Skip to main content
Skip table of contents

Manage Realtime Layout Overlay

Overview

The Manage Realtime Layout overlay allows you to view and make changes to a previously-saved realtime layout.

It contains the following, each of which is documented separately:

  • Toolbar

  • Left-hand tabset, containing:

    • Layout Guide tab

    • Layout Hierarchy tab

  • Right-hand tabset, containing:

    • Selected Layout/Area Details tab

    • Selected Layout/Area Smart Assets tab

  • Footer

Toolbar

The following are displayed at the Manage Realtime Layout overlay's toolbar:

  • Validation status indicator

  • Publish Smart Assets: exposing two context menu options:

  • Publish All Smart Assets: this option allows you to publish all Smart Assets associated with the current realtime layout for use with the RPI Realtime API.

  • Publish Smart Assets at Selected [Layout/Area]: this option allows you to publish all Smart Assets within the selected area or layout, and its child areas/layouts, for use with the RPI Realtime API. An information message is displayed when you select this option and no smart assets have been associated with the currently-selected layout or area or its children.

Note that both of the options above are disabled when the current realtime layout is invalid or contains unsaved changes.

Save: clicking this button saves any unsaved changes within the current realtime layout, and publishes all realtime layouts at the current client to the RPI Realtime API. Note that this does not publish their associated smart assets. A Publish job is created, but the My Jobs Dialog is not shown.

The following save options are available at a context menu:

  • Save: as per clicking the main Save button.

  • Clone and Save: selecting this option creates a new realtime layout based on the current one. The new layout is saved, and displayed in the Manage... overlay. An incrementable integer is appended to the layout's name to ensure its uniqueness.

  • Export: this option is available when the realtime layout contains no unsaved changes. Clicking it displays a Browse for Folder Windows file system dialog. Selection of a folder and clicking OK creates an Export job, and displays it in the My Jobs dialog. Having exported a realtime layout, you can import it in the usual manner from the RPI File System Dialog.

Delete Realtime Layout: this button is displayed in gray...

...and changes to red when hovered over:

Its invocation is protected by an 'Are You Sure?' dialog. When a realtime layout is deleted, the Manage... overlay is removed from display, the layout is removed from the list and the list is refreshed. An information message confirms the deletion.

Layout Guide Tab

The Layout Guide tab allows you allows you to visually represent a layout. A background image (typically of a web page) can be uploaded, and areas can be located within the layout.

It consists of a toolbar and a Layout control.

The toolbar exposes the following:

Layout chooser: this control, displayed at the top of the tab, allows you to choose a layout, and the areas contained therein, to view in the Layout Guide. If more than one layout has been configured within the current realtime layout, a treeview is displayed on clicking the layout chooser.

You can select a layout to display in the Layout Guide. The treeview is not shown if only a single layout has been configured.

  • Add new Area to this Layout: this button, shown to the right of the layout chooser, allows you to add a visual representation of a new area to the Layout Guide. The new area is positioned below all existing areas within the current layout, is selected automatically and is named 'New Area' (an incrementable integer can be appended to ensure that the area's name is unique within the layout).

  • Remove selected Area from this Layout: this button, displayed to the right of Add new Area..., is enabled when an area is selected in the Layout Guide. Clicking it removes the area without display of an ''Are You Sure?' dialog.

The Layout control appears below the toolbar. A representation of the current layout, optionally displaying an image selected at the layout's Choose Layout Background property, is displayed below the toolbar. When an image has not been associated with the layout, and no areas have been added, the following is displayed:

When a layout background has been set, it is displayed as expected:

When an area is selected within a layout, the area's Realtime API Context Path is shown in a tooltip when hovering over the same:

When an area is unselected, it is displayed with a black border and no fill:

On hovering over an area, it is displayed with an orange border and fill:

When an area is selected, it is displayed with a selected item dotted border:

You cannot select more than one area simultaneously. No constraints upon areas' placement are enforced.


If an area represents a smart asset with its Show Area property set to 'Yes', it is differentiated from other areas through use of a smart assets icon:

The smart asset name is also included in the Realtime API Context Path tooltip shown on hover:

The Z-order of areas displayed within a layout is as per the placement in the current Layout Hierarchy, with areas later in the hierarchy displayed over earlier areas.

Layout Hierarchy Tab

The Layout Hierarchy contains a treeview representation of the current realtime layout's hierarchy of layouts and areas. If the Layout Guide is used, it reflects the structure of layouts displayed therein.

The Layout Guide is read-only. An initial layout is always present.

A tooltip is shown when hovering over a layout or node in the hierarchy, displaying its name and description:

The following appear at a layout or area displayed within the Layout Hierarchy:

Icon: representing a layout:

...or area:

The icon is adorned with a mini icon in the following cases:

  • Name

  • 'Traffic light': displaying the current status of smart asset publishing at the layout or node. A tooltip is shown when hovering over the traffic light:

The traffic light's color represents the following:

Green:

Amber:

Red:

Actions: this button is displayed at the right of a layout or area. Clicking it displays a context menu, exposing the following options:

  • Add New Child Area: selecting this option creates a new area as a child of the current layout or area. It is added after all other children. Its default name is 'New Area' (an incrementable integer can be added to ensure the name's uniqueness within its parent).

