Send live data by webhook (ScoreCastr Server)

If a scoreboard reader or your own tool already knows the score, it can send it straight to ScoreCastr. You turn on ScoreCastr Server for the match, copy its webhook URL into that tool, and every update it sends moves the scorebug on air. This guide covers turning it on, testing it, keeping the address private and turning it off.

Before you start

• Pro plan on the account that owns the match. Only the match's owner can turn ScoreCastr Server on, off or change its token.
• A sport with the ScoreCastr button: football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, ice hockey, field hockey, baseball, softball, tennis or pickleball.
• A practice match for testing. A test update changes the real score, so don't test on a match that's on air.

Turn on ScoreCastr Server

1. Open the match with Control Dashboard and go to the Scoring tab.
2. Click ScoreCastr next to the sport's heading. The ScoreCastr Data Hub opens on the Scoreboard OCR tab.
3. Under Connection Method, keep HTTP Client (Webhooks).
4. Click Enable ScoreCastr. You'll see "Your webhook URL is ready."

The tab now shows a green Active badge, Method: HTTP and the Webhook URL. The ScoreCastr button on the Scoring tab shows Active too.

The webhook URL and token

The URL looks like this:

https://<your ScoreCastr address>/api/scorecastr/match/<match id>/<token>

• The match id is the match's number.
• The token is a random 32-character code made for this match. It's the only thing protecting the address: anyone who has the full URL can change your score.

Click the copy button next to the URL and paste it into your app's output or webhook setting. Your app sends updates to it as JSON with an HTTP POST. The field names and responses are in the Webhook API reference. For Scoreboard OCR, see Connect Scoreboard OCR.

Test the connection

There's no test button, so send one update yourself and watch the dashboard.

1. Keep the match's Control Dashboard open on screen.
2. On a Mac, open Terminal and run this, with your URL in place of URL:

curl -X POST "URL" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"away_score": 0, "home_score": 1}'

On Windows, open PowerShell and run:

Invoke-RestMethod -Method Post -Uri "URL" `
  -ContentType "application/json" `
  -Body '{"away_score": 0, "home_score": 1}'

3. Check the scorebug preview at the top of the dashboard. The home score should change. (In volleyball these two fields are sets won; in tennis and pickleball they're the current points.)
4. Read the reply. "success": true means ScoreCastr accepted the update, and "changed": true means a value on the match changed. updateCount goes up by one with each update.
5. Set the score back on the dashboard when you're done.

If you get an error instead, see Data Hub troubleshooting.

Watching the feed during a game

For a webhook, the signs that it's working are on the dashboard itself: the score, clock and stats change as the game goes, and the scorebug preview follows. The status dot at the top shows your own dashboard's connection, not the feed's. See The status dot.

The feed health pill next to the status dot is for XML feeds only. See Read an XML file or URL.

Regenerate the token

If the URL gets shared with someone it shouldn't, or you want a fresh address for a new event:

1. Open ScoreCastr on the Scoring tab.
2. On the Scoreboard OCR tab, click Regenerate Token.

The URL changes straight away ("Your webhook URL has been updated") and the old one stops working. Paste the new URL into your app before the next update.

Turn it off after the game

1. Open ScoreCastr on the Scoring tab.
2. Click Disable ScoreCastr.

Do this after every game, as well as ending the match. While ScoreCastr Server is on, the match keeps counting toward your plan's active match limit. See End a match and Run several matches at once.

If you forget, ScoreCastr turns a feed off on its own once it has had no updates for 12 hours.

Checklist

• Pro plan on the account that owns the match
• ScoreCastr Server enabled with HTTP Client (Webhooks)
• Webhook URL pasted into your app and kept private
• Test update sent on a practice match and seen on the scorebug preview
• New URL pasted into your app after any Regenerate Token or re-enable
• Disable ScoreCastr clicked after the game