Q: Import mpegs plus a tabulated txt file into fcsvr

The 'trick' is to dig up the proper XML schema for the Read XML response in Final Cut Server. I don't think the XML schema is an officially published type of thing. You gotta try and leech it out of that FCS Web integration sample Apple put out a few years ago. With the schema in hand, you can generate an XML file for each clip. Then the fun begins ...

You gotta set up a workflow in FCS, so that as each clip is ingested (by a Scan or a Watcher), it pops out an XML file for that clip. The only important data in those popped XML files is the Asset ID and the Title, which will be the file name of the clip. You have to give the original XML files, the ones that you generated from that text file, filenames that match what FCS is going to give your clips and the XML files that it pops out on ingest.

Now, you have two XML files, (in different directories of course), with the same filename-dot-xml. One has the 'live' FCS Asset ID, and the other has the metadata you want to apply to that asset. You have to execute some kind of script that will take the data out of one, and the Asset ID out of the other, and place it into a third XML in the schema format that will allow it to be processed by the FCS Read XML response. Then feed that third XML file into a Read XML Watcher and watch the metadata get updated for that clip.

Use a custom metadata field in conjunction with a Subscription, in order to trigger the XML files on ingest. Just stamp anything in that particular Clip Watcher or Scan to set that custom metadata field to some value that will trigger the Subscription and the Write XML response within it.

The XML you write out is the closest you'll get to a schema definition.

The XML you read in only needs to see the fields that are changing (plus the asset ID).

The FinalCutServerIntegrationSample does it all, so you can learn all you need to from adapting that. It's a little outdated though so you have to mess with the Ruby dependencies a bit.

It's not documented - I mean that when you try to follow the directions exactly, you'll get some errors since versions of software have changed. You'll have to do a little troubleshooting (depends on your ability level as to whether it counts as IT troubleshooting or DIY troubleshooting).

Or there are a few of us here that do consulting if you'd just like to hand it all off to someone else and get your content ingested with minimal DIYness.

Here is the schema for updating an asset using the XML Read response.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<FinalCutServer>
<request reqId="setMd" entityId="/asset/12">
<params>
<mdValue fieldName="Artist" dataType="string">Vincent van Gogh</mdValue>
<mdValue fieldName="Art Museum" dataType="string">Guggenheim</mdValue>
<mdValue fieldName="Art Period" dataType="string">Post Impressionism</mdValue>
<mdValue fieldName="Notes" dataType="string">This is the first painting in which he used starry backgrounds.</mdValue>
<mdValue fieldName="Title" dataType="string">The Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum</mdValue>
<mdValue fieldName="Send XML" dataType="bool">false</mdValue>
</params>
</request>
</FinalCutServer>

See how the metadata fields work? You have name and a type attribute. As long as it's a valid name and attribute, that field will update. The above is that 'third file' you have to generate. Also note the 'setMd' attribute near the top. That's what's gonna get FCS to update the asset.

Hi there,

I wrote an article which might help you with this at

http://www.andre-aulich.de/en/perm/final-cut-server-how-to-import-metadata-from- external-mams

Good luck,

André