Administrator’s Guide XPORT-SERV-100 · During the installation, an "xport" application will be created within the Default Web Site on IIS to point to the Web folder. The installer

Administrator’s Guide

Digital Signage

XPORT-SERV-100XPort Data Integration Software

Last Revised: 4/10/2013

AMX DOMESTIC CHANNEL PARTNER and END CUSTOMER LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER AND LICENSE

(Excerpt from CHANNEL PARTNER TERMS AND CONDITIONS Versions 11.17.2011 with updates for previous version 8.25.2010 [sections 6.1 (a), (b) and (f)])

Definitions

“End Customer” means an authorized end customer with direct in warranty privileges from AMX. Within this limited warranty, disclaimer and license document, “End Customer” shall have the same meaning as “Channel Partner” with the noted exceptions of Sections 6.5 through 6.9 which are not applicable or available to End Customer’s directly from AMX. Offerings described in Sections 6.5 through 6.9 are available to End Customer only through their selected authorized AMX Channel Partner.

6. LIMITED WARRANTY; RETURN, REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT

6.1 AMX warrants the Products to be free of material defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for three (3) years from the Shipping Date (or such other period as may be specified below), subject to the following limitations and exceptions (“Limited Warranty”). For any Product, “Warranty Period” means the period during which the Limited Warranty is in effect, as set forth herein.

(a) LCD and LED panels are warranted for three (3) years from the Shipping Date, except for the display and touch overlay components, which are warranted for a period of one (1) year from the Shipping Date.

(b) Disk drive mechanisms, pan/tilt heads and external power supplies are warranted for a period of one (1) year from the Shipping Date.

(c) AMX lighting Products are warranted to switch on and off any load that is properly connected to our lighting Products, as long as the AMX lighting Products are under warranty. AMX also warrants the control of dimmable loads that are properly connected to our lighting Products. The dimming performance or quality thereof is not warranted, due to the random combinations of dimmers, lamps and ballasts or transformers.

(d) AMX software and firmware included in the Products is warranted for a period of ninety (90) days from the Shipping Date.

(e) Batteries and incandescent lamps are not covered under the Limited Warranty.

(f) The Warranty Period for AMX AutoPatch EPICA, Enova DGX, Modula, Modula Series 4, Modula Cat Pro Series and 8Y-3000 Product models will continue for the original installation until five (5) years after the issuance of a PDN with respect to termination of the applicable Product model. However, if the Product is moved from its original installation to a different installation, the Warranty Period will automatically become three (3) years from the Shipping Date and, if more than three (3) years have elapsed since the Shipping Date, the Warranty Period will automatically expire.

DLI-6293353v1

Note: Refer to www.amx.com to view/download the latest complete AMX Warranty and Return Policies.

Table of Contents

Table of ContentsInstalling AMX XPort (XPORT-SERV-100) Data Integration Software .................1

Supported Windows Platforms and PC Requirements .............................................. 1

Supported Operating Systems ........................................................................................ 1

Supported Browsers........................................................................................................ 1

Prerequisite Software...................................................................................................... 1

PC Requirements/Recommendations .............................................................................. 1The Installation Process ............................................................................................ 1

AMX XPort Setup Wizard................................................................................................ 2

Licensing AMX XPort via AMX License Manager ................................................5Overview .................................................................................................................. 5

Installing AMX License Manager............................................................................... 5

Install the AMX License Server on this machine .............................................................. 6

Search the network for available license servers............................................................. 7Manually enter the license server hostname or IP address ........................................................ 8

Additional License Server Options .................................................................................. 9Use a previously configured license server ................................................................................. 9Select a different license server.................................................................................................. 9

Using AMX License Manager .................................................................................. 10

Licensing Options ................................................................................................... 12

Request a Trial License .................................................................................................. 12

Register License By: Entitlement ID .............................................................................. 15

Manually Moving a License (To a Different Server) ....................................................... 18

Security ................................................................................................................... 21

Ports and Firewall Settings............................................................................................ 21

User Access ................................................................................................................... 21Installing a New Feed Handler................................................................................ 23

AMX XPort Data Integration Software .............................................................25Overview ................................................................................................................ 25

The AMX XPort User Interface................................................................................ 25

Navigation Pane ............................................................................................................ 26

XPort Dashboard........................................................................................................... 27

XPort Admin - Settings page......................................................................................... 28

Developer Mode ........................................................................................................... 28

Working With Data Feeds ................................................................................29Feed Handlers - Overview ...................................................................................... 29

Flickr Public Feed .......................................................................................................... 29

Generic CSV Feed ......................................................................................................... 29

Generic XML Feed......................................................................................................... 29

iXPORT-SERV-100 XPort Data Integration Software - Administrator’s Guide

Table of Contents

RSS Feed ....................................................................................................................... 29

Yahoo Stock (Real-Time) Feed....................................................................................... 30

Yahoo Weather Feed..................................................................................................... 30

Creating a New Data Feed ..................................................................................... 30

Configuring Data Feeds .......................................................................................... 31

Flickr Public Feed Configuration ................................................................................... 31

Generic CSV Feed Configuration................................................................................... 31

Generic XML Feed Configuration.................................................................................. 32

RSS Feed Configuration ................................................................................................ 33

Yahoo Stock Feed Configuration................................................................................... 33

Yahoo Weather Feed Configuration.............................................................................. 34Editing an Existing Data Feed................................................................................. 34

Disabling and Enabling a Data Feed ....................................................................... 35

Disabling a Data Feed ................................................................................................... 35

Enabling a Data Feed .................................................................................................... 36

Deleting a Data Feed.............................................................................................. 36

ii XPORT-SERV-100 XPort Data Integration Software - Administrator’s Guide

Installing AMX XPort (XPORT-SERV-100) Data Integration Software


Supported Windows Platforms and PC RequirementsSupported Operating Systems

Windows 7

Windows Server 2008 R2

XPort is not supported on older operating systems or on tablet platforms.

