Designing the Media Guide Site


Design work for the Media Guide site is focused on providing functionality for the two primary user types: production assistants who will maintain the content, and end users who will access videos from the site. The work is divided into the main user task areas. Web parts and dashboards must be built and configured to enable users to do the following tasks:

  • Find and play on-demand content.

  • Find and play broadcast content.

  • Submit production requests.

  • Upload content.

  • Publish Microsoft Producer projects.

  • Maintain the site.

  • Publish and read information, promotions, and announcements.

  • Install Windows Media Player.

Building a Web part requires knowledge of scripting with a language such as Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBScript) or JScript. Basic dashboard design can be handled by users with knowledge of Web page design.

In addition to enabling these user tasks, the Fabrikam Web producers decide to make changes to the appearance of the site. For each of the dashboards that can be selected on the taskbar, they change the style sheet to the Tropical style included with SharePoint and add the Fabrikam logo to the header. Advanced designers can create custom style sheets that change the entire look of the site.

In the following topics, we will describe the intended end user and production assistant experiences. Then we will see how Fabrikam configured SharePoint to implement their design.

Finding and Playing On-demand Content

End users will come to the site primarily to look for and play on-demand or broadcast content. They can come to the site to find content they already know about, such as videos advertised through e-mail messages, or to browse for content in a certain category.

When an end user enters the URL of the Media Guide site (http://dmsps1/Media-Guide), the home dashboard opens as shown in figure 16.2. Users can browse or search for a particular item. To browse, they access Video Categories either on the page or from the dashboard on the taskbar. The experience is similar to browsing through folders. Users can click a particular title and the video will play in Windows Media Player.

Figure 16.3 shows the Video Categories dashboard with the Corporate Information category displayed. The first item in the list is an on-demand Windows Media file, Ethics.asx. The item “Don Funk Talks” points to a Web page for viewing a broadcast. Before the broadcast, the user accesses the Lobby page that contains information about the broadcast and downloads related PowerPoint slides to the user’s Internet cache.

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Figure 16.3: Viewing the Corporate Information category on the Media Guide site.

The production assistant can add or remove content by dragging files and dropping them into subfolders of the Documents folder, or by saving or publishing content to the folders. After adding content, the production assistant opens the properties for the content and enters profile information. After properties have been added, SharePoint automatically adds the document to the appropriate categories and enters the information into its database, which can then be retrieved by the Web parts to display that information.

Publishing a File

There are basically two types of on-demand content: video files and Microsoft Producer projects, and each is handled differently. The Producer process will be described later in this chapter. This is the process an assistant would use to publish a Windows Media file:

  1. Copy the Windows Media Video file to a location on the Windows Media server. Let’s say Driver01.wmv is copied to a publishing point called Safety on the server WMS01.

  2. Create a Windows Media metafile with an .asx extension. A simple text editor program such as Microsoft Notepad can be used. The contents of the file looks like this:

    <ASX version ="3.0">      <Title>Driver Safety</Title>   <Entry>      <Title>Driver Safety Part 1</Title>      <Author>Max Bennett</Author>      <Copyright>2002</Copyright>      <Ref href="mms://WMS01/Safety/Driver01.wmv" /> </Entry> </ASX>

    A metafile can be created automatically with the Announcement Wizard in Windows Media Services.

  3. Save the metafile to the local hard drive. Give it a descriptive name, such as DriverSafety.asx, keeping in mind that the name will be displayed on the site.

  4. Drag the file to the site folder.

    If you create the metafile in an Office application or another program that supports Web folders, and you have installed the SharePoint client, you can click Save as to save directly to the Web site location and add profile information in one step.

  5. In the Media Guide workspace, open the properties dialog box for DriverSafety.asx, and then open the Document profile dialog box from the Profile tab. Type some descriptive information, assign one or more categories and keywords, and attach the appropriate document profile template, ASX. Figure 16.4 shows the Document profile dialog box.

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    Figure 16.4: Configuring profile information for an .asx file.

    The ASX profile template was created by the Web designers when the site was originally configured. You can create a new profile in the Document Profiles folder of the Management folder.

  6. Close the dialog boxes. Figure 16.5 shows the file as it appears to a user who is viewing the Training category.

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    Figure 16.5: DriverSafety.asx is displayed, along with its profile information.

Implementing the Site Design

Very little work is needed to accommodate on-demand content. Video Categories and Video Highlights on the home page are default Web parts that were simply renamed from Categories and News. The Video Categories and Site Content dashboards are also simply renamed.

