Rangecast FAQ
[FAQ-1120] Name syntax of automatically generated Worlds (how to request content by a World name)

Page Type: REFERENCE

METHOD

There are several options for constructing the name of an automatically generated Rangecast world. Choose the option most relevant to your circumstances.


1) The most common circumstance is that the user wants a player configured for access to all content provided to users of a particular Rangecast system.

It is presumed that the administrator of the particular Rangecast system operates a Rangecast Hub, and the License written by that hub specifies which content may be distributed to which Rangecast user accounts.

[FAQ-1110] What is a License?

A License grants Rangecast user account(s) permission to access a specific set of channels, from someone authorized to allow access (a hub administrator). The channels may be identified individually, or access may be granted to entire baskets of channels (Collections, or all content from one or more originating hubs). For a hub administrator to grant access via a License, either (a) Rangecast administration must have given permission to this hub's administrators to grant access to the channels, or (b) the channels must originate at the same hub (in which case the administrator's right to grant access is implicit in the role of hub administrator.) Note that a hub may exist for the sole purpose of License authority; it is not required that a hub originate any content (e.g. operate feed sites or scanners.)



In this circumstance, the name of the Rangecast World is simply the name of the hub that issued the License.

Note: The World name is the name of the hub issuing the access license, which may be different from the name(s) of the hub(s) controlling the radios that receive the content. The user is not interested in where the audio originates; what matters is that the hub administrator has grouped this basket of content.


2) The user may want to access only a limited portion of the full channel list permitted by a License.

Of course, the user has control in the Player of which channels to receive, and can turn unwanted content off. But if the user's interest is really limited to a small portion of the License's coverage area, it is better to choose a World that more closely matches what the user wants to hear. Two specific advantages of a smaller World:

* Ease of use. Instead of turning off unwanted content (and having unwanted channels cluttering the automatically created Views), a smaller World screens out the unwanted content entirely from the Player controls.

* Performance. When channels are turned off, the Player continues to receive notifications of transmissions on these channels, since the user might turn the channels back on. In contrast, when channels are excluded through use of a smaller World, notifications over the network are limited to a smaller number of channels.

What's described above as screening out content (in comparison to option 1, a World with all channels permitted by a License) is accomplished by specifying in the World name the particular content that the user wants included in the smaller World. Everything else is excluded.

Content can be specified in any of the following ways:

* By originating hub -- all channels that come from scanners operated by a specific hub (e.g. "hubname")

* By custom collection -- a subset of channels from scanners operated by a specific hub that are grouped together by that hub's administrator (e.g. "hubname:westbureau")

* By agency type -- all channels from scanners operated by a specific hub that share the same agency type designation (e.g. "hubname:_W" for public works channels). For agency types that are differentiated into the dispatch/tactical/talk subtypes (e.g. fire, police, EMS, joint), it is permitted to write a code like "_F" to encompass all of the subtypes.
[FAQ-1029] Reference list of Agency Codes used by RadioReference, HPDB, RCHAN

This is a list of the Agency Codes used by RadioReference, and in the Home Patrol Database (HPDB), and in Rangecast RCHAN files.



* By county -- all channels within a county from scanners operated by a specific hub (e.g. "hubname:_D2053")

* By individual channel, as received by a specific hub, referenced by channel ID (e.g. "hubname:_C161710")

Unlike option 1, all of these methods require knowledge of which hub operates the scanners receiving the content.

The format for this type World name is the License name (same as option 1) followed by the specific content desired inside parenthesis (no space). For example:

licensehub(originhub)
licensehub(originhub:west)

Content can be added together with a comma separated list, e.g.

licensehub(originhub:west,originhub:_C161710,otherhub:_W)


3) This is a simplification of option 2, making a World name that's easier to write, which can be used if any of the requested content originates with scanners operated by the hub issuing the license.

In this case, the content can be specified in place of the license name. For example:

hubname:west
hubname:_F
hubname:west,_F
hubname:_C161710
onehub:_P1,otherhub:_P1

Note: this last example works if the user is licensed to receive all the channels by either "onehub" or "otherhub". Both Licenses are consulted, and if access is granted by either license, then the channel is passed to the user.

Note: when using this format, all the elements should include a colon. If you want to refer to all the content received at a particular hub (instead of referencing a particular collection within the hub), write this with a colon as "hubname:" instead of "hubname". If this is written without a colon, it is interpreted as a License name (not a selection of content by originating hub), so the player will receive all content authorized by that License.


4) A Rangecast username can be used to listen to any content throughout Rangecast that the user has permission to access. In most cases, the user is only given permission by a single License, administered by a Rangecast customer for which the user is listening to content (such as a business providing access to an employee.) However, it is quite possible that a user could be licensed to receive different content by different hubs, and want to listen to a combination of content for which access is granted under a combination of multiple licenses. Examples where this may apply:

* The user is licensed by two different organizations (where the channels that are authorized by these sources are different)

* The user is licensed by one organization, which operates 2+ hubs that each have their own License (for example, the organization may use separate Licenses for different parts of the business organization, divided by geographic region, business unit, or level of security access)

* The user is receiving some content from "open" Licenses, such as Rangecast demo content, or other content available to the public without restriction

To construct a World that combines all the content authorized under any of several Licenses, simply write a comma-separated list of the Licenses, e.g.:

onehub,otherhub


5) The user may want to access only a limited portion of the full channel list permitted by a list of multiple licenses. This is accomplised by writing a World name similar to what is described in option 2, except that the License portion is written as a list of licenses, e.g.:

onehub,otherhub(onehub:west,otherhub:_C161710,thirdhub:_W)

All listed Licenses are consulted, and if access to requested content is granted by any license, then the channel is passed to the user.


6) This is a simplification of option 5, making a World name that's easier to write, which can be used only if for each of the licenses, there is at least some content requested that originates at that hub. In this case, the content can be specified in place of the list of license names. For example:

onehub:west,otherhub:_C161710

EXCEPTIONS

These instructions are directed to either of two situations:

* a Rangecast user's choice of an *automatically generated* World,

* or for someone intending to create a World, the initial configuration on which the customized World is constructed

This does not apply to a Rangecast user's choice of a customized World, which will have a custom name given by the author of that World.

REFERENCE

"Automatic" worlds are built by the system from one or more predefined baskets of channels. No work is needed to use automatic Worlds (beyond connecting the radio receivers that deliver the content into Rangecast, and setting access permissions so specific users are allowed to access that content.

To use this feature to access content, a Rangecast user may need to request an automatically generated World by name (in the Rangecast player, Options page), so it is important to know the syntax of these names. This is the most basic way in which a Rangecast user can request ("tune in to") content.

The syntax of the name of an automatic World conveys this information:

* A reference to the License authorizing the user to hear particular content;
* Optional use of a licensing authority's selection of content;
* Optional designation of specific content wanted by the user

CITATIONS

REFERENCE

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