Supported BrowsersIE9

Chrome

Firefox v15

Google Chrome v21

Prerequisite SoftwareBefore installing XPort you must have installed:

SQL Server Compact 4.0

.NET Framework 4.0

Internet Information Services 7.0 (IIS Express is not supported)

PC Requirements/Recommendations500MB free disc space for the XPort code and stored downloaded feeds.

A 2.5 GHz Core2Duo system, running Windows 7, with 4GB RAM will comfortably run 50 feeds with a high refresh rate.

The Installation ProcessMake sure that you have enough space on the target drive before running the install and that you have an Internet connection if you want to obtain a license for XPort.

Installing AMX XPort is a two-part process:

1. Run the AMX XPort Setup application to install the program files required to run the AMX XPort application (see "AMX XPort Setup Wizard" below).

2. Select a licensing option in the AMX License Manager application.

An unlicensed installation is only capable of running one feed at a time. When you enable a feed or create a new one, all other feeds are disabled. This mode of operation is ideal for developers who write feed handlers and saves developers from purchasing a license.

For an XPort installation that is intended to work as a network service, a license is required so the AMX License Manager will have to be run following the installation of XPort. A 30-day trial license can be obtained and used for a limited period until a full license is purchased.

See the Licensing AMX XPort via AMX License Manager section on page 5 for instructions.

You must have Power User (or Administrator) rights to install and run all required System files.

1XPORT-SERV-100 XPort Data Integration Software - Administrator’s Guide


AMX XPort Setup Wizard

1. Download the AMX XPort installation file (i.e. XPortSetup-v1.x.x.x.exe) fromwww.amx.com.

2. On the server that will run XPort, double-click the file to launch the AMX XPort Setup Wizard.

3. Review and accept the AMX License Agreement, then click Install to proceed to the Select Installation Folder dialog (FIG. 1):

4. By default, XPort is installed to the C:\Program Files\AMX\XPort directory. The options in this dialog allow you to change the target folder if necessary. With the desired directory indicated in the Folder field, click Next to proceed to the Ready To Install dialog (FIG. 2):

The target install directory will contain two folders:

Web: Contains the XPort Web User-Interface.

Service: Contains the XPort Server.

Click Install to proceed. The installer indicates status as the process is completed. Note that the installer will add the XPort application to the Internet Information Services "Default Web Site". If the "Default Web Site" does not exist then the installation will fail.

5. When the AMX XPort Setup Wizard is complete, the final dialog is presented (FIG. 3):

FIG. 1 AMX XPort Setup Wizard - Select Installation Folder

FIG. 2 AMX XPort Setup Wizard - Ready To Install

2 XPORT-SERV-100 XPort Data Integration Software - Administrator’s Guide


6. Select Launch AMX License Manager to License XPort, and click Finish to complete the installation as described in the next section.

See the Licensing AMX XPort via AMX License Manager section on page 5.

During the installation, an "xport" application will be created within the Default Web Site on IIS to point to the Web folder. The installer will also create a virtual directory called "feeds" which points into the Service folder. Both "xport" and "feeds" can be seen using the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager as show in FIG. 4.

When XPort is running, the feeds directory is used to hold the data retrieved by the Service from a data source.

FIG. 3 AMX XPort Setup Wizard - Ready To Install

FIG. 4 Default Web Site > xport > feeds




Licensing AMX XPort via AMX License Manager


OverviewAMX XPort can be run in licensed or unlicensed (developer) modes. In either case, the AMX License Manager will be installed, but you do not need to run the License Manager until you want to run a licensed installation.

Installing AMX License Manager1. If you select Launch AMX License Manager to License XPort (at the end of the AMX XPort Setup Wizard),

clicking Finish will prompt you to run the AMX License Manager application. In this case, the initial view is the Welcome to AMX Licensing Manager dialog (FIG. 5).

2. Click Next to proceed to the Select License Server dialog. Use the options in this dialog to install the AMX License Server application on this machine, or select an existing network license server (FIG. 6).

FIG. 5 AMX License Manager - Welcome

FIG. 6 AMX License Manager - Select License Server



3. Choose one of the Select License Server options:

Install the AMX License Server on this machine - Use this (default) option if the AMX License Server application is not currently installed on this machine, and if you do not wish to use an AMX License Server located elsewhere on the network.

Search the network for available license servers - Use this option if the AMX License Server application is installed elsewhere on the network. This option can be used to locate and select the AMX License Server in installations where a network-based license server is used to manage multiple AMX products.(see page 7).

Manually enter the license server hostname or IP address - Use this option to manually enter the hostname or IP address of the AMX License Server that you will connect to. This option can be used to specify the AMX License Server in installations where a network-based license server is used to manage multiple AMX products (see page 8).

Install the AMX License Server on this machineIf the AMX License Server application has not previously been installed on this server, then the first option (selected by default) is to install the AMX License Server on this machine.

1. Select the Install the AMX License Server on this machine option in the Select License Server dialog (see FIG. 6).

2. Click Next to install the AMX License Server application (FIG. 7):

3. Once the installation is complete, click Next to proceed to the Welcome to AMX License Manager dialog.

Once you have installed AMX License Manager, you can begin the process of using AMX License Manager to select a licensing option for the AMX XPort application. See the Using AMX License Manager section on page 10.

