Variables

Overview

Variables are name-values that can be set and unset either from within the DISE applications or by external applications, communicating with DISE. The value can be investigated by DISE, allowing you to playback content based on context and/or events. For instance, a certain commercial pertaining to males aged 50+ is scheduled to play only if a given variable called "gender" is set to "male" and another variable "age" is set to "50+", Contrary to network messages, variables are persistent and can remain even after a computer restart.

Setting variables

Permanently

In the Variables tab in the DISE Replay Preferences, you may set an unlimited number of permanent/persistent variables.

When Replay starts it will reset the variables, even if they are previously removed. This allows you to specify, for example, that this player is a conference room by defining a "ConferenceRoom" variable.

Dynamically

From within a DISE Movie

You can have a scene set variables dynamically when visible, by selecting the Interactivity tab, or by right-clicking and selecting Events.

Read more: Interactivity

Objects may also set variables when clicked, or visible, by selecting the Interactivity tab and click Advanced Events, or by right-clicking and selecting Events.

Variables set during playback

Variables in the list will be set when the scene/object starts. As soon as the scene ends or object disappears from the timeline, these variables are removed.

Remote control

It is possible to set variables by sending a Remote control message to the player, for instance using DISE Parser.

Command	Parameter(s)	Description	Full command example
AddVariable	Name	Set a variable by the specified name.	20120315150333\|Parser\|AddVariable\|ShowAds
RemoveVariable	Name	Unset a variable by the specified name.	20120315150333\|Parser\|RemoveVariable\|ShowAds
Variable\|Set	Name, Value	Set a variable by the specified name to the specified value.	20120315150333\|Parser\|Variable\|Set\|Age\|50

HTTP API

You can set variables by accessing the player by using its HTTP API.

Scheduling on variables

How do we use the fact that we have set a variable? Variables are scheduled on from the Variables tab in the Edit schedule dialog. Check Variables and add new condition by clicking on the plus button.

Any object, scene, DISE Movie or channel can be scheduled on variables. You can combine several variables by adding them to the list. For example, a certain channel might only be triggered on players with the two variables "event_type" = "conference" and "restaurant_available" = "true".

Data connect to the contents of a variable

In the Data connection dialog's General tab, type in #VAR#Variable-name in the Text file name field to bind the text content to whatever the variable Variable-name contains.