  • Add New Child Layout: selecting this option creates a new layout as a child of the current layout or area. It is added after all other children. Its default name is 'New Layout' (an incrementable integer can be added to ensure the name's uniqueness within its parent).

  • Remove: this option is disabled at the root layout. Invocation removes the selected layout or area without display of an 'Are You Sure?' dialog.

Note that the maximum depth to which layouts and areas can be nested is 10 deep.

The Layout Hierarchy treeview's collapsed or expanded status is saved along when the current realtime layout is saved.

You can drag and drop layouts and areas within the treeview to re-order them. You cannot drag the root layout, and you can only drop layouts and areas in a legitimate position.

Selected Layout/Area Details Tab

This tab is displayed in the right-hand tabset, and displays the properties of the layout or area selected currently in the Layout Guide or Hierarchy.

If a layout is selected, the following are shown:

  • Name: this mandatory, updateable text field can be a maximum of 100 characters in length. If the root layout, the value supplied must be unique across all realtime contexts at the current client. If a non-root layout, the value supplied must be unique within the parent layout or area. No case restrictions apply, but you may not use the '/' or '.' characters.

  • Description: this optional, multi-line text field can be a maximum of 1000 characters in length.

Layout Background: this property allows you to select an optional layout background to use at the Layout Guide. A button is shown; when a background has yet to be selected, it appears like this:

...and when a background has been selected, like this:

Clicking the button displays the Choose Layout Image Windows file system dialog, which is display image Files only. On selection of an image, it is displayed at the currently-selected layout in the Layout Guide.

  • Layout URL: you can optionally provide a URL representing the layout in this text field. When a URL has been specified an Open URL in Web Browser button is displayed to the right of the property. Clicking it opens the URL provided in your default browser.

  • Realtime API Context Path: this read-only property represents the full path to the layout, which can be used when accessing it via the Realtime API. It is accompanied by a Copy Realtime API Path to Clipboard button, displayed to the right of the property.

Realtime API Scripts: this button ('Generate and Display Scripts') allows you to generate scripts to access the layout using the Realtime API. Clicking the button generates the scripts and displays them below the button:

You can copy the JSON body to be used to evaluate smart assets at the current layout.

If an area is selected, the following are shown:

  • Name: must be unique within the parent layout or area.

  • Description

  • Show Area: this checkbox is checked by default. When checked, the area is shown at the Layout Guide. When unchecked, the area is not shown.

  • Realtime API Context Path

  • Realtime API Scripts

Selected Layout/Area Smart Assets Tab

This tab is used to manage the smart assets associated with a layout or area. It contains the following:

When no smart assets are associated with the layout or area, a message is shown:

A list of the associated smart assets is displayed in alphabetical order. The following are shown for each smart asset in the list:

  • Smart Asset: a read-only representation of the smart asset file associated with the selected layout or area. An inline Open Latest Version button is provided, and standard file operations can be accessed from a context menu.

  • Preview: if the smart asset's default content is an image asset, a preview is displayed inline. Otherwise, it can be accessed by clicking this property to view a preview in the File Information Dialog.

Actions: this button provides access to the following context menu options:

  • View Results: selecting this option displays the smart asset's details in the Realtime Details Report.

  • Publish Smart Asset: selecting this option publishes the smart asset. It is disabled when the realtime layout is invalid or contain unsaved changes.

  • Remove: removes the smart asset from the layout or area. Not protected by ''Are You Sure?'.

  • Tag Name: an optional property used to identify the Smart Asset when using the Realtime API. Tag Name can be a maximum of 100 characters in length, and defaults to the name of the smart asset.

  • Published Status: a read-only representation of the current published status of the smart asset (one of Published, Unpublished or Not published). An information tooltip is shown on hovering over the property; when the smart asset is Published or Unpublished:

...and when never having previously been published:

Show Area: this Yes/No dropdown field allows you to specify that the smart asset be shown as a separate area in the Layout Guide. If set to 'Yes', a separate area, named after the smart asset and with a smart asset icon, is displayed.

The following are displayed at the bottom of the list:

  • Add Smart Assets: this button allows you to associate smart assets with the layout or area. Clicking it displays the Add Smart Assets File System Dialog, within which you can select one or more smart assets to add to the list.

  • Drag/drop Smart Assets here to add them to this [Layout/Area]: dragging a smart asset from the toolbox and dropping it onto this label adds it to the list. If the smart asset is already present in the list it is not added.

Note that Rule, Model, Goal, Tag, Table and Advanced smart assets can be added to the list. Attribute and Audience Segment smart assets cannot. Note also the presence of an invalid smart asset within a realtime layout does not make the layout itself invalid.

Finally, a new Realtime API Context Paths section is now available in the Smart Asset Designer’s Publish Options dialog. For more information, please see that interface’s documentation.

The following buttons are displayed at the Manage Realtime Layout overlay's footer:

  • Cancel: displayed if outstanding changes are present within the realtime layout. Invocation is protected by an 'Are You Sure?' dialog, abandons any changes made to the realtime layout and closes the Manage... overlay.

  • Save & Close: displayed if outstanding changes are present within the realtime layout. Invocation saves any changes made to the realtime layout and closes the Manage... overlay.

Close: displayed if no outstanding changes are present within the realtime layout. Invocation closes the Manage... overlay.

JavaScript errors detected

Please note, these errors can depend on your browser setup.

If this problem persists, please contact our support.

Contact Support Close