FIG. 7 AMX License Manager - Select Licensing Option dialog



Search the network for available license servers

1. In the initial Select License Server dialog, select the Select a different license server option (FIG. 8):

2. Click Next to proceed to the next Select License Server dialog. This dialog provides a listing of all AMX License Servers detected on the LAN (FIG. 9):

3. Select the desired AMX License Server and click Next to proceed to the Select Licensing Option dialog (see the Licensing Options section on page 12).

If your server does not appear in the list, click Refresh.

If after refreshing the server list, you still do not see your server, click on My License server was not listed, let me specify the license server path to open the Specify Network License Server dialog - see FIG. 11 on page 8.

4. Once the installation is complete, click Next to proceed to the Welcome to AMX License Manager dialog.


FIG. 8 AMX License Manager - Select a Different License Server

FIG. 9 AMX License Manager - Select License Server



Manually enter the license server hostname or IP address

1. With this option selected, click Next to proceed to the Specify Network License Server dialog (FIG. 11):

2. Enter either the hostname or IP address of the Network License Server that you will connect to in the License Server field.

3. Click Next to attempt to connect to the specified server.

4. Once a connection is established with the Network License Server, click Next to proceed to the Welcome to AMX License Manager dialog.


FIG. 10 Select License Server - Manually enter the license server hostname or IP address

FIG. 11 AMX License Manager - Specify Network License Server



Additional License Server OptionsWhen the AMX License Manager application is launched on a machine that has previously been used to connect to a license server, the first two options under Select License Server are updated to:

Use the previously configured license server

Select a different license server

Use a previously configured license serverThe Use the previously configured license server option is followed by an indication of the currently configured License Server. Select this option to use pre-defined settings based on the indicated server (FIG. 12):

1. Select Use the previously configured license server.

2. Click Next to proceed:

If the server is already licensed, the next dialog presented is the Licensing Status dialog.

Click Finish to close the AMX License Manager tool.

Click on the link Click here if you wish to continue and add additional or manage existing licenses to jump to the Licensing Options Menu dialog.

If the server is not currently licensed, the next dialog presented is the Licensing Options Menu dialog.

See the Licensing Options section on page 12.

Select a different license serverSelect this option to select a different license server from a listing of all AMX License Servers detected on the LAN (FIG. 13):

1. Select the Select a different license server option.

2. Click Next to invoke a listing of all AMX License Servers detected on the LAN.

See the Search the network for available license servers section on page 7 for details.

3. Select the desired AMX License Server and click Next to proceed to the Licensing Options Menu dialog (see FIG. 16 on page 11).

FIG. 12 AMX License Manager - Use the previously configured license server

FIG. 13 AMX License Manager - Select a different license server

Currently configured License Server



Using AMX License Manager1. The initial view of the AMX License Manager application is the Welcome dialog (FIG. 14). Use this dialog to select

an AMX product to license, from a list of installed AMX applications.

2. In this case, select XPort Data Integration Software, and click Next to proceed to the Select License Server dialog (FIG. 15):

3. By default, the Use the local license server installed on this machine option is selected. Click Next to continue to the Licensing Options Menu dialog (FIG. 16):

FIG. 14 AMX License Manager - Welcome dialog

FIG. 15 AMX License Manager - Select License Server dialog



4. Select to install either a registered or unregistered version of AMX XPort:

Click Request a Trial License to request a 30-day trial license. A trial license for AMX XPort can only be obtained one time for a server. When the trial license expires after 30 days, another trial license cannot be obtained. A registered license must be activated to continue using AMX XPort.

Refer to the Request a Trial License section on page 12 for instructions.

Click Register License By: Entitlement ID to license the AMX XPort application. This is required for an installation that is intended to work as a network service. This option requires that you have a valid AMX XPort Entitlement ID (obtained from AMX).

Refer to the Register License By: Entitlement ID section on page 15 for instructions.

FIG. 16 AMX License Manager - Licensing Options Menu dialog



Licensing OptionsRequest a Trial License Once you have access to the AMX License Server, you can request a Trial license of AMX XPort.

1. In the AMX License Manager - Licensing Options Menu dialog, select Request a Trial License (FIG. 17):

2. Click Next to proceed to the Contact Information dialog (FIG. 18):

If you already have an AMX.COM account, click on Lookup Account to provide your credentials (email address and password) to automatically populate the contact information for this license based on your existing AMX account information, in the Contact Information Lookup dialog (FIG. 19):

A trial license of AMX XPort can only be obtained one time for a server. When the trial license expires after 30 days, another trial license cannot be obtained. A registered license must be activated to continue using AMX XPort.

FIG. 17 AMX License Manager - Licensing Options Menu dialog

FIG. 18 AMX License Manager - Contact Information



a. Enter the Email Address and Password associated with your www.amx.com User Account.

b. Click Next to proceed to the Requesting Contact Information dialog (FIG. 20):

c. Once the information has been successfully retrieved, it is populated into the Contact Information dialog.

3. Once the contact information has been entered, click Next to proceed to the Customer Information dialog. The drop-down menu on this dialog allows you to select the market that most applies to your application (FIG. 21).

FIG. 19 AMX License Manager - Contact Information Lookup dialog

FIG. 20 AMX License Manager - Requesting Contact Information



4. Select from the drop-down menu and click Next to contact the AMX Licensing Server to obtain a trial license.

Progress is indicated in the Requesting Trial License dialog (FIG. 22), as the AMX License Server is contacted and the trial license is requested.

