Chapter 3. Using the Clip Manager
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## Chapter 3. Using the Clip Manager

This chapter describes how to use the Clip Manager graphical user interface (GUI) to manage VCP-Recorder clips, including how to get them from, and write them to, an archive system. The following topics are discussed:

- “Starting the Clip Manager”

- “Clip Manager Menus”

- “Obtaining Information About a Clip”

- “Renaming a Clip”

- “Deleting a Clip”

- “Setting the Protections for a Clip”

- “Using VCP-Recorder With an Archive System”

  - “Locating a Clip in an Attached Archive System”

  - “Bringing In a New Clip From an Attached Archive System”

  - “Updating a Clip”

  - “Writing a Clip to an Attached Archive System”

## Starting the Clip Manager

To start the Clip Manager, enter the following, either from the workstation on the VCP-Recorder server or from a workstation on which the VCP-Recorder tools software[3] has been installed:

    % /usr/vtr/bin/mcclips  [-v loglevel]  [hostname]

where

- loglevel sets the severity level of the messages that are written on STDOUT.

  Table 3-1 shows the log severity levels and codes, which are listed in decreasing order of severity

  Table 3-1. Log Severity Levels and Codes

  Priority | Log Level | Description
  --- | --- | ---
  Emergency | -6 | Panic condition
  Alert | -5 | Condition that should be corrected immediately, such as a corrupted system file
  Critical | -4 | Critical condition that has system-wide impact, such as a hard device error; immediate action required
  Error | -3 | Problem that needs correcting but does not require immediate action
  Warning | -2 | Possible problem but could be a transient problem that corrects itself
  Notice | -1 | Condition that might require attention, but is not an error condition
  Info | 0 | Informational message
  Debugn | n | Informational message that normally is of use to engineers for debugging; may be Debug1, Debug2, or Debug3, with Debug3 producing the most debugging information

  | Note: The `mcclips` program writes its log messages to the window from which it is invoked.

  If the `-v` option is omitted, all messages with a severity level of Info and above are written to the log. If this option is present, loglevel, which can be a positive or negative number, identifies the minimum level of the messages that are written to the log.

- hostname is the name of the host on which VCP-Recorder is running. If this parameter is omitted, it is assumed that VCP-Recorder is running on the same host as the one from which the program is invoked.

The VCP-Recorder Clip Manager is displayed in a separate window, which is shown in Figure 3-1. The window shows the clips that are in VCP-Recorder. For each clip, it shows the name, the duration, and the format. (If the duration contains an “*” it means that no material has been recorded in the clip.)

Figure 3-1. Clip Manager Window

| Note: You can also start the Clip Manager by choosing Utilities > Clip Manager in the VCP-Recorder Media Control Panel menu bar.

## Clip Manager Menus

The File pulldown menu in the menu bar of the Clip Manager window provides the following options:

- Info, to obtain information about a clip

- Rename, to rename a clip

- Delete, to delete a clip

- Protect, to set the protection levels for a clip

- Close, to close the Clip Manager window

- Exit, to close the Clip Manager window and exit the program

Except for the Close and Exit options, you must select a clip before requesting one of the options. You can select the clip by pointing to it with the mouse cursor and pressing the left mouse button.

You can also use the Find field to select a clip by entering any number of characters that match the values in either the name, the duration, or the format. For example, if you enter “xxx” in the Find field, the Clip Manager highlights the first clip that it finds that contains “xxx.” If you add “y” to the Find field, it searches for a clip that it finds that contains “xxxy,” starting with the current clip.

Regardless of the method for selecting a clip, the selected clip becomes highlighted.

| Note: You can access the clip-related functions in the File pulldown menu by selecting a clip and then pressing the right mouse button. You can also access the Info option by double-clicking the clip in the Clip Manager window.

The Archive pulldown menu in the menu bar provides the following options:

- Find, to get information about a clip in the archive system

- Get New, to bring a new clip from the archive system into VCP-Recorder

- Get, update an existing clip from the archive system

- Put, to write a clip to the archive system

| Note: You can access the functions in this option menu by pressing the right mouse button and then selecting the Archive option in the pop-up menu.

## Obtaining Information About a Clip

To obtain information about a clip, follow these steps:

1. Select the clip in the Clip Manager window.

2. Choose File > Info from the menu bar. The clip information window, as shown in Figure 3-2, appears.

   Figure 3-2. The Clip Information Window

   This window shows the in- and out-points of the clip, the edit points, the size of the clip, and the protection. An asterisk (“*”) indicates that the value is not set. For example, Figure 3-2 indicates that the edit points are not set.

3. To refresh the information in this window, click the Refresh button.

## Renaming a Clip

To rename a clip, follow these steps:

1. Do one of the following:

   - Select the clip in the Clip Manager window and then choose File > Rename from the menu bar.

   - If the clip information window for the clip is displayed, click the Rename... button in the information window.

   The Rename Clip window, as shown in Figure 3-3, appears.

