How do I merge an external log file from Ad Master (or other traffic software) into PlayIt Live?

To merge an external log file into PlayIt Live, you need to set up three components: the external log file itself, a Merge External Log File action, and Merge Start and Merge End items in your clocks.

PlayIt Live supports traffic log integration from Natural Log, Ad Master, and other traffic systems that can export .pipl files.

First, ensure your traffic software generates .pipl files in a consistent location like C:\MergeLogs with a date pattern such as 2025-08-11.pipl. For hourly updates, your files might be named 2025-08-11-14.pipl. The file should contain lines with a start time and content ID separated by a tab.

Next, set up the Merge External Log File action by going to Manage then Scheduled Events and adding a new scheduled event, or by adding it directly to the playout log. Configure the Folder path, Date Pattern to match your file naming (e.g., yyyy-MM-dd.pipl for daily or yyyy-MM-dd-HH.pipl for hourly), Merge Type (set to Day for daily merges or Hour for hourly merges), and Hour Offset (typically 0).

PlayIt Live supports both daily and hourly merge patterns. You can schedule the merge action to run hourly via Scheduled Events to accommodate mid-day updates and last-minute changes to your traffic log. This allows you to re-merge the log throughout the day as your traffic system updates.

Finally, insert Merge Start and Merge End items in your clocks where you want the external content to appear. When the merge action runs, PlayIt Live will read the .pipl file and insert the content between these markers.