5. Once the trial license has been obtained, it is automatically activated (FIG. 23):

FIG. 21 AMX License Manager - Customer Information

FIG. 22 AMX License Manager - Requesting Trial License dialog



6. Click Next to proceed to the Licensing Status dialog. This dialog indicates the (30 day trial) status of the AMX XPort application.

Register License By: Entitlement IDOnce you have access to the AMX License Server, you can register a new software license for AMX XPort. This is required for an installation that is intended to work as a network service. This option requires that you have a valid AMX XPort Entitlement ID (obtained from AMX).

1. In the AMX License Manager - Licensing Options Menu dialog, select Register License By: Entitlement ID (FIG. 24):

2. Click Next to open the Contact Information dialog (see FIG. 18 on page 12). Enter your contact information.

FIG. 23 AMX License Manager - Trial License Activated

This dialog can also be accessed by selecting View Existing Licenses option in the Tools menu at the top of the dialog.

FIG. 24 AMX License - Licensing Options Menu dialog



3. Click Next to proceed to the Customer Information dialog (see FIG. 21 on page 14). Select from the drop-down menu.

4. Click Next to proceed to the Install New AMX Product License dialog. (FIG. 25):

5. Enter your Entitlement ID in this field.

The Entitlement ID is obtained from AMX after purchasing AMX XPort.

Entitlement IDs begin with the prefix "ENT-".

6. Click Next to contact the AMX Licensing Server and activate the licenses associated with the provided Entitlement ID.

To request a license, this system must be connected to the network and have Internet access. If the machine is unable to access the Internet, a manual option will be provided.

7. Progress is indicated in the Requesting License dialog (FIG. 26):

FIG. 25 AMX License Manager - Install New AMX Product License

FIG. 26 AMX License Manager - Requesting License



8. The License Activated dialog indicates that the license was successfully activated (FIG. 27):

9. Click Next to proceed to the Licensing Status dialog. This dialog indicates the Licensed status of the AMX XPort application.

An error message will be displayed if the entitlement has already been registered to another system or if the entitlement ID is invalid. Please contact AMX customer service if you encounter any difficulties obtaining your product license.

FIG. 27 AMX License Manager - License Activated



Manually Moving a License (To a Different Server)

1. In the AMX License Manager (Welcome dialog), click Next to proceed to the Select License Server dialog.

You should be able to use the default selection - Use the local license server installed and running on this machine.

If the license server was installed elsewhere, select the appropriate option in this dialog and click Next to connect to the license server.

2. Click Next to proceed to the Licensing Status dialog, which provides a listing of all licenses detected on the license server.

3. Select the Active License that you want to move.

4. In the Tools menu, select Move License > Disconnected to Internet (FIG. 28):

This action invokes an Information dialog prompting you to verify this action, and reminding you that the process of moving licenses entails removing all licenses from the selected entitlement installed n this machine, allowing you to activate the selected entitlement on another machine (FIG. 29):

5. Click Yes to proceed to the Manually Move AMX Product License dialog (FIG. 30).

Only fully licensed versions of AMX XPort can be moved. Free Trial versions cannot be moved.

FIG. 28 AMX License Manager - Active License Selected To Move

FIG. 29 Information dialog (click Yes to proceed)



6. Click the Copy License Information To Clipboard link and email the information to your Customer Service representative.

Customer service will create a Revoke Permission Ticket based on this information, and send the Permission Ticket information to you. This Permission Ticket information is required in the next step:

7. Click Next to proceed to the License Revocation Permissions Ticket dialog (FIG. 31):

8. Copy and paste the Permissions Ticket code received from AMX Customer Support into the Permissions Ticket text field. Assuming the entered code is valid, this enables the Next button.

9. Click Next to prompt the license server to validate the Permissions Ticket code, and return a revocation verification ticket if the permission ticket matches. The Revocation Verification Ticket code is provided in the License Revocation Verification Ticket dialog (FIG. 32):

FIG. 30 AMX License Manager - Manually Move AMX Product License dialog

FIG. 31 AMX License Manager - License Revocation Permissions Ticket



10. Click the Copy License Information to Clipboard link, paste the Revocation Verification Ticket code in an email, and send it to Customer Service for revocation.

11. After the revocation verification ticket code has been sent to Customer Service, click Next to proceed to the AMX License Return dialog (FIG. 33):

12. Click Next to close this dialog, completing the process in the AMX Licensing Manager.

Your Customer Service representative will complete the return process, inform you of the final status, and prompt you to re-activate it on another machine. Refer to the Register License By: Entitlement ID section on page 15 for instructions.

FIG. 32 AMX License Manager - License Revocation Permissions Ticket

FIG. 33 AMX License Manager - AMX License Return



SecurityPorts and Firewall SettingsXPort has two main components: The Web User Interface and the Service:

The XPort Service (XPortService.exe located in the Service directory) accesses the Internet to retrieve the data requested by the Feed Handlers and is accessible on port 1988 using a Telnet client (e.g. "Putty").

This port number can be changed in XPortService.exe.config by modifying the following line in the <appSettings> section.:

<add key="DiagnosticPort" value="1988"/>

The XPort Web User Interface is accessed as an IIS Web Site so is accessed using the port number configured for IIS. The User Interface communicates with the XPort Service to retrieve data from the Internet using port 1235.

This port number can be changed by editing the configuration files for both the Web User-interface and the Service by modifying the following line in the <appSettings> section of both XPortService.exe.config and Web.config (located in the Service directory and the Web directory respectively):

<add key="CommandPort" value="1235" />

Note that XPort cannot be remotely accessed if the Firewall is on.

