> Working with Rundowns Rundowns are playlists of graphics items that can be played during live production. This guide covers creating, managing, and controlling rundowns. --- ## Creating a Rundown 1. Open a [[Documentation/Graphics Controller/Project Settings|project]] from the **Projects** page 2. Click the **[ + ]** button to add a new rundown 3. Enter a name for the rundown 4. The new empty rundown will open automatically ## Adding Items to Rundown 1. In the rundown view, click the **[ + ]** button to add an item 2. Select a [[Documentation/Graphic Templates/Overview|template]] from the list (templates must be added to the project first) 3. A new rundown item will be created with default values ## Editing Rundown Items ### Opening the Editor - **Double-click** the rundown item, or - **Select** the item and press **Enter**, or - **Click** the edit button on the item ### Filling in Content The editor shows all fields defined in the [[Documentation/Graphic Templates/Template Definition|template definition]]: - Text fields for names, titles, descriptions - Dropdowns for selections - File pickers for images/media - Color pickers for colors - Checkboxes for options ### Saving Changes - Click **Save** to close the editor and save changes - Changes are saved automatically when you move to another item - Press **Escape** to cancel editing ## Content Preview The values of the first two fields are used as content preview in the rundown list, so the order of fields in template definition should be considered for ease of use. ## Controlling Playout ### Keyboard Shortcuts - **SPACEBAR** - Play selected item - **S** - Stop current item - **Arrow Keys** - Navigate between items (Up/Down) - **Enter** - Edit selected item - **Delete** - Remove selected item - **Ctrl+C** - Copy item - **Ctrl+V** - Paste item ### Mouse Controls - **Click item** - Select item - **Click PLAY button** - Play selected item - **Click STOP button** - Stop current item - **Click CONTINUE button** - Continue to next step (for multi-step templates) ## Item Status Items can have different status indicators: - **Normal** - Ready to play - **Playing** - Currently on air - **Stopped** - Was playing, now stopped - **Error** - Playback error occurred ## Multi-Step Templates Some templates have multiple animation steps (defined by `steps` in template definition): 1. Play the item (first step) 2. **Continue** button becomes enabled 3. Click **Continue** to advance to next step 4. Repeat until all steps are complete 5. Click **Stop** to end ## Item Management ### Reordering Items - **Drag and drop** items to reorder them - Order affects navigation with arrow keys ### Duplicating Items - **Right-click** item → **Duplicate**, or - **Select** item → **Ctrl+C** → **Ctrl+V** ### Deleting Items - **Select** item → Press **Delete**, or - **Right-click** item → **Delete** ### Copying Between Rundowns 1. Select item(s) in source rundown 2. Copy (Ctrl+C) 3. Switch to target rundown 4. Paste (Ctrl+V) ## Rundown File Structure Rundowns are stored as JSON files in `<PROJECT>/data/` folder: ``` Project A/ └── data/ ├── Rundown 1.json ├── Rundown 2.json └── Special Event.json ``` ## Rundown Options Alternative SPX rundown workflow ### Light mode **SPX v 1.3.0 introduced an experimental Light Mode rundown, a floating rundown window with an embedded [[Documentation/Renderer/Preview & Program|preview]].** One of the main use cases for the light mode is to use it as a Custom Dock within [[Guides/Tutorials/How to use SPX with OBS Studio|OBS]] (Open Broadcast Software) or in a separate device such as a tablet or a mobile phone.[ Rundown functionality in the light mode is a subset of the regular rundown and for example, you cannot add, remove or sort items using the light mode as it is not intended to be a replacement for the main SPX rundown. Currently, the light and regular rundown states are not synced, so when an item is _played_ in one, the rundown item's state in the other does not change. ![[Pasted image 20260205162307.png]] To open the panel click on the **wrench icon** and then the **Open Panel** -button or alternatively add **/light** to the URL of an opened rundown view. ![[Pasted image 20260205162311.png]] #### Custom Dock in OBS In OBS, select menu item **Docs > Custom Browser Docks...**. and add a new custom dock. You can name it to **SPX Light** for example and paste in the URL of it from the previously opened Light Mode window. You only need to do this once, and when done you can always access SPX graphics from within OBS and no need to switch between windows when controlling graphics in OBS based productions. ![[Pasted image 20260205162320.png]] ### Small rows Placeholder for small rows ### Thumbnail-generation You can generate thumbnails for an entire rundown (using the **Update Thumbnails** button in the UI). The visual data is stored directly inside the rundown JSON file. #### How it works 1. **Trigger**: Click the **Update Thumbnails** button in the rundown UI. 2. **Rendering**: SPX renders each template item to an image. 3. **Encoding**: The image is converted to a Base64-encoded string. 4. **Storage**: The Base64 string is saved to the `thumbnail` property of the corresponding item in the rundown JSON (DATAROOT/[ProjectName]/data/[RundownName].json). #### Display in UI The SPX Controller UI reads the Base64 strings from the rundown file and displays them as thumbnails next to each item, providing a visual preview of the graphic. This feature can significantly increase the size of rundown files, especially those with many items. ## Auto-Save Most changes are saved automatically: - Field edits - Item reordering - Item additions/removals If the UI becomes unresponsive, refresh the page (Ctrl+R or F5). ## Best Practices 1. **Name items descriptively** - Use clear names that indicate content 2. **Organize by segment** - Group related items together 3. **Use templates consistently** - Stick to project templates for visual consistency 4. **Test before going live** - Preview items before production 5. **Keep backups** - Rundown files can be backed up from dataroot folder ## Troubleshooting ### Item Won't Play - Check template is added to project - Verify all required fields are filled - Check playout server is configured (for [[Documentation/Renderer/Workflows/CasparCG - AMCP|CasparCG]]) - Review browser console for errors ### Changes Not Saving - Refresh the page (Ctrl+R) - Check browser console for errors - Verify write permissions on dataroot folder - Check disk space ### UI Becomes Unresponsive - Refresh the page (Ctrl+R or F5) - Check browser console for JavaScript errors - Restart SPX server if problem persists --- ## Read Next - [[Documentation/Graphic Templates/Template Definition|Template Definition]] - Understand how templates work - [[Documentation/Renderer/Workflows/Live Streaming Software|Live Streaming Software]] - Connect to production software - [[Documentation/Control Interfaces/REST/Overview of SPX API|SPX API]] - Control rundowns programmatically - [[Documentation/Graphics Controller/Project Settings|Project Settings]] - Configure project templates