and longitude information for the Player (this allows users to position a Player on a Site in a different position than the other Players associated with it) directly on the map.

Tool buttons specific to the Player Map Page:

- Click the Zoom In button, then click on the map to see the map zoomed in twice as close as before, centered where the map was clicked. By holding the left mouse button down and dragging the mouse, a box is drawn on the map. Release the left mouse button and Ad Manager will zoom into the specified area.

- Click the Zoom Out button, then click on the map to see the map zoomed out twice as much as before, centered where the map was clicked. By holding the left mouse button down and dragging the mouse, a box is drawn on the map. Release the left mouse button and Ad Manager will shrink the map to the size specified by the box.

- The Pan button is used to move the map to see different areas not visible on the screen. Click the Pan button, put your mouse over the map, hold down the left mouse button and drag the mouse. The map will move with the Pan tool; release the mouse button and Ad Manager will draw the new area of the map.

- The Label Map Feature button is used to click on an item on the map, and have Ad Manager automatically label it. Click the Label Map Feature button, then click on the map where the label is required and the label will appear.

- The Set the Latitude/Longitude of the Player tool allows you to geocode your Site quickly, easily and accurately. Using the other tools, find the correct location of this Plauer on your map, select this tool and click on the appropriate spot. Ad Manager will automatically update the latitude and longitude of this Player, and place a symbol there, indicating this is where the Player is.

- The Center the Map on this Site tool allows you to reposition the map with this Player centered.

For additional information on the buttons that appear at the top of the window, click here. For information on the menu items that appear under the Tools menu, click here.

Fields

Center - This displays the latitude and longitude co-ordinates at the center of the map currently visible.

Latitude - The latitude is how many degrees north (positive value) or south (negative value) of the equator the Player is.

Longitude - The longitude is how many degrees east (negative value) or west (positive value) of the Prime Meridian the Player is.

Zoom Distance - The zoom distance is the distance (in miles) across the width of the map.

Notes

For more information on the Notes page, click here.

Player Slots

The Player Slots page provides a listing of all saleable advertising opportunities that have been created when defining the Slot Structure. Player Slots are single Day Parts, Day Parts that have been combined so they can be sold as a unit, or they can be Triggers. A Player Slot is what your company sells, and what is ultimately scheduled on a Subcontract. You cannot add, edit or remove Player Slots from this screen. If you wish to change Player Slots, this must be done by creating a new Slot Structure and applying it to the Player.

The Player Slots screen shows the details of all Player Slots that have been assigned to a Player. It will show when they were active, the Frame they are scheduled for, the Name of the Player Slot, the maximum loop length for this Player Slot, the duration that this Player Slot covers over the course of the day, and the frequency of plays that can be expected for a campaign scheduled to this Player Slot.

When double clicking on a Player Slot, you will see more detail related to this particular Player Slot.

- Add a new Rate Card for this Player Slot. A window will appear where you can enter the desired Player Slot Rate Card information.

- Delete Rate Card for this Player Slot. Highlight the item, and click the Delete button.

- Open the Rate Card. Highlight the item and click the properties button.

Adding Rates

When viewing a Player Slot, you can assign rates to the Player Slot (note that you can assign the same rate to multiple slots by highlighting a list of Player Slots, right clicking and choosing Update and selecting the desired Rate Schedule). To do this, you would go to the Rate Cards tab and click the New button.

For more information on adding a Rate Card to a Player Slot, see Rate cards (digital)

Playlists

The Playlists page shows you a listing of all Playlists that are to be send to Scala Content Manager. Each Playlist contains all campaigns that will play as part of a loop for the date range specified. Every time a new campaign is scheduled to a Player, Ad Manager modifies all affected Playlists automatically.

The listing of Playlists shows information about when a Playlist will start playing, when it will stop playing and the Frame and Day Part affected. The list will also display the number of items that are scheduled to play in the loop, as well as the amount of time the loop will take to play once.

To view a Playlist, double click on the desired item.

The Playlist screen allows you to see the items that are to play for the selected time frame, as allows you to determine the order of play.

Fields

Loop Structure: The user can assign a Loop Structure to a Playlist. Doing so will allow you to have items play in a specific order, based on the Loop Segment assigned to each item on a Subcontract. To apply a loop structure, go to the Tools menu and click "Apply Loop Structure".

Auto-shuffle: This feature allows you to randomize the Playlist each time through the loop.

Sequence approved: This allows the user to mark that the Playlist has been reviewed and put into the desired order. If a new item is scheduled to the Playlist, the Sequence approved is removed so the user knows they need to review the Playlist again.

Entries: The Entries window shows the order that items in the Playlist will play. If there are items that are in conflict with items immediately adjacent to them, a red flag (Need image) will appear. This indicates that the items should be separated.

- After you have highlighted a Playlist item, you can see more information about it by clicking the properties button, or by double clicking the Playlist item. Ad Manager allows you to view the details of the Playlist item.

- The Move Up button allows you to move the highlighted Playlist item up in the order of Playlist items.

- The Move Down button allows you to move the highlighted Playlist item down in the order of Playlist items.

Adjacency constraints: When an item is highlighted in the Entries window, any items that are in the Playlist that will generate an Adjacency constraint will be listed. If you wish for Ad Manager to change the order of items to remove the conflict on your behalf, go to the Tools menu and select "Re-shuffle".

Reservations

The Reservations page shows a listing of all Subcontract Reservations that have been scheduled to Player Slots on this Player.

- If you wish to delete an unpublished Reservation, highlight the Reservation in the pane and click the Delete button.

- If you wish to view information related to the Reservation, highlight it and click the Properties button. Ad Manager will display the information for this Reservation.

Slot Structure Assignments

The Slot Structure Assignments page displays a list of all Slot Structure assignments that have been applied to this Player. Each Slot Structure will define the Day Parts, Triggers and Player Slots for this Player.

- To assign a Slot Structure to the Player, click the New button. When selected, a screen will appear asking for the date this Slot Structure takes effect for this Player, and the Slot Structure to use.

- To delete a Slot Structure Assignment that has not had any scheduling done for this Player, highlight it and click on the Delete button.

- To modify a Slot Structure Assignment for a Slot Structure that has not had any scheduling done for this Player, highlight it and click the Properties button. Make the appropriate changes to the dates or notes, and click the Save () button.

Triggers

The Triggers page provides a listing of all Triggers that have been created when defining the Slot Structure. You cannot add, edit or remove Triggers from this screen. If you wish to change Triggers, this must be done by creating a new Slot Structure and applying it to the Player.

The Triggers screen shows the details of all Triggers that have been assigned to a Player. It will show when they were active, the Frame they are scheduled for, the Name of the Trigger, the maximum loop length for this Trigger, the duration that this Trigger covers over the course of the day, and the frequency of plays that can be expected for a campaign scheduled to this Trigger.

User Fields

For more information on the User fields page, click here.