Before any content is added, a base set of categories and subcategories is created in the Categories folder, as shown in figure 16.6. A beginning set of document folders is also added.


Figure 16.6: Folders for various content categories in SharePoint.

A custom document profile template, ASX, is also created. The default Base profile template, which is assigned by default to files added to the Documents folder, does not include a Category property. Because the Media Guide designers want all metafiles to show up in categories, they create an ASX profile that includes the Category property. The ASX profile template is assigned to the Documents folder so it can be available to all content added to that folder. The ASX profile template enables a production assistant to assign a title, categories, a description, and keyword properties to a Windows Media file or Web page.

SharePoint has two features that can be useful for sites with large amounts of content: category assistant and indexing. Category assistant is an automated categorization tool. You “train” the assistant with a sample set of documents, and then you can enable the assistant to place new documents in the correct categories automatically.

Indexing is a feature for handling searches of very large numbers of documents. Windows Media metafiles are fairly small documents compared to Word documents, but if a site has thousands of files, the workspace index can dramatically reduce search time. The index is updated automatically whenever content is added or removed.

SharePoint also enables you to add content sources that are outside the workspace. You can enable indexing of these external sources, and SharePoint will automatically update the index to include these files.

Finding and Playing Broadcast Content

An end user can locate a broadcast in several ways: with the Broadcast Calendar, by browsing the Broadcast category, from Video Highlights, or with Search. We have already seen the process for locating content through a category or by searching. The Broadcast Calendar, however, is used specifically for locating broadcasts. Figure 16.7 shows the calendar on the home page.


Figure 16.7: The Broadcast Calendar helps users find broadcast content.

Though the other methods can be used, the calendar is probably the most obvious and intuitive to an end user. The calendar is displayed on the home page, so it is the first broadcast-related item the end user sees when entering the site. The end user clicks a date and the Search dashboard opens with the broadcasts scheduled to air on that date. The user can then click the title and link to the broadcast, or add it to her calendar in Microsoft Outlook.

To SharePoint, a broadcast is just another document, like those used for on-demand content. The difference is the contents of the file. A Windows Media metafile for a broadcast points to a broadcast publishing point, which points to a live encoder or playlist. A broadcast Web page contains the elements used in the broadcast. To an end user, however, a broadcast is very different from an on-demand viewing experience, which is why the calendar Web part was created.

For the calendar to work, a new document profile was created that includes the property AirDate (see figure 16.8).

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Figure 16.8: A new document profile form for broadcast presentations.

A Broadcasts folder (with the Broadcast profile assigned to it) was also added to Documents. A production assistant uses the same process to add a new metafile or Web page for a broadcast, except he places it in a subfolder of the Broadcasts folder, and then selects the Broadcast profile. He enters all the usual information, and then enters the date the broadcast will occur in AirDate. After information has been added to a property, it can be used by the SharePoint search engine.

Implementing the Broadcast Search Feature

To support broadcast search, two new items must be created: the calendar Web part and the Broadcast document profile template.

The calendar is a new Web part that contains script to display a calendar and invoke a search using the AirDate property. A Web part can be created using HTML, VBScript, JScript, or XML. The script for creating a dynamic calendar and performing the search is embedded directly in the Web part. The SharePoint Portal Server Resource Kit contains information about creating custom Web parts and using the document properties to invoke a search.

The Broadcast profile template contains a set of default properties, as well as the new AirDate property for specifying the event date. New properties can be created when you run the Add Document Profile wizard. When adding a property, you give it a name, assign a type, and choose whether information for the property is required.

The Media department is planning to create only a handful of broadcasts per month at first. That is why the search method was chosen. In the future, it is possible that the number of broadcasts will increase to a point where they overlap. When that happens, a log-style Web part can be created to list events chronologically, with time and date headings. For now the calendar, search, and browse methods, combined with the Video Highlights Web part, provide adequate functionality.

It is possible some broadcasts will be designed for presentation directly in Windows Media Player instead of through a Web page. Not all broadcasts require a lobby page, and there may be continuous broadcasts (such as rebroadcasts of radio stations). In these cases, users will link directly to a metafile, which will open the Player and stream the broadcast.

The .asx file and the multicast information file (with an .nsc extension) will be located in a folder on the workspace. (Because the two files are located in the same directory, a relative URL can be used in the .asx file to point to the .nsc file.) The profile for the .asx file will include the broadcast category and other useful information. However, the .nsc profile will not include a category or information in order to partly hide it from end users. If a user should attempt to open the file, the browser will display it as a Web page rather than in Windows Media Player, because MIME types on most browsers are not set up for .nsc files.

