Manage Info Panel content in eCatalogs

Last update: May 14, 2024

CREATED FOR:

  • Experienced
  • User

In addition to using Image Map text for your rollovers in eCatalogs, you can use an Info Panel to add larger quantities of rollover text, including links. You can also manage the InfoPanel by using caching that is timed and scheduling content updates.

You can manage your InfoPanel setup and data using the following features in Adobe Dynamic Media Classic:

  • The InfoPanel Setup panel lets you specify the template used to display the Info Panel text, a default response for errors, and the number of hours the information is cached. In addition, you can specify whether the eCatalogs is automatically published.
  • The InfoPanel Data feed panel lets you specify a CSV file containing the text you want to appear in the InfoPanel rollover text, and schedule times for updating the information.
  • The import Metadata dialog box (accessed from the Map Pages view) lets you import a tab-delimited TXT file containing the rollover text information. You can use this TXT option or the Data feed panel with the CSV file option for your rollover text.
  • Map Pages view provides an option for previewing the xml that appears for specific Image Maps.

Set up a response template for eCatalogs

You can select one of three preset response templates for displaying text in an Info Panel. These preset response templates determine how your information is presented in the Info Panel: how many columns and rows, typeface size, font, and so on. You can select a preset Response Template or create one of your own.

NOTE
You can also set up the Response Template in the Viewer Preset. To use the Response Template in the Viewer Preset instead, add fmt=1 to the end of the Information Server URL in the Viewer Preset.

  1. Double-click your eCatalog so it opens in Detail View.

  2. Select the InfoPanel Setup panel.

  3. Select a Response Template:

    • Select a preset from the Response Template menu. The XML for the template design appears in the User Template box.
    • To create your own Response Template, select Custom. Type the template XML definition in the User Template box. You can use the preset templates as a base for your own.

  4. (Optional) In the Default Response box, type the text you want to appear if Adobe Dynamic Media Classic encounters an error in retrieving information for an Image Map. For example, if the system receives a company name and an eCatalog name, but no rollover identifier, this message appears for the user.

  5. In the Response TTL box, enter the number of hours you want to wait before caching the data:

    • Set a lower number if the data is updated frequently throughout a day.
    • Set a higher number if the data is relatively stable and doesn’t require updating frequently throughout the day. The default is ten hours.

  6. Select Publish.

Import source content for the Info Panel in eCatalogs

You can use a comma-separated value file (CSV) or tab-delimited file (TXT) for the source text for an Info Panel for an eCatalog. Tab-delimited files must use UTF16 (Unicode) encoding. You can import the different file types using different methods.

When formatting source content, keep in mind the following guidelines:

  • Make sure that the tab- and comma-delimited data contains as many columns as are necessary for the rollover template.
  • Make sure that the first item or column of data is the rollover identifier (associated with the rollover_key value from the Image Map URLs).
  • Make sure that each tab- or comma-delimited item after the identifier is the item you want substituted into the Response Template. So, the first column is substituted into $1$, the second column into $2$, and so on.

Import CSV content into eCatalogs from an externally hosted location

  1. Double-click the eCatalog so it opens in Detail View.
  2. Select the InfoPanel Data feed panel.
  3. Enter the URL for the CSV file in the Externally Hosted CSV File Location box. You can paste the URL into this field or type it directly.
  4. (Optional) Specify a time to update the content using the Schedule Update menu and select Add. You can select multiple times for updating. Each update time appears in the Update Times box. (To remove a time, select it and select Delete.)
  5. (Optional) Select Run Update Now so you can immediately update the content.