Skip to main content
The ingestAutomationLinkData mutation feeds AutomationLink from the cloud side. You send the current and upcoming items to a station, VRA Cloud hands them to the Core of each targeted studio, and the Core publishes them exactly like a locally linked radio automation. Use it when the automation runs outside the studio network, in a cloud playout system for example, and cannot post to the Core Control API or the generic HTTP link.

​
How it works

  1. Your automation calls ingestAutomationLinkData with the station, optionally one studio, and the current and upcoming sets.
  2. VRA Cloud normalises each item and sends the sets to the Core of every targeted studio over the studio bus.
  3. The Core publishes the items as now playing and upcoming, runs Item Groups and updates the studio state.
  4. For MUSIC items without music_meta, VRA Cloud looks up Music Track Meta in the background and sends the enriched sets a moment later.
The studio needs a running Core. The Core owns the AutomationLink state, so ingested data reaches visuals, the Live Switcher and the studio dashboard through the same path as any other radio automation.

​
Authentication

Authenticate as a Machine User of the station, or as a cloud user who has the station active. A machine user bound to another station is rejected with Not authorized for this station.

​
Targeting studios

  • station_id is required.
  • studio_id targets one studio of the station. Omit it to send the same sets to every studio of the station.
  • Omit current or upcoming to leave that set untouched on the Core. Send an empty list to clear it.

​
Items

Each item in current and upcoming follows the RadioAutomationItem shape the Core uses for every automation:
  • id - unique identifier from your automation. Use an md5 of artist and title if your system has none. The Core uses it to detect a new item, so a changed id means a new track.
  • title and artist - the display values. Both must be at least 2 characters for Music Track Meta lookup.
  • category - MUSIC, TRACK, STATION or UNKNOWN. Defaults to MUSIC. Only MUSIC items are enriched.
  • timestamp - start of the item as a datetime with offset, normalised to UTC.
  • duration and offset - in milliseconds.
  • end_timestamp and completed - mark an item that already ended.
  • igroups - item group identifiers, when your automation already classifies items.
  • meta - free-form source metadata like item codes, bpm or key, as a JSON encoded string. Stored as the item’s meta string and available in visuals.
  • music_meta - artist, title and album details you already have. Any value here, even a cover URL alone, counts as supplied and skips the Music Track Meta lookup.
meta is a JSON scalar and must be sent as a JSON encoded string, not as a GraphQL object literal. Write meta: "{ \"item_code\": \"M-48213\" }" or pass the string through a variable. An object literal is rejected by the schema.

​
Example

Push one current track and two upcoming tracks to a single studio. The current item ships its own cover and artist image, so VRA Cloud does not look it up. The upcoming items have no music_meta and are enriched in the background.
Response:
  • studios - number of studios the sets were sent to.
  • enrichment_queued - number of unique MUSIC items queued for Music Track Meta lookup. The enriched sets follow on the same path once the lookup finishes, so expect a second update on the studio a few seconds later.

​
Clearing the current item

Send an empty current list when the automation stops or goes to a non-music item you do not want on screen. upcoming stays as it was.