Captivate Templates and Graphics Workflow

Product: Falcon Graphic Gateway
Applies to: version 0.2.0, revision 0005
Guide updated: 1 October 2026

Build NewBlue Captivate templates that Falcon Graphic Gateway can select and populate automatically from a published Falcon Rundown. By matching template names and variable names, you can avoid using the Map dialog for each graphic type.

Workflow: published Falcon Rundown graphic → matching Captivate template → separate title for each occurrence → automatic Data Controller binding → updated graphic data.

The HTML graphic in Falcon and the Captivate design are separate templates. The gateway transfers data; it does not convert HTML layouts, CSS or animations into NewBlue designs. Take and Out remain controlled in Captivate.

1. Before you start

• Run Falcon Graphic Gateway and NewBlue Captivate on the same computer, with a Captivate project open.
• Have access to a Falcon workspace and at least one published rundown containing graphics.
• Connect the workspace in Settings using its workspace token or an FMG pairing code. Keep access credentials private.
• Under Settings → Graphics Output, select NewBlue Captivate. It is the only graphics integration available in revision 0005. Pause synchronization before changing systems.
• Use Check connection to verify that the gateway can reach Captivate. The integration uses Captivate's local HTTP API and controller channel.
• Use a test project when preparing or replacing templates. Save a project copy before removing generated titles.

The current integration has been developed and tested on macOS. Windows packaging is configured, but installation, Captivate compatibility and actual output still require validation on the client's Windows computer.

2. Agree on asset names and variable names

Use the graphic's asset name and the keys shown under Data in the gateway's Overview. Story titles and the visible sample text inside a graphic are not template identifiers.

The gateway trims surrounding whitespace from Falcon's asset name and removes one trailing .html extension, including uppercase variants of that extension. The remaining name is matched exactly: capitalization, underscores and revision suffixes matter. Use filenames without surrounding whitespace.

Field names are also case-sensitive. Preserve _titel exactly; do not translate it to _title. A Captivate variable called Name will not automatically match _name.

Every field supplied by Falcon must have a valid target variable. The gateway currently handles scalar values such as text and numbers; it converts them to strings, and null or empty values clear the field. Arrays and objects are rejected and need integration work, not just a renamed field in Map.

3. Build the template in Captivate

1. Create a graphic or drag a starting design from Captivate's Graphics Library into the project.
2. Select the graphic and click Edit Graphic to open the Designer.
3. Build the background, text, logos and animations. Prepare separate text layers for the name and subtitle.
4. Select the name text layer and open Properties → Layer → Motion & Data.
5. Enable Text Variable in Variable Settings. Leave the data source as None or unassigned; the gateway will attach it later.
6. Set the variable name to _name. If necessary, double-click the existing variable name, enter the replacement and press Tab.
7. Repeat for the subtitle, using _titel.
8. Check the exposed variables under Properties → Global → Variables. Renaming a layer alone does not create a data variable.
9. Confirm the Designer changes with the green checkmark so they are applied to the project graphic.

Use sample values to check placement, long names and wrapping before connecting real data. Do not manually create one Data Controller per story: the gateway creates and binds independent inputs for generated titles.

These text-variable steps follow NewBlue's variable documentation. Other Captivate variable types require their own format and output checks; the text workflow does not establish support for every data-driven feature.

4. Save a reusable template folder

In the Designer, choose File → Save As. Save the lower third as CrimeReport_Lower3rd_rev00.nbtitle. Select NewBlue Titler design with Assets (*.nbtitle) when you want fonts, image/video textures and other assets included for transfer to another computer. See NewBlue's save and package instructions.

Keep the templates directly inside a permanent folder, for example:

Falcon Captivate Templates/
  CrimeReport_Lower3rd_rev00.nbtitle
  CrimeReport_LiveIdent_rev00.nbtitle
  CrimeReport_Headline_rev02.nbtitle
  CrimeReport_Infobox_rev00.nbtitle

For the corresponding CrimeReport assets, expose these variables:

These are concrete examples. For another asset or revision, use its actual Falcon field keys.

5. Import templates without using Map

1. Pause synchronization in Falcon Graphic Gateway.
2. Open Settings → Graphics Output.
3. Click Import template folder and select your permanent folder.
4. The gateway registers every directly contained .nbtitle file using its basename. Identical Falcon and Captivate variable names are linked automatically.
5. Return to Overview, select the required published rundown and click Start synchronization.

No Map dialog or mapping.json is required when both template and field names match. The folder import creates and saves the template associations for you.

The import stores absolute paths to your files; it does not copy them into the application. Keep the files accessible at that location. Subfolders are not scanned. The folder is not continuously watched for new registrations: import it again after adding templates. Imported entries replace existing saved mappings with the same key; unrelated mappings remain.

6. What synchronization creates and updates

For every graphic occurrence in the selected rundown, the gateway creates a separate Captivate title and its own Data Controller input. Ten lower thirds using one template therefore produce ten titles with independent values. Generated titles are named FGG · template · id.

The gateway links each incoming Falcon field to its Captivate variable, sends the values, and reads the title back. Synchronized means both values and data bindings were confirmed by Captivate. It does not mean the graphic is currently on air or that the video output has been visually checked.

Identity follows workspace, rundown and item identity, allowing the gateway to reuse its titles on subsequent updates and restarts. Preserve the local ownership records and the corresponding Captivate project.

