At our channel we don't use filefield for selecting an already existing file. In our case, the users add the metadata independently of the mpeg-2 file. I needed a way to suggest a filename to the user when entering the metadata about a show. When the mpeg-2 file later is ready it should be given the name that already has been entered/generated in the om_show form.

This would ideally be done with an AJAX call while the user is adding/editing the show. Like "Click to generate filename". The admin will choose what criteria to build the filename from, but as kreynen suggests this could ideally build on the established torrent filenaming: project_S01_E01.mpg.

In our case we don't use season and episode, but would like season to be the current year and episode to be an incremental number, that increases with 1 for every new show in a project for that particular year. Like project_S2010_E001.mpg

Best way to go about this? We need this feature to be able to start giving users control over their own shows, without the staff having to enter and edit all this data for them.

Comments

stefanwray’s picture

stefanwray commented

At channelAustin, users create a filename when they submit their digital file with this pattern:

PPPPTTTTTTTTTTEEE.mov

where

P = Project, acronym of 4 char
T = Title, up to 10 char
E = Episode #, up to 3 char

When we start using the om_show form, they will select their filename from a list of options provided filtered by the Project acronym.

It seems important for us here that users first submit their digital file and THEN complete the om_show form. We've learned that things will go wrong with submitting files and so it's important to have a valid file available before moving on to the next step of creating the om_show record.

It could be that our pattern is not the best one or the most universal.

westis’s picture

westis commented

Thanks for the reply!

That's a good suggestion for file naming (although we don't currently use project, but member organization in its stead).

The reason we quite often need the form before the file is submitted is that ideally we want to be a week or more ahead with the schedule, and the shows may become less interesting if they can't air soon after recording. It may be a current issue, and the show must air quickly after recording/submitting (although it's not live). Therefore we need that option somehow.

With a simple-to-understand file naming pattern like the one at channelAustin (although it would need to be a configuration option, as the pattern may differ between channels) it would be easy enough to generate a suggested filename with AJAX (as an option of course, for channels with that workflow).

Another thing could be that it may be difficult to remember what the episode number should be, without Drupal having it generated from previously entered shows. The members usually don't have direct access to the mpeg archive.

How do the users at channelAustin know what the episode number of a show is? If their memory is bad, that is... :)

It doesn't have to be a button that generates the filename with AJAX. But some kind of way for the user to know what the filename should be, whether the file or the form is submitted first, makes life much easier. And in our workflow I think a button in the form would be the easiest for the users.