BrightSign Network Web API Reference Manual v.3.8 - Manual (Page 13)

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INTRODUCTION
The BrightSign Network API exposes a large set of WebUI functionality using a standardized set of
entities, methods, and properties. Developers can use this API to build new interfaces that have a
different look and feel from, but provide a similar feature set to, the BrightSign Network WebUI.
This API Reference Manual first outlines the general working principles of interfacing with the BrightSign
Network API. It then describes the properties and methods of each entity in detail.
Entities
Identifiers
Each entity has a unique ID consisting of an incremental integer value that functions as its Primary Key. This allows for
simple identification and retrieval of a particular object instance. This value is usually not revealed to end users of the UI
because it is only useful for internal client/server operations.
Some entities also have Alternate Keys (the
[string] Name property, for example) because the system often requires
the uniqueness of an entity within a BSN account. You can retrieve an entity using any of its keys, whether primary or
alternate.
Dependency
Almost all entities have “parent” and “child” entities contained within a dependency tree: For example, a Dynamic Playlist
entity includes Content entities on one hand, but is referenced by Presentation entities on the other. In this case, each
Content entity is the “child” of the Dynamic Playlist entity, while each Presentation entity functions as the “parent” of the
Dynamic Playlist entity.
If a particular object instance has one or more parent objects, then it is considered “in use”. In most cases, this status will
affect the operations that can be performed with it.