Setting Up Auto-Assign in Radio Workflow

This guide provides a detailed, step-by-step walkthrough on setting up the auto-assign feature in Radio Workflow. The auto-assign feature enables users to automatically assign cart numbers (or cart IDs) to traffic orders, simplifying the process of tracking audio files associated with ads.

Accessing Global Settings

1. Click the settings wrench in the main left menu bar.
2. Click the global settings wrench.

Configuring Auto-Assign Cart Range

Understanding Cart Ranges

When configuring the auto-assign cart range, it's crucial to ensure that the range is set up correctly to avoid issues during cart number generation. Cart ranges can be defined as either numeric or alphanumeric, and both types must be used consistently.

1. Numeric Ranges:

• Description: A numeric range consists only of digits (0-9). This is ideal when you want to define a sequence of cart numbers in a purely numeric format.
• Example: A range defined as 1 to 1000 will include all numbers from 1 to 1000.
• Usage: Use numeric ranges when all cart numbers should be simple numbers without any alphabetic characters.

2. Alphanumeric Ranges:

• Description: An alphanumeric range includes both letters and digits. This type of range is useful when you want to include cart numbers that contain letters.
• Example: A range defined as A003 to Y999 or ACDE to HJLM will include combinations of letters and numbers, but will omit easily confused characters.
• Usage: Use alphanumeric ranges when your cart numbers need to include both letters and numbers.

Steps to Configure the Cart Range

1. Locate the "Auto Assign Cart Range" option.
2. Enter the range of cart numbers you want the system to use for the auto-assigner. Follow these guidelines to ensure the range is valid:

• Consistent Range Types:
  • Numeric Range: Ensure both the start and end of the range are numeric (e.g., 1 to 1000).
  • Alphanumeric Range: Ensure both the start and end of the range are alphanumeric and exactly 4 characters long (e.g., A003 to Y999, with restrictions on certain characters as detailed below).
• Important: Do not mix numeric and alphanumeric values in the same range (e.g., 1 to Y999 is not allowed).
• Range Start and End: Ensure that the Range Start is less than or equal to the Range End.
• Example Valid Numeric Ranges:
  • 1 to 1000
  • 0001 to 9999
• Example Valid Alphanumeric Ranges:
  • A003 to B005
  • ACDE to ADFF
• Error Handling: If the range is invalid, an error will occur. Ensure you correct the input to meet the above criteria.
• If you reach the end of your range and need to assign new cart numbers, update the range to a new set of numbers available in your production system.

3. Save your changes.

After completing these steps, the auto-assigner will use the updated range to assign cart numbers to new ads.

Auto-Assignment of Alphanumeric Codes

Character Set for Auto-Assignment

To prevent user confusion, especially when distinguishing between similar-looking characters, the system omits certain characters from the alphanumeric pool when generating auto-assigned codes. Specifically, the following characters are excluded:

• 1 (One)
• I (Uppercase i)
• 0  (Zero)
• O (Uppercase o)
• 8 (Eight)
• B (Uppercase b)
• Z (Uppercase z)
• 2 (Two)

Character Set Used for Alphanumeric Codes

The alphanumeric codes are generated using the following character set, which excludes the confusing characters while still offering a wide range of possibilities:

• Letters: A, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y
• Numbers: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9

This provides a pool of 28 characters, allowing for a total of 614,656 combinations for 4-character codes (28 * 28 * 28 * 28) and ensuring clarity in asset identification.

Application in Ranges

When setting a range for alphanumeric codes (e.g., A003 to Y999 or ACDE to HJLM), the system will cycle through the available character set, ensuring none of the omitted characters are used.

This approach helps maintain clarity and reduces the likelihood of errors when reading or inputting codes.

Using the Auto-Assign Feature

Creating a New Ad

Open the traffic order you want to add a spot to and create the parameters for the new ad.

Assigning a Cart Number

Click the "auto assign" button to automatically assign a cart number to the new ad.

Alternatively, you can manually assign cart numbers to your ads by entering the desired number in the cart number field instead of using the auto-assigner.