User AccessFollowing installation, there is no restriction to the users that can access the Web User-interface; access rights will be inherited from the Default Web Site within IIS. Because XPort is an Intranet tool, it makes sense to limit access to local Windows users. To do this in IIS 7 you must use the IIS Management tool:

1. Enable the following required Windows Features, in the IIS folder (Win Features list):

a. Windows authentication - Select Authentication within the IIS Management tool to perform this task; Right click on Windows Authentication and select Enable.

Make sure that no other authentication mechanisms other than Anonymous Authentication are enabled.

b. .NET authorization - Select .NET Authorization within the IIS Management tool to perform this task; Right click, select Add Deny Rule… then select All Anonymous Users in the dialog box that appears.

2. User Access is limited to a small group of Windows users. The group of Administrators is recommended. Select ".NET Authorisation" within the IIS Management tool to perform this task: Right click and select Add Allow Rule… to invoke the Edit Allow Authorization Rule dialog (FIG. 35), then enter "Administrators" in the Allow specified roles or users groups text box.

FIG. 34 Services dialog



3. Anonymous users are allowed access to the API and Feeds sub-folders to allow network devices (e.g. Signage Players) to access the feeds. Select .NET Authorization to perform these two tasks; right click, select Add Allow Rule… then select All Anonymous Users in the dialog box that appears.

FIG. 35 Edit Allow Authorization Rule dialog



Installing a New Feed HandlerTo install a new feed handler for use within XPort you have to add the handler to the AMX XPort Service directory then restart the service. New feed handlers will be made available to download from www.amx.com as they are developed and released.

1. Download the desired feed handler (*.DLL) from www.amx.com to the XPort Service Directory (the default location is "C\Program Files\AMX\XPort\Service").

2. Restart the XPort service:

a. Go to Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services to open the Services dialog (FIG. 36):

b. Select the AMX XPort service.

c. Click Restart.

3. Close these dialogs and open the XPort application. The new Feed Handler is indicated in the Navigation Pane.

Not all users will have the necessary privilege to do this so please contact your local system administrator if you want to install a new feed handler.

FIG. 36 Services dialog

While AMX performs extended testing on their feed handlers prior to release so you can be confident of reliable and efficient performance of any feed handler provided by AMX, AMX cannot be held responsible for the performance of feed handlers provided by third-parties.




AMX XPort Data Integration Software


OverviewXPORT-SERV-100 XPort Data Integration Software (FG1201-10) or "AMX XPort" is a web-based application that makes it easy to configure data feeds that can be used by the IS-SPX-1000 (FG1231-01) and IS-SPX-1300 (FG1231-11) Inspired Signage Players.

The AMX XPort User InterfaceThe main elements of the XPort user interface (FIG. 37) are described below:

Navigation Pane - Click on any of the feed handlers listed in the Navigation Pane to access configuration fields associated with each feed handler type. Use these fields to configure data feeds. The Navigation Pane also provides access to the XPort Help file, the XPort Dashboard and the XPort Admin - Settings page. See the Navigation Pane section on page 26 for details.

Header - For each data feed, the Header displays a brief description of the selected feed handler, as well as the version number of the feed handler that is used by XPort. Hover the mouse cursor over the question mark icon in the upper-right corner of this window to view a brief description of the selected feed handler.

"Create a New Feed"- these fields allow you to configure a new data feed. Note that these fields are only displayed if [+] Create new feed has been selected (beneath a Feed Handler) in the Navigation Pane.

Name / Description - These fields are presented for all data feeds. Use them to specify the name and provide a brief description of data feeds as they are created. This information will be used by the clients to identify the feed. Note that the Name of a feed cannot be changed after the feed has been created.

Data Feed Configuration Fields - These fields allow you to configure a new data feed based on the selected feed handler. These fields are specific to each feed handler type (the figure above shows RSS feed fields as an example).

Create Feed / Cancel buttons - These command buttons allow you to either create a new data feed based on the information entered on this screen, or to cancel this configuration without saving changes.

FIG. 37 The AMX XPort User Interface



Navigation PaneThe Navigation Pane provides access the XPort Help file, the XPort Dashboard and the XPort Settings page. Use these fields to create new data feeds, or to view/edit settings on existing data feeds. The options in the Navigation Pane are:

Help - Click to access this help file.

Dashboard - Click to open the XPort Dashboard page, which provides a listing of all data feeds with basic information, as well as the current status of each.

Feed Handlers - The highlighted options in the Navigation Pane represent the feed handlers that can configured with this application. Six basic feeds are installed with XPort (as shown in FIG. 38), but these can be removed and others added after installation:

Click on any feed handler to access a listing of data feeds of that type (including new data feeds), as well as the "[+] Create new feed" option (FIG. 39):

The figure above shows an expanded view of the "Flickr Public Feed" data handler, but the Navigation Pane options work the same for all feed handlers:

Click [+] Create new feed to configure a new data feed using the selected feed handler type.

Beneath the [+] Create new feed option is listing of a data feeds that have been configured using the selected feed handler. Click on any existing data feed to access the configuration screen for that feed, to view/edit the feed settings.

FIG. 38 Navigation Pane - Feed Handlers

FIG. 39 Navigation Pane - Create new feed option

The number of configured data feeds for each type is indicated after the Feed Handler name. If there are no feeds there will be no number (as shown above).