   Figure 3-3. Rename Clip Window

2. Enter the new name of the clip.

3. Click the Rename button.

## Deleting a Clip

To delete a clip, follow these steps:

1. Do one of the following:

   - Select the clip in the Clip Manager window and then choose File > Delete from the menu bar.

   - If the clip information window for the clip is displayed, click the Delete button in the information window.

   The Delete Clip window, as shown in Figure 3-4, appears.

   Figure 3-4. Delete Clip Window

2. Click the Delete button to delete the clip.

## Setting the Protections for a Clip

By default, a clip can be deleted, recorded into, and renamed, and its edit point attributes can be changed. Therefore, if you want a clip to be protected from any of these changes, you must set the protections for that clip. This would be especially useful when multiple applications and/or automation controllers are using the VCP-Recorder.

To set the protections for a clip, follow these steps:

1. Do one of the following:

   - Select the clip in the Clip Manager window and then choose File > Protect from the menu bar.

   - If the clip information window for the clip is displayed, click the Protect... button in the information window.

   The Set Protections window, as shown in Figure 3-5, appears.

   Figure 3-5. Set Protections Window

   This window identifies the protections that can be set. Each protection is preceded by a check box. If there's a red check in the check box, the corresponding protection is selected. If there is not a red check, the corresponding protection is not selected.

   | Note: The default is that a clip has no protections set. Therefore, you must set protections if you want the clip to have any.

2. Click the appropriate check boxes to indicate the protections that you want for this clip.

   | Note: Each check box acts like a toggle switch. Click the check box once to select that protection. Click the check box a second time to deselect it.

3. Click the OK button to have the protections take effect.

## Using VCP-Recorder With an Archive System

When VCP-Recorder is configured to be used with MediaHub archive systems, you can use the VCP-Recorder GUI to

- locate MediaHub clips

- bring a MediaHub clip into VCP-Recorder

- update a VCP-Recorder clip by getting its content from MediaHub

- store a VCP-Recorder clip in MediaHub

See Appendix A, “Using a MediaHub Archive System,” for information about the structure of MediaHub clips that can be brought into VCP-Recorder or that were stored by VCP-Recorder in the archive system. See the MediaHub User's Guide for information about MediaHub.

### Locating a Clip in an Attached Archive System

To locate a clip in an attached archive system, follow these steps:

1. Choose Archive > Find from the menu bar. The Find Clip in Archive window, as shown in Figure 3-6, appears.

   Figure 3-6. Find Clip in Archive Window

2. Enter the name of the clip. This corresponds to the value of the MediaHub asset's `ClipId` attribute.

3. Click the Find button.

| Note: This feature is not fully implemented in the graphical user interface. To determine whether the clip was found, you must look in the VCP-Recorder log. (See the VCP-Recorder Installation and Administration Guide for information.)

### Bringing In a New Clip From an Attached Archive System

To bring in a new clip from an attached archive system, follow these steps:

1. Choose Archive > Get New from the menu bar. The Get Clip from Archive window, as shown in Figure 3-7, appears.

   Figure 3-7. Get Clip from Archive Window: Getting a New Clip

2. Enter the name of the clip, which is the value of the MediaHub asset's `ClipId` attribute.

3. Click the Get button.

| Note: The clip is brought in from the first archive system in which it is found. That is, if the clip exists in more than one attached archive system, it is brought in from the first one. The clip can be brought in from an archive system other than the first one by using the MVCP command `AGET`.

### Updating a Clip

To update a clip by bringing in new content from an attached archive system, follow these steps:

1. Do one of the following:

   - Select the clip in the Clip Manager window and then choose the Archive > Get option from the menu bar.

   - If the clip information window for the clip is displayed, click the Get Archive button in the information window.

   The Get Clip from Archive window, as shown in Figure 3-8, appears.

   Figure 3-8. Get Clip from Archive Window: Updating an Existing Clip

2. Click the Get button to update the clip from the archive.

| Note: The clip is updated from the first archive system in which the clip is found. That is, if the clip exists in more than one attached archive system, it is updated from the first one. The clip can be updated from an archive system other than the first one by using the MVCP command `AGET`.

### Writing a Clip to an Attached Archive System

To write a clip to an attached archive system, follow these steps:

1. Do one of the following:

   - Select the clip in the Clip Manager window and then choose Archive > Put from the menu bar.

   - If the clip information window for the clip is displayed, click the Put Archive button in the information window.

   The Put Clip to Archive window, as shown in Figure 3-9, appears.

   Figure 3-9. Put Clip to Archive Window

2. Click the Put button to write the clip to the archive system.

| Note: The clip is written to the first attached archive system. That is, if there is more than one attached archive system, the clip is written to the first one. The clip can be put to an archive system other than the first one by using the MVCP command `APUT`.

[3] To run the Clip Manager from a remote workstation, the vcp_recorder_eoe.sw32.tools subsystem must be installed on a workstation that has IRIX 6.2 later. See the VCP-Recorder Installation and Administration Guide for more information.

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Chapter 2. Using the VCP-Recorder GUI |  | Chapter 4. MVCP Reference