When you add a graphic to an Automated Game Plan playlist, you can control what it shows and how it behaves once it plays. This article covers the Variables tab, which sets the graphic's values, and the Advanced tab, which sets the Update Type and any Transition Guards.
[VIDEO PLACEHOLDER: Automation_08_Graphic_Variables_and_Advanced_v1.0.mp4]
Before you start
You need the Graphics module, because Automation runs your theme's graphics.
You need an Automated Game Plan in the Automation tab with at least one playlist.
You need a graphic item already added to that playlist. The Variables and Advanced tabs belong to that item.
Set graphic variables
Variables are the values a graphic uses when it plays. Depending on the graphic, they might decide which team it shows, which text appears or which option is selected. Setting them here means the game plan plays the graphic exactly as you want it, with no operator needed.
Open the graphic item you added to your playlist.
Select the Variables tab.
Choose a variable from the list. The variables offered depend on the graphic you picked, so a team line-up graphic offers different options from a scorebug.
Click Add Variable.
Set the value for that variable.
Repeat for every variable the graphic needs. You can add as many as you like.
Any variable you don't add keeps the graphic's own default value. For example, if you have a team line-up graphic for Harbour City (HCF) v Ridgeview (RVR), you might add one item that shows the home team and a second item that shows the away team, each with its own team variable set.
Choose an update type
Select the Advanced tab to set the Update Type. This controls how this graphic affects the same graphic if it is already on air when the item plays.
None
None is the right choice for most graphics. The graphic plays as normal and doesn't try to change a copy that is already showing. Leave it on None unless you have a specific reason to change it.
Update
Update changes a graphic that is already showing rather than bringing it in again. This suits graphics that stay on screen and need fresh values, such as a scoreboard. The graphic stays up and its values refresh.
Set
Set forces the graphic into a new state. Use it when you want the graphic to end up in a particular state regardless of what it was doing before the item played.
Add transition guards
Also on the Advanced tab, Transition Guards are conditions the graphic must meet before it can play. The graphic only plays when every condition passes. If even one condition fails, the graphic doesn't play.
To restrict when the graphic plays, add the conditions it needs to meet.
To let the graphic play with no restrictions, leave Transition Guards empty. This is the default, and it suits most graphics.
Guards are useful when the same playlist could fire at times when a graphic wouldn't make sense, and you want to stop it appearing in those situations.
Tips and common mistakes
Check your variables before the match. A graphic with a missing or wrong variable still plays, but it uses default values, which may not be what you expect.
Keep it simple. Start with None and no Transition Guards. Only change these when a graphic isn't behaving the way you want.
Use Update for always-on graphics. If a scoreboard keeps reappearing or flickering when it should just refresh, check whether its Update Type should be Update.
Remember every guard must pass. If a graphic never plays, a Transition Guard may be blocking it. Remove the guards to test, then add them back one at a time.
Preview your playlist. Use the playlist preview to check graphics appear with the right values before you go live at LIGR Demo Stadium.