Device/pairing mode schedules a new poll approximately one second after the previous cycle finishes. Workspace-token mode checks the selected rundown approximately every 3.5 seconds, with less frequent catalog checks. Actual delay depends on network response, Captivate response and graphic count.

• Changed data updates its corresponding occurrence, including a title that is already live.
• Binding changes wait until the title is off air.
• Take, Out and output routing remain under Captivate's control. Falcon timing fields do not trigger automatic playout.
• Changing rundown order does not reorder existing Captivate rows.
• Removing a graphic, changing rundowns or losing the connection preserves existing generated titles. If the selected rundown is no longer published, synchronization pauses.
• After restarting the gateway, the connection and selection are restored, but synchronization starts paused.

7. Alternative: use an existing Captivate project title

Instead of importing files, you can keep a source title in the open Captivate project named exactly CrimeReport_Lower3rd_rev00, with variables _name and _titel. If no saved mapping exists for that asset, the gateway finds and duplicates the uniquely named source title.

The title must be present in the open project; an entry in Graphics Library alone is not enough. Exactly one source title must match. Gateway-generated titles whose names start with FGG · are excluded as source templates.

Selection priority: a saved mapping, including a folder import or bundled test mapping, is used first. Automatic project-title matching is only the fallback when no saved mapping exists. A broken saved mapping does not silently fall back to another title.

Revision 0005 has no dedicated button for clearing a saved mapping back to project-name matching. Importing the correctly named file is the simplest documented workflow for replacing an existing association without using Map.

8. Existing designs with different variable names

If an existing design uses Name and Subtitle, you can either rename its variables to match Falcon or place an optional mapping.json alongside the template files. The latter avoids manual Map clicks while explicitly translating field names:

{
  "CrimeReport_Lower3rd_rev00": {
    "fields": {
      "_name": "Name",
      "_titel": "Subtitle"
    }
  }
}

The outer key is the template basename. Each field pair is Falcon source key → Captivate target variable. This file changes field associations, not the template filename matching rule. Import the folder again after editing it.

For new templates, matching variable names directly is easier to maintain. An old mapping.json can override those direct matches. Remove obsolete translations from your production template folder. In revision 0005, an unreadable or invalid mapping.json is treated as absent, so check the resulting graphic statuses after importing.

9. Replace bundled test templates and revise designs

The bundled CrimeReport templates are technical test designs based on a simple two-line title. They are not finished programme graphics. Their saved mappings commonly translate _name to Name and _titel to Subtitle.

Import your finished files under the same basenames to replace those saved associations. Use a folder without the test mapping.json if your finished designs already expose Falcon's exact field names.

Existing generated titles do not automatically inherit template design changes. Changing the source file path or source title identity causes the gateway to request removal of the previous generated title before replacement. Editing a file at the same path is not detected as a design revision; existing titles retain their design, while new titles load the updated file. Re-importing alone does not rebuild existing titles.

For a controlled test-project rebuild:

1. Pause synchronization and save a copy of the Captivate project.
2. Finish and export your templates, then import their folder.
3. Make sure the generated titles you intend to remove are off air.
4. Use Remove owned test titles and read the confirmation carefully.
5. Select the required rundown and start synchronization to recreate its graphics.

Cleanup scope: despite the button's name, it removes all locally registered gateway-owned titles that are off air, including finished designs and titles from other rundowns. It is not a per-template or demo-only cleanup. Existing source titles and on-air titles are preserved. Controller profiles may remain after title removal. Do not use this broad cleanup during a production that depends on those titles.

For a new design generation, consider a new asset/template revision such as CrimeReport_Lower3rd_rev01, updating both systems consistently. New graphic occurrences can use it; changing the template source for an existing occurrence still requires replacement of its generated title.

10. Verify the workflow with two occurrences

1. Add two occurrences of CrimeReport_Lower3rd_rev00.html to a test rundown.
2. Give them different _name and _titel values, then publish the rundown.
3. Synchronize and confirm that two separate Captivate titles appear, both marked Synchronized in the gateway.
4. Preview each title in Captivate and confirm the intended design, text, fonts and layout.
5. Change the first occurrence's name in Falcon. Confirm that only its corresponding title changes.
6. Clear its subtitle in Falcon. Confirm that the old subtitle disappears.
7. Restart the gateway, confirm that it starts paused, then resume and check that the same titles are reused without duplicates.
8. Check actual Take, Out, animations and output on the intended test output before using the design in production.

This is an acceptance procedure to run on your system, not a claim that the guide publication performed these tests.

11. Transfer the workflow to Windows

1. Transfer the template folder, including optional mapping.json and required assets, to a permanent Windows location.
2. Install the intended Captivate version and open a suitable project. Verify fonts, media, animation and output.
3. Use the Windows gateway build once it has been validated for the client environment. Pair it with the workspace again; do not copy the Mac's encrypted connection file.
4. Import the folder on Windows so its local paths are registered. Mac file paths are not portable.
5. Check the Captivate connection and repeat the two-occurrence acceptance procedure.

For a fresh installation, a clean target project avoids confusing imported generated titles with locally owned titles. Moving a project that already contains gateway-generated titles also requires a planned ownership-record migration; copying the Captivate project alone does not grant the new gateway ownership.

12. Troubleshooting

When reporting an issue, include the gateway version/revision, Captivate version, exact asset name, field names and relevant error message. Do not include workspace tokens or pairing credentials.