With additional scripting using Collaboration Data Objects (CDO), calendar functionality can be handled using Microsoft Outlook and Exchange servers. The calendar displayed on the home dashboard can link to the Exchange database. By integrating messaging, live event scheduling, coordination, and other messaging features can be used in the Media Guide system.

Submitting Production Requests

Most end-users will use the site to play content. However, the site can be used to submit a request for production resources through the Media department. The initial Media Guide will include a request form for production services, such as shooting, editing, and duplication. Other forms will be added later for users who want to submit finished Producer presentations and other content. The Production dashboard could eventually become a sub-portal for the Media department, and could include information about the facilities and instructions about creating videos.

The request form opens when an end user clicks Production in the taskbar. The home page does not lead end users to the form, although some may discover it when they browse the site. Most likely, users will come to the form after reading the online help page for the site or after contacting the Media department. Figure 16.9 shows the production request form.

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Figure 16.9: The production request form.

When an end user clicks Submit, the completed form is sent in an e-mail message to the Production Request alias. A production assistant opens the e-mail message, reviews the form, and contacts the end user directly to work out details.

The form is a Web page that was created with a Web design tool, like Microsoft FrontPage. After the form was created, it was added to a new Web part. Submit sends the contents of the form; Reset reloads the page, erasing whatever the user has entered.

Uploading Content

Initially, the production assistants in the Media department will be the only ones with permission to publish content to the site. Author-level roles may be given to certain individuals or groups, which will allow them to copy files to a limited set of folders. Security can be set on individual files or on folders to grant or deny access to individuals or groups.

Production assistants copy or publish Windows Media Video files to the Windows Media servers, and Windows Media metafiles to the Media Guide workspace, following the steps outlined previously.

Producer projects will be handled differently.

Publishing Microsoft Producer Projects

Users can create Microsoft Producer presentations, and then submit them for inclusion on the Media Guide site. First an end user creates and saves a presentation in Producer. Then he contacts the Media department or fills out a production request form on the Media Guide site. A production assistant will provide publishing locations on the Media Guide workspace and the Windows Media server. The user can then run the Publish Presentation wizard in Producer to encode the files and folders for the presentation. He can then copy these file and folders to the appropriate Media Guide workspace.

If the user needs production assistance from the Media department, he can use the Pack and Go wizard in Producer, which creates a compressed file of the project. He can then copy this file to a public location on a Media department file server, and a production assistant will create a finished presentation.

When a request is received, a production assistant creates a new folder for the content in the MSProducer folder on the Media Guide workspace. She will also create a new folder for the Windows Media files on the Windows Media server. Then she gives the end user author permission to access the Media Guide and the Windows Media server folder. After the user publishes the presentation, he can notify the production assistant. She will add categories to the presentation page and test playback of the files.

In chapter 19, we will go into more detail about using Producer to capture, edit, and publish content.

Maintaining the Site

The Media department decides to create a short document of maintenance procedures for the production assistants. The document includes information about the following topics:

  • Keeping the home dasboard fresh. This will be the page that is visited the most by users. Information and links in the Video Highlights and Company Announcements Web parts must be current, and Quick Links must be current.

  • Maintaining the on-demand folders. Make sure the content is current and working: Make sure Windows Media metafile and Web page links continue to be valid. When a file is removed from the Windows Media server, the metafile or Web page associated with it should also be removed.

  • Maintain the Broadcasts folder. Make sure metafiles and Web pages are current and coincide with the broadcasts scheduled through production requests. For example, if a broadcast is canceled, the metafile and Web page should be deleted.

  • Content sources. If additional content sources are used, make sure the content is maintained and indexed.

  • Storage maintenance. Make sure the workspace has adequate hard drive space, that old files and folders are archived or removed, and that basic disk maintenance is performed. If the workspace becomes too crowded, add external content sources.

Publishing Information, Promotions, and Announcements

On the home dashboard of the Media Guide site, an end user can browse the Video Highlights and Company Announcements Web parts, which provide information about special broadcasts, presentations, and company events. The user can click the title of a video to play it, or click an announcement to receive more information. The end user can also click Help in the banner area to get information about accessing information on the site.