Click Settings to open the XPort Admin - Settings page (see the XPort Admin - Settings page section on page 28). This page provides read-only details on this version of the XPort application, as well as access to the Search for new feed handlers and Developer mode option.

XPort DashboardClick Dashboard in the Navigation Panel to open the XPort Dashboard page. This page provides a listing of all data feeds as well as the current status of each (FIG. 40).

Last updated: At the top of this page, the Last Updated time indicates when the XPort application was last updated .

For each data feed:

Feed name & Description - This is the name and description currently associated with each data feed.

Status - This indicates the current status of each data feed (i.e. "Working OK", "Stopped", etc.).

Detailed information - Click on the plus (+) symbol next to any configured data feed to access more detailed information (FIG. 41):

The Detailed Information window indicates the following (FIG. 42):

Status Description: A brief summary of the current status of this data feed.

Status Detail: This field contains detailed info about the status of the selected data feed. If there is an error, it will provide the detail of the error. If there is no error then you get some reassuring info. Some feeds will provide the source URL in this field as an easy way of checking that the correct URL is being used.

FIG. 40 Navigation Pane - Dashboard option

The information presented in this page is read-only. To edit any of the data feed settings, open the feed via the Navigation pane and edit the settings as desired. See the Editing an Existing Data Feed topic for details.

FIG. 41 Navigation Pane - Dashboard

FIG. 42 Navigation Pane - Dashboard (Detailed Information)



Requests sent: The number of requests for data sent to the source of this data feed.

Replies received: The number of replies received from the source of this data feed. Typically, this number should match the "Requests Sent" value, to indicate that each request is being answered.

Last reported: The data and time that the source of this data feed last reported to XPort.

XPort Admin - Settings pageClick Settings in the Navigation Panel to open the XPort Admin - Settings page (FIG. 43).

This page provides read-only details on this version of the XPort application, as well as access to the Developer mode option (FIG. 44):

Developer ModeClick this option to enter developer mode (default = disabled). Developer Mode is a special mode for use during development of feed handlers. When selected, Developer mode ignores the version number of the of the feed handler and forces all controls to be re-registered every time the DLL is loaded. Normally a reload of a handler checks the version number and, if it is unchanged, assumes nothing else has changed.

De-selecting will cause the start-up of the server to be faster.

FIG. 43 Navigation Pane - Settings option

FIG. 44 XPort Admin - Settings page


Working With Data Feeds


Feed Handlers - OverviewAMX provides a number of feed handlers during the installation of XPort. These feed handlers may address all your connectivity needs or may address only a subset. In either case, experimenting with the provided feed handlers will increase your familiarity with the technology and its capability. These "built-in" feed handlers will be available via the Navigation pane immediately after installation.

Click on any feed handler to access the [+] Create new feed option: click to configure a new data feed (see the Creating a New Data Feed section on page 30 for details).

Flickr Public FeedThis feed provides an easy way to download public images from the Flickr website. You don't even have to provide a Flickr user id if you don't know one, simply enter tags that describe the content of the images that you want to download.

See Flickr Public Feed Configuration on page 31 for details.

Generic CSV FeedThis feed handler retrieves data from a CSV (Comma-separated Values) data source.

In many ways CSV provides a simpler data-interchange format than XML (see "Generic XML Feed" below). The files are easier to create than XML files as you can use a spreadsheet tool such as Excel (Microsoft Office) or Calc (OpenOffice). Because of the simple format, they are easier to parse than XML files so this generic feed handler should be suitable for most applications.

This feed handler uses Sebastian Lorion's Fast CSV Reader (http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/9258/A-Fast-CSV-Reader) to provide error recovery and to provide a solid foundation for those who wish to write their own code. However, most will find this feed handler perfectly serviceable as long as they do not need special handling of any fields.

The CSV file will be accessed using a URL, and therefore can be located anywhere that a URL will find it. "http://" is not be the only scheme that will work; "file://" (for example) will also work.

See Generic XML Feed Configuration on page 32 for details.

Generic XML FeedThis feed handler retrieves data from a generic, XML data source. Use this handler if there is no specific feed handler for your data source.

This feed handler pre-processes the feed to determine which top-level element is repeated most often. The element that would supply most information is chosen as the base element for parsing. The base element can be selected manually. All the values contained within the base element are made available at the output.

XML files can contain a wealth of information using attributes and structure but a generic parser cannot know how to make use of all this information. This parser will work if you have a simple XML file and no other feed handler provides the required functionality.

See Generic XML Feed Configuration on page 32 for details.

RSS FeedUse this feed handler to retrieve an RSS 2.0 feed. Thumbnails from the media namespace are handled as long as they appear immediately under the item element. If there are multiple thumbnails, the largest is used. See RSS Feed Configuration on page 33 for details.

You should ensure that you have rights to use any data sources fetched by XPort, including those data sources supported by AMX-provided feed handlers. AMX assumes no liability or responsibility for inappropriate or illegal use of data sources.

AMX cannot be held responsible for the content of the images that are downloaded.



Yahoo Stock (Real-Time) FeedThis is a CSV feed that retrieves real-time market data for the chosen stock. This feed handler is provided as an example Yahoo Stock data feed, since there are over 70 values that can be retrieved for a given stock (which would make the UI overly complex, even unusable). AMX will provide the source code for this feed handler and all the others described here, to allow you to select specific fields as desired. See Yahoo Stock Feed Configuration on page 33 for details.

Yahoo Weather FeedUse this feed to show the weather for locations around the globe. This feed handler gets the weather for the selected WOEID (Where On Earth ID). See Yahoo Weather Feed Configuration on page 34 for details.

