XPression- ESPN Project

Basics

Any site using the ESPN project must be using a version of XPression that supports scripting (any version except XPression Prime). Your site should also be on Version 9.5 5008 or higher if you are in Software Maintenance for that version.

• To go to Version 9.5, the license on your dongles must have an expiry date of July 15th 2019 or later. if it is before this date you will need to contact sales so you can purchase a maintenance renewal.

Versions

If you have the current version of the project, you can run either version 9.5 or version 10.0 of XPression.

• Important: In order to have your project work without issues, you need to be using at least one of the following versions: 

• If you aren't using one of these versions, you may run into Datalinq timeout issues.

Ports

ESPN projects by default use the original port assignments for everything (Datalinq, Rosstalk, etc.) This is a brief list:

Datalinq Setup

The default Datalinq port is 8888. To check which ports Datalinq is using, do  the following:

In Xpression

• Click the Datalinq Manager icon. 
• In the Datalinq Manager window you can see the port listed as well as the connection status.

In Datalinq Server

• In the window title of the Datalinq Server application, you can see the port.
• However, this sometimes does not update properly. You can also verify by clicking File > Preferences to open the Preferences window.

• You can change the port in both locations.
  • Note: Make sure the ports match. 

Tip: Make sure your firewall is not blocking the Datalinq port, and that you have changed the port in both XPression and Datalinq.

RossTalk Setup

The default RossTalk port is 7788.

To check what port this is set to in XPression:

• Go to Edit > Hardware Setup.

1. Select the GPI Boards tab.
2. Select the Smart GPI Device and click Configure.
3. Check the Port in Incoming Network Settings.

Tip: Make sure your firewall is not blocking the RossTalk port between the two machines, and that you have not changed the port either in Xpression or the ESPN Dashboard panel (below).

There is a setting in DashBoard called Global GPI Listener that will also try and use the default RossTalk port of 7788. If this is enabled, no RossTalk connection will occur.

To get to this setting in DashBoard: 
Go To Window > Preferences > RossTalk GPI Listener

Make sure this box is clear to disable the listener:

DashBoard Setup

When you are using DashBoard as a Datalinq source, the default port is 2222. In DashBoard, to allow the panel to be used as a source,  select the Enable Streaming check box.

To Enable Streaming:

1. Click Panel Edit Mode or use Ctrl + G. Double-Click inside the panel.
2. Select the topmost item in the list on the left.
3. You will see the Enable Streaming check box on the right. Ensure it is selected.

Tip: Make sure your firewall is not blocking the port between the machines, and that the port has not been changed in either Dashboard or in Datalinq.

Project Server

To access the ESPN projects,  the ESPN project server must be added to XPression.

To add the ESPN project server to XPression:

• Go to: File > Project Server > Setup. 

1. Click Add.
2. Put the hostname of the ESPN Project Server into Host Section(espn3graphics.com).
3. Click OK.

To get a project from the Project Server:

• Go back to File > Project Server, but this time choose Deploy.

1. From the drop down menu, select the Project Server. 
2. Enter the login credentials (Found in ESPN Guides).
3. Click Next.

• • From there you can select the project you want and where you want to download it.

Tip: It's a good idea to select the Save Password check box.