Commentator 2.0

Commentator 2.0 is a Copernico plugin that displays participant data on a screen, in real time, as their readings are received from the selected timing devices. It replaces the original Commentator, which is no longer available in Plugins.

1. Main features

The main features of the Commentator 2.0 plugin are:

• Much faster. With this new version, it takes only 1 to 2 seconds to display the participant's name when the reading is received at the selected timing point.

Once the name is shown, the participant's time and position appear when Copernico finishes the calculations, 4 to 6 seconds later.

• Custom columns. Show all the participant data you need. For example: bib number, name, surname, club, team, team type, or the time at any of the available timing points.
• Custom style and format. Use CSS to style different components when you want to customize the appearance.
• Custom header and footer.
• Multiple devices. Share the URL with anyone so they can view the data.
• Static page. Users can view it, but cannot interact with it. Neither search nor navigation is allowed. That is, the information is displayed as it occurs, but you cannot navigate to see, for example, the first 50 that have been displayed: you can only see what is on the screen. Therefore, you cannot search for a bib number either; for that, you can always go to participants in Copernico.
• Data is only shown in streaming. The information displayed is not kept. This means that if the data is reloaded, either by pressing F5 or by any other means, the data displayed up to that moment is lost, and no data is shown again until new data is received.

In practice, if you reload the page by mistake, once the reload is complete the page stays empty until new readings occur at the selected timing point.

2. How to set up Commentator 2.0

To set up a new commentator, follow these steps:

1. In the race side menu, select Plugins.

2. Click the Commentator 2.0 card.

3. In the next window, click Create the first one!.

4. On the next screen, set up:
   1. Name. Choose a name. It helps you tell this commentator apart from others. For example, FINISH.
   2. Start time and End time. Select the time range in which the readings of the selected timing devices will be received.
   3. Event. It can be empty. If a specific event is selected, that commentator is limited to the selected event.
   4. Devices: select the timing devices from which the readings are to be received.

5. Filters. Limit by any participant data; for example, if you want to create a commentator for each gender of the race or for a specific category. Several chained filters can be used.
6. View config. Set up:
   • Maximum Amount of Rows: maximum number of rows you want to appear on the screen. This depends on the size of the screen.
   • Buffer Size for dupe detection: we recommend that the value matches the number of rows. With this setting, the same participant is not displayed twice on the screen.
7. Table Model. Select the fields you want to display. You can display all the fields available in participants; for example, name, bib number, club, category, etc. You can also set a custom name for each of the fields to be displayed, which appears in the table header.

You can add as many fields as necessary. Everything depends on the size of the display screen.

The same symbols that exist in participants have been added to make selecting fields easier. Thus, you can find the symbols for net time, category ranking and split time, among others.

There is also a new symbol, the megaphone, to be selected whenever participants will pass through the selected timing point more than once; for example, the finish line in a race with two laps.

8. Template: this refers to display customization. Use CSS and HTML to style different components.
   • CSS: use it when you want to customize the appearance.
   • Header: use it to customize the header. By default, the race image is selected with a height of 100 pixels, which you can edit.
   • Footer: use it when you want to customize the footer.

3. Preview

On the right side of the screen, you can see a small monitor with a preview of the data.

You also have a URL to test the display on the screen where you will show participant data during the race.