Creating a New Data FeedYou will only be able to create new feeds for installed feed handlers. To install a feed handler refer to the Installing a New Feed Handler section on page 23.

Use the [+] Create new feed option in the Navigation Pane to create a new data feed:

1. In the Navigation Pane, click on one of the feed handlers (for example, Flickr Public Feed) to expand the view to expose the [+] Create New Feed option (FIG. 45):

2. Click on [+] Create New Feed to open the configuration page for the selected feed handler.

3. Enter a Name and Description for the new feed in the text fields at the top of this page.

4. Use the handler-specific fields to configure this feed (select a help topic):

Flickr Public Feed Configuration - see page 31

Generic CSV Feed Configuration - see page 31

Generic XML Feed Configuration - see page 32

RSS Feed Configuration - see page 33

Yahoo Stock Feed Configuration - see page 33

Yahoo Weather Feed Configuration - see page 34

5. Click Create Feed (click Cancel to close this page without saving changes)

Note that the new data feed is added to the Navigation Pane, under the selected data handler. Click on this entry to view/edit these settings.

FIG. 45 Navigation Pane - [+] Create New Feed

Hover the cursor over any of these fields to view the description as a tool-tip.



Configuring Data FeedsFlickr Public Feed ConfigurationThis feed handler gets public photos/images from a Flickr feed.

Click [+] Create new feed under Flickr Public Feed in the Navigation Pane to access these fields (FIG. 46):

IDs - An optional, comma-separated list of Flickr user IDs identifying the Flickr users whose images you wish to retrieve.

Use http://idgettr.com to find the ID for a Flickr user. If you don't know a Flickr user ID; simply enter Tags (see below) that describe the content of the images that you want to download.

Tags - An optional, comma-separated list of Flickr tags.

This list works in conjunction with the "All Tags" checkbox.

All tags - Check to retrieve images associated with ALL specified tags.

Uncheck to retrieve images associated with ANY of the specified tags.

Number of Items - Enter a positive integer to retrieve a specific number of images.

Enter the word "All" to retrieve all images on the feed.

Note that Flickr limits the maximum number of images that can be downloaded to 20.

Refresh Interval - Choose the time interval between each fetch of the data feed.

Use the highest interval practical for your application (retrieving information more frequently than required will result in an unnecessary load on the server).

Order - Choose the order in which the retrieved images will be presented.

Generic CSV Feed ConfigurationClick [+] Create new feed under Generic CSV in the Navigation Pane to access these fields (FIG. 47):

Source URL - You must enter the URL of the CSV data source (e.g. http://myurl.com/file.csv).

AMX cannot be held responsible for the content of the images that are downloaded.

FIG. 46 Flickr Public Feed options

Hover the cursor over any of these fields to view the description as a tool-tip.

FIG. 47 Generic CSV Feed options

"http://" is not be the only scheme that will work; "file://" (for example) will also work.



Number of Rows - Enter a positive integer to retrieve a specific number of rows from the data source.

Enter the word "ALL" to retrieve every row.

Size of Group - The number of rows that will be grouped together into a single output record. The default is 1.

The XPort server always retrieves all data from the source, but filters it before providing the data for consumption by the clients. Because CSV files can be very large (much larger than published XML feeds), use the Number of Rows and Size of Group settings on this page to ensure the output is not too large for the client device.

Refresh Interval - Choose the time interval between each fetch of the feed.


Order - Choose the sort order of the rows.

The rows will be sorted before the required number of rows or groups are selected.

CSV File Has Header Line - Check this box if the data source has column headers in the first row.

In this case the contents of the first row will not be output.

Generic XML Feed ConfigurationThis feed handler retrieves data from any XML data source. This feed handler will manage to extract some data from the source regardless of the structure of the file. However, for best results, all data should be in XML nodes that are immediate children of a single node type. Data held in XML attributes is ignored.

Use this handler if there is no specific feed handler for your data source.

Click [+] Create new feed under Generic XML in the Navigation Pane to access these fields (FIG. 48):

Source URL - You must enter the URL of the XML data source, e.g. http://rss.myfeed.com/file.xml

Number of Items - Enter a positive integer to retrieve a specific number of items from the data source.

Enter the word "ALL" to retrieve every item

Size of Group - The number of rows that will be grouped together into a single output record.

The default is 1.



Order - Choose the sort order of the items.

The items will be sorted before the required number of items or groups are selected.

Node Name - Enter the name of the XML element containing the data required for output.

Leave blank and the element will be selected automatically.

The number of XML records that will appear at the output is Number of Rows divided by the number of Groups, and rounded up.

FIG. 48 Generic XML Feed options

The number of XML records that will appear at the output is Number of Rows divided by the number of Groups, and rounded up.



RSS Feed ConfigurationThis feed handler retrieves data from an RSS 2.0 feed.

This feed handler will not follow any HTML links except to retrieve images from XML nodes of type media:thumbnail.

All HTML tags found in text fields are ignored.

Click [+] Create new feed under RSS Feed in the Navigation Pane to access these fields (FIG. 49):

Source URL - You must enter the URL of the data source, e.g. http://rss.myfeed.com

Number of Items - Enter a positive integer to retrieve a specific number of items from the data source.

Enter the word "ALL" to retrieve every item.

Size of Group - The number of rows that will be grouped together into a single output record.

The default is 1.


Use the highest interval practical for your application (retrieving information more frequently than required will result in an unnecessary load on the server). Select "Auto" to automatically calculate the optimal interval.

Order - Choose the sort order of the items.

