Wowza Community

Content Folder Access From Remote Server

I have set up a page on a remote server where videos are recorded to the Wowza server using a Flash camera client embedded in a web page. Videos are saved with the current unix time applied as the file name. I would like to access a list of all the file names in the content folder, turn them into links and play them dynamically with JWPlayer.

I have done all this before with PHP but not from a remote server and from the Wowza content folder. I assume there is some way to do all this remotely. Or must I move my client files to the same server?

Basically I do not know how to access the files for playback unless I can somehow dynamically get their names from the remote http server.

Take a look at this example:

https://www.wowza.com/docs/how-to-get-a-list-of-files-in-your-application-s-content-location-modulevideonamelist

It is included in the Wowza Module Collection

Richard

We have a ton of Tutorials, User Guide, Quickstart Guides here:

https://www.wowza.com/docs/

And there are Flash and other client type examples in the /examples folder where Wowza is installed. There are links to 3rd party, more production ready Flash players (JW Player and Flowplayer) in the All-Articles list above.

Richard

This is an example of how to list file names from the content folder:

https://www.wowza.com/docs/how-to-get-a-list-of-files-in-your-application-s-content-location-modulevideonamelist

The ModuleVideoNameList is included in the Wowza Modules Collection, so you don’t have to build it, but you do need to add some Actionscript to a Flash application, either a Flash CS or Flash Builder (Flex) project.

Richard

It’s in the collection:

http://www.wowza.com/downloads/forums/collection/wms-plugin-collection.zip

Download, unzip, copy the .jar file to Wowza /lib folder, then restart Wowza.

If you want to customize the output, you will have to build that code in the Wowza IDE:

http://www.wowza.com/media-server/developers#wowza-ide

A guide for building Modules is include.

Richard

Also, “to at least see them”, take a look at the example players, for example the Flash example:

[wowza-install-dir]/examples/SimpleVideoStreaming/client/simplevideostreaming.html

And the production ready players, like JW Player and Flowplayer:

https://www.wowza.com/docs/how-to-use-longtail-jw-player-5-with-wowza-media-server

https://www.wowza.com/docs/how-to-use-flowplayer-with-wowza-media-server-software

Richard

“I need to know how to access the files to at least see them.”

One typical way would be to use your webserver. For example, if your Apache document root is /var/www you can edit your Application.xml property to be “/var/www/content”. Then you can view your files by browsing to “www.yourdomain.com/files”.

“Things like that are so easy with server side scripting, like PHP. I am assuming that that there is no scenario where I would use any of that on the video server itself.”

In the case of Wowza the server side scripting would be a Wowza Java module. How easy it is, is equal to PHP, right? You’ll want to check out the File Mover Module:

https://www.wowza.com/docs/how-to-move-recordings-from-live-streams

The source for it is here:

If I understand what you’re looking to do, you might not need a Wowza module. In your web CMS, you’ll have the user’s name and the date. You’ll have the Flash client (user) publish a stream name with that info, and have your Wowza application use a “live-record” streamtype. You’ll keep track of the filenames in your CMS in conjunction with a database.

Hi mj,

I’m sorry to say there is not a pre-made example for browsing your server’s file structure. You’d have to write something. Most likely it would be in conjunction with your website’s Content Management System so you can manage user permissions, sessions, browser detection, URI presentation, etc…

Edit: There is the ModuleVideoNameList which Richard mentioned originally which shows a simple Flash example for browsing the content folder. You’ll need to customize your flash player using the example there.

I installed the jar file. The next step is this.

“Add this Module last in the list of your Application.xml”

Sorry I am a complete noob. Which Application.xml is that? Do I create a new application?

As far as the client end goes, I suppose I am going to have to use actionscript in Flash. Is that right.

I need a little more hand holding to understand how all this fits together. I am gathering that the simple modular solutions offered are very few.

Java is the server and Flash is the client? Is that right. If there is a tutorial that explains all this can you direct me to it?

I am just not seeing anything that does this. I want to view the file names of files in the content folder. Do you know a more specific link that would be of help?

Thanks

I added the following to Application.xml in the conf folder.

ModuleVideoNameList

List videos in content folder

com.wowza.wms.plugin.collection.module.ModuleVideoNameList

Can you tell me what code I need to compile and how to call it? Or just how to get started?

Got the IDE going.

Are flash clients the only way to serve up Wowza media in browsers?

Here is what I need to do.

The user records a video from a web browser or phone. (I will figure all that out. A browser camera is pre-compiled for JW Player.)

The video files are given dynamic names. user_date.flv Something like that.

I need to know how to access the files to at least see them. In the long run I plan on doing much more than that but it would be a good start. I can’t believe how much distance there is between the basic tutorials and doing meaningful things. I guess I thought there would be more modular solutions available.

I plan to keep after it. I must. But I can use all the help I can get. I would think that dynamic file names and how to browse them would be so common. I guess they are not.

Things like that are so easy with server side scripting, like PHP. I am assuming that that there is no scenario where I would use any of that on the video server itself. Is that right? I mean all interaction with the video files is done remotely using clients. Is that right?

Thanks. I am testing that example now and I have already tested many just like it and they all work. Your examples, JWPlayer, FLowplayer, etc.

But that does does not answer my question.

How can the video files be browsed?

Say there are 100 video files.

stream1.flv

stream2.flv

stream3.flv

etc.

Is there any client available at all to let me view those files and select one to play?

All these examples require me know know in advance what the file is and enter it manually.

Is there no way yet invented to let me browse those file names from a remote server?