Customizing the HQ Multimedia Collection

Scenario: When the Multimedia Collection extension is installed, a default multimedia collection is created under Applications > Multimedia Collection. You want to customize this default collection , for example to add new media and new buttons for playing those files when this multimedia collection is selected in Operating mode, or to remove some of the existing buttons.

 

Reference: For background information, see the reference section.

 

Workflow Diagram:

 

 

Prerequisites:

  • The Multimedia Collection extension is installed and included in the active project.
  • System Manager is in Engineering mode.

 

Steps:

1 – Prepare Media Files for a Multimedia Collection

You can obtain multimedia files (MP3 for audio files, MP4 for videos, and HTML pages with videos) from Headquarters, or create your own media files as required.

 

NOTICE
Naming Media Files

When creating media files, give them short meaningful names, because the same name must be set in the library text group, which defines the label associated with that file in Desigo CC.

Specifically, for each text group entry associated with a media file, the text you enter in the language column en-US, is the text that will display on the button for playing that media file in Desigo CC.



Therefore, if required, modify the original name of the media file to be descriptive and short enough to fit into the media file buttons.

 

2 – Add Media Files to a Folder on Disk

The media files used by the default multimedia collection object are stored on disk under [Installation Drive]:\[Installation Folder]\GMSMainProject\Help\Multimedia.

  • If you want to add new media to the default multimedia collection, you should copy the corresponding files to this location.

 

A multimedia collection folder can have a different number of media files than the number of entries in the corresponding multimedia collection library text group. Only media files associated with text group entries will have a button to be played.

 

3 – Clone the Default Multimedia Collection Text Group at your Customization Level

A preconfigured text group defines what buttons for playing media files are available in the default multimedia collection. To be able to modify this text group, you must first clone it at your allowed customization level.

Skip this step if the default multimedia collection text group is already cloned at your allowed customization level.

  • System Manager is in Engineering mode.
  1. In System Browser, select Management View.
  1. Select the default headquarters text group at Project > System Settings > Libraries > L1-Headquarter > Global > Multimedia Collection > Texts > Multimedia Collection.
  1. In the Text Group Editor tab, click Customize .
  1. Click OK.
  • The default text group collection is cloned and selected under the allowed library customization level (for example, L4-Project > Global > Multimedia Collection > Texts > Multimedia Collection). Its details display in the Text Group Editor tab.

 

4 – Add New Buttons for Media Files

To add new buttons for new media files that you copied to the multimedia folder, you must add new entries to the cloned text groups, as follows:

  1. Select the default text group cloned at your allowed customization level (for example, L4-Project > Global > Multimedia Collection > Texts > Multimedia Collection).
  1. To add a new text group entry:
    a. Click Add new row .
    b. In the Value field, enter a consecutive number that must not be duplicated within the given text group.
  1. To configure a text group entry:
    a. In the language column en-US, enter the text that corresponds to the exact name of the file in the multimedia collection folder.
    b. Click Icon. From the Icon Picker dialog box, select the appropriate library and icon, and click OK.
  • The selected text and icon will display on the button for playing that media file in Desigo CC.
    NOTE: The en-US language is mandatory. Additional languages can optionally be configured. In any case, the mapping of media files to buttons is always done based only on the en-US language.
  1. Repeat the previous steps for any other text group entries (media files buttons) required.
  1. Click Save .

 

5 – Remove Media File Buttons

To remove existing media file buttons from the default multimedia collection, you must remove the corresponding text group entries, or edit them so that they no longer match any media file name.

  1. Select the default text group cloned at your customization level (for example, L4-Project > Global > Multimedia Collection > Texts > Multimedia Collection).
  1. Locate the entry corresponding to the button you want to remove.
  1. In the en-US language column, modify the name so that it does not correspond to any file name in the folder where the files are stored. (For example, you can add an underscore (_) to the text of the button name).

 

6 – Check the Result
  1. Set System Manager to Operating mode.
  1. In System Browser, select the default multimedia collection object at Applications > Multimedia Collection > Multimedia Collection.
  1. To refresh the page, click another tab and then click the Default tab again.
  • The welcome page refreshes and displays the content of the customized multimedia collection.
  1. Click the button that corresponds to the media file you want to play.
  • The Default tab refreshes and the media file relevant to the selected button is played.