The items will be sorted before the required number of items or groups are selected.

Yahoo Stock Feed ConfigurationThis feed handler retrieves real-time market data for the chosen stock. This feed handler uses Yahoo Stock Quote API to retrieve market data in CSV format from the Yahoo servers.

You can select which values are retrieved by clicking the checkboxes on this page. The selected values will be retrieved for each of the companies that you identify in the "Stock Symbols" field and translated into a standard format for use by the AMX devices on your network.

Click [+] Create new feed under Yahoo Stock (Real-Time) in the Navigation Pane to access these fields (FIG. 50):

FIG. 49 RSS Feed options

Yahoo APIs are generally limited to non-commercial use only, so you should ensure that you have the right to use the data source. AMX assumes no liability or responsibility for inappropriate or illegal use of data sources.

In some ways, this feed handler represents an example Yahoo Stock data feed, since there are over 70 values that can be retrieved for a given stock (which would make the UI overly complex, even unusable). AMX will provide the source code for this feed handler, to allow you to select specific fields as desired.

FIG. 50 Yahoo Stock Feed options



Stock Symbols - You must enter a comma-separated list of Stock Symbols e.g. AAPL, MSFT, CSCO

Refresh Interval - Choose the time interval between each fetch of the data.

Setting a short interval will retrieve the information more frequently but will increase the overall load on the XPort system. It is recommended that the interval be set to be as long as is practical for your application.

Yahoo Weather Feed ConfigurationThis feed handler uses the Yahoo Weather RSS Feed to retrieve the weather for the selected location. Locations are selected using a Where On Earth ID (WOEID) rather than a place name for both simplicity and accuracy.

Click [+] Create new feed under Yahoo Weather in the Navigation Pane to access these fields (FIG. 51):

WOEID - You must provide a "Where-On-Earth ID" (WOEID).

WOEIDs are now easy to find on the internet and sites exist to translate place names to WOEIDs e.g. http://woeid.rosselliot.co.nz and http://isithackday.com/geoplanet-explorer (e.g. searching for "woeid London" finds 44418).

Units - Choose whether to retrieve the data in Metric or Imperial units.

This selection affects all units - not just the temperature.



Select "Auto" to automatically calculate the optimal interval.

Editing an Existing Data FeedTo edit the settings for an existing Data Feed, simply select the desired data feed in the Navigation Pane to open the configuration page for the selected feed. The example below is for a Flickr Public Feed named "Flickr Test" (FIG. 52):

Note that the Name is read-only, but the Description field is editable.

Yahoo APIs are generally limited to non-commercial use only, so you should ensure that you have the right to use the data source. AMX assumes no liability or responsibility for inappropriate or illegal use of data sources. The Yahoo terms of use are restrictive but the source code is useful as a basis for processing other weather feeds from other providers. Yahoo provide these terms of use: http://developer.yahoo.com/weather/#terms

FIG. 51 Yahoo Weather Feed options

FIG. 52 Editing an Existing Data Feed



The Enabled checkbox allows you to manually disable this feed if desired (default - enabled).

The Refetch content button allows you to manually fetch content from the data source (overriding the Refresh Interval setting).

Configuration Fields- The same set of fields that were presented when the data feed was originally configured are available to edit.

Status - This page also provides a detailed Status message regarding this feed (read-only).

Feed output URL - The URL of the data source is presented on this page as a link - click to open the data source (read-only).

Delete Feed - Click delete this data feed from the system. The application will prompt you to verify this action before the feed is deleted (click Yes to proceed):

Click Save Changes to save any changes made on this page. The application will indicate that the data feed has been updated:

Click Cancel Changes to cancel any changes made on this page.

Disabling and Enabling a Data FeedUse the Enabled option in the edit page for any Data Feed to manually disable the selected data feed. Note that disabled data feeds can be re-enabled at any time using this same option:

Disabling a Data Feed

1. In the Navigation Pane, select a Data Feed to open the edit page. For example, the figure below shows the "Flickr Test" feed selected (FIG. 55):

2. Uncheck the Enabled button at the top of the page (FIG. 56):

3. The application will prompt you to verify this action before the data feed is disabled (FIG. 57):

FIG. 53 Deleting a Feed

FIG. 54 Updating a Feed

FIG. 55 Navigation Pane - Selecting a Data Feed

FIG. 56 Enabled button

FIG. 57 Disabling a Data Feed



4. Click Yes to proceed.

5. Note that the status for this data feed changes to Disabled (FIG. 58):

Enabling a Data Feed

1. To re-enable this data feed, simply check the Enabled checkbox.

2. The application will prompt you to verify this action before the data feed is enabled (FIG. 59):


4. Note that the status for this data feed changes to Enabled.

Deleting a Data FeedUse the Delete Feed option in the edit page for any Data Feed to permanently delete the selected data feed from the system:

1. In the Navigation Pane, select a Data Feed to open the edit page. For example, the figure below shows the "Flickr Test" feed selected (FIG. 60):

2. Click the Delete Feed button at the bottom of the page (FIG. 61):

3. The application will prompt you to verify this action before the feed is deleted:


FIG. 58 Disabled Data Feed

FIG. 59 Enabling a Data Feed

FIG. 60 Navigation Pane - Selecting a Data Feed

FIG. 61 Delete Feed button

Data feeds can also be disabled (without being removed from the system) via the "Disable" option in the edit page (see Editing Existing Data Feeds).




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Documents

Administrator’s Guide XPORT-SERV-100 · During the installation, an "xport" application will be created within the Default Web Site on IIS to point to the Web folder. The installer