User-defined events (explained)

If the event you require is not on the Events Overview list, you can create your own user-defined events. Use such user-defined events to integrate other systems with your surveillance system.

With user-defined events, you can use data received from a third-party access control system as events in the system. The events can later trigger actions. This way, you can, for example, begin recording video from relevant cameras when somebody enters a building.

You can also use user-defined events for manually triggering events while viewing live video in XProtect Smart Client or automatically if you use them in rules. For example, when user-defined event 37 occurs, PTZ camera 224 should stop patrolling and go to preset position 18.

Through roles, you define which of your users are able to trigger the user-defined events. You can use user-defined events in two ways and at the same time if required:

Events	Description
For providing the ability to manually trigger events in XProtect Smart Client	In this case, user-defined events make it possible for end users to manually trigger events while viewing live video in XProtect Smart Client. When a user-defined event occurs because a user of XProtect Smart Client triggers it manually, a rule can trigger that one or more actions should take place on the system.
For providing the ability to trigger events through API	In this case, you can trigger user-defined events outside the surveillance system. Using user-defined events this way requires that a separate API (Application Program Interface. A set of building blocks for creating or customizing software applications) is used when triggering the user-defined event. Authentication through Active Directory is required for using user-defined events this way. This ensures that even if the user-defined events can be triggered from outside the surveillance system, only authorized users are to do it. Also, user-defined events can via API be associated with meta-data, defining certain devices or device groups. This is highly usable when using user-defined events to trigger rules: you avoid having a rule for each device, basically doing the same thing. Example: A company uses access control, having 35 entrances, each with an access control device. When an access control device is activated, a user-defined event is triggered in the system. This user-defined event is used in a rule to start recording on a camera associated with the activated access control device. It is defined in the meta-data which camera is associated with what rule. This way the company does not need to have 35 user-defined events and 35 rules triggered by the user-defined events. A single user-defined event and a single rule are enough. When you use user-defined events this way, you may not always want them to be available for manual triggering in XProtect Smart Client. You can use roles to define which user-defined events should be visible in XProtect Smart Client.

Events

Description

For providing the ability to manually trigger events in XProtect Smart Client

In this case, user-defined events make it possible for end users to manually trigger events while viewing live video in XProtect Smart Client. When a user-defined event occurs because a user of XProtect Smart Client triggers it manually, a rule can trigger that one or more actions should take place on the system.

For providing the ability to trigger events through API

In this case, you can trigger user-defined events outside the surveillance system. Using user-defined events this way requires that a separate API (Application Program Interface. A set of building blocks for creating or customizing software applications) is used when triggering the user-defined event. Authentication through Active Directory is required for using user-defined events this way. This ensures that even if the user-defined events can be triggered from outside the surveillance system, only authorized users are to do it.

Also, user-defined events can via API be associated with meta-data, defining certain devices or device groups. This is highly usable when using user-defined events to trigger rules: you avoid having a rule for each device, basically doing the same thing. Example: A company uses access control, having 35 entrances, each with an access control device. When an access control device is activated, a user-defined event is triggered in the system. This user-defined event is used in a rule to start recording on a camera associated with the activated access control device. It is defined in the meta-data which camera is associated with what rule. This way the company does not need to have 35 user-defined events and 35 rules triggered by the user-defined events. A single user-defined event and a single rule are enough.

When you use user-defined events this way, you may not always want them to be available for manual triggering in XProtect Smart Client. You can use roles to define which user-defined events should be visible in XProtect Smart Client.

No matter how you want to use user-defined events, you must add each user-defined event through the Management Client.

If you rename a user-defined event, already connected XProtect Smart Client users must log out and log in again before the name change is visible.

Also note that if you delete a user-defined event, this affects any rules in which the user-defined event is in use. Also, a deleted user-defined event only disappears from XProtect Smart Client when the XProtect Smart Client users log out.