Up to this point, the production assistant has added metafiles and Web pages to the Documents folder. She also assigned ASX or Broadcast profiles to the documents, which enable indexing and categorization. However, the Video Highlights and Company Announcements Web parts are handled a different way. Content that appears in these Web parts is added to the News and the Announcements folders, respectively, which are located in the Portal Content folder. The Portal Content folder is located at the root of the workspace. The Web parts automatically reflect whatever content is in these folders. In other words, if you want to add an item to Video Highlights, all you have to do is add a document to the News folder.

Creating Company Announcements

Company Announcements are used to highlight special events. Documents in the Announcements folder are for the most part Web pages. Documents added to the News folder have a News Item profile attached to them by default. Documents added to Announcements have an Announcement profile. Both profiles include only Title and Description properties. Therefore, a document added here cannot be included in a category; it will only appear on the home dashboard Web part or as a search result. When an end user clicks the title in the Web part, the document opens. For example, an end user can read the description of a special video and click the title to open the metafile and play the video.

However, it is often more efficient if an announcement or video highlight points to a Web site outside the Media Guide site, such as the corporate Web, or to a metafile located in the Documents folder. A Video Highlight file could be a Web page that contains descriptive text and a link. But a production assistant may want to link the end user directly to a video that is located with the other videos in the Documents folder.

To accomplish that, Fabrikam adds the Web Link profile to the Announcements and News folders. The production assistants can choose whether the link associated with the title opens the document or points to another source. For example, to create a Video Highlight entry that contains a title, descriptive text, and a link that points to a metafile in the Documents folder, the production assistant follows these steps:

  1. Create a file and add it to the News folder. This can simply be a text file that contains one character. Only the profile properties that are associated with the file are used; the contents of the file are ignored.

  2. In the News folder, open the Document profile dialog box for the file.

  3. Choose the Web Link profile.

  4. Type the Title, Description, and the Link to the metafile in the Documents folder (for example, http://dmsps1/Media-Guide/Documents/On-Demand/DriverSafety.asx). Do not enter a category, because the metafile is already categorized.

When the end user clicks the title in Video Highlights, the metafile will open and play the file. The same steps can be used to add a link to an external Web site in the Announcements folder.

Adding Custom Help Content

A Help link is included in the right side of the banner area. The link opens a document that describes to users how to navigate a SharePoint site. While this can be useful, the Media department decides to add their own information to the pages. For example, the original help pages described dashboards in general. The Media department replaces these with pages that describe specific features of the Media Guide site.

The pages are located in the Resources folder of the root Portal folder. They are mixed with other site resources, so a little bit of detective work is needed to locate all the help resources. You can open the Help pages in a browser and look at page properties to find the file name of the page. For example, the first main content page is ptl_home.htm. After locating the pages, you can copy them to another computer and open them in a Web editor, such as FrontPage. Copy the customized pages back to the Resources folder. You might want to save the original pages in case you need to restore them, and use the same file names so links continue to work.

Installing Windows Media Player

Before end users can play content from the Media Guide site, they must install Windows Media Player from the Media Guide site. The link is located in the Quick Links Web part on the home dashboard. This link points to an installation file that was customized by the company’s IT department. They used Enterprise Deployment Pack for Windows Media Player to create the custom installer. All the end user has to do is click the link and a preconfigured Player is installed with custom company settings.

The Enterprise Deployment Pack is expected to be available from the Windows Media Web site. After installing the Enterprise Deployment Pack, an IT technician runs a wizard that guides them through the creation of the custom download file. Custom Player installation files can be created with preconfigured proxy server, protocol, and port settings. An installation file can be created for clients with slow connections, so that the automatic upgrade and codec download features are disabled. If the company creates a custom skin, the skin files can also be automatically applied to the Player. Additional installation files can be created for configuration changes and upgrades, as needed.

After running the wizard, the installation file is copied to the Quick Links folder. The Base document profile is used, and “Install Windows Media Player” is entered as the title. If the company creates multiple installation files, the Quick Link document can be changed to one that links the end user to a Web page from which a selection can be made.

At this point two of the three tasks in phase I of the streaming media deployment have been completed: on-demand content can be created with the compression suite and end users can locate streaming media content in the Media Guide. In the next chapter, we follow the configuration and deployment of the Windows Media server farm at the Toronto headquarters. After the servers have been deployed, on-demand content and limited broadcast streaming will be available in Toronto.




Microsoft Windows Media Resource Kit
Microsoft Windows Media Resource Kit (Pro-Resource Kit)
ISBN: 0735618070
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 258

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