VAST

VAST (Digital Video Ad Serving Template) is protocol for Ad Server and Client.

Link (IAB)

To follow this format, we can communicate with Ad Server and Client. Ad Server provide this format to client, client create video player according to this format.

VAST is XML. We can parse this using XML parser and can prepare what kind of ads inside of VAST.

VAST 4.1 Structure

From iAB documentation, I created structure.

• VAST
  • Error
  • Ad
    • InLine
      • AdSystem (Attr: version)
      • AdTitle
      • AdServingId
      • AdVerifications (Attr: *vendor)
        • Verification
          • JavaScriptResource
          • ExecutableResource
          • TrackingEvents
            • Tracking
          • VerificationParameters
      • Advertiser
      • Category
      • Creatives
        • Creative
          • UniversalAdId
          • CreativeExtensions
            • CreativeExtension
          • Linear
            • Duration
            • AdParameters
            • MediaFiles
              • Mezzanine
              • MediaFile (Attr: *delivery, *type, *width, *height, codec, id, scalable, maintainAspectRatio, apiFramework, fileSize, mediaType
              • InteractiveCreativeFile
              • ClosedCaptionFiles
                • ClosedCaptionFile (Attr: type, language)
            • VideoClicks
              • ClickThrough (Attr: id)
              • ClickTracking
              • CustomClick
            • TrackingEvents
              • Tracking
            • Icons
              • Icon
                • StaticResource
                • IFrameResource
                • HTMLResource
                • IconClicks
                  • IconClickThrough
                  • IconClickTracking (Attr: id)
                • IconViewTracking
          • NonLinearAds
            • NonLinear
              • NonLinearClickThrough
              • NonLinearClickTracking
              • StaticResource
              • IFrameResource
              • HTMLResource
            • TrackingEvents
              • Tracking
          • CompanionAds
            • Companion
              • StaticResource
              • IFrameResource
              • HTMLResource
              • AdParameters
              • AltText
              • CompanionClickThrough
              • CompanionClickTracking
              • TrackingEvents
                • Tracking
      • Description
      • Error
      • Expires
      • Extensions
        • Extension
      • Impression
      • Pricing
      • Survey
      • ViewableImpression
        • Viewable
        • NotViewable
        • ViewUndetermined
    • Wrapper
      • AdSystem (Attr: version)
      • AdVerifications (Attr: *vendor)
        • Verification
          • JavaScriptResource (Attr: *apiFramework, *browserOptional)
          • ExecutableResource (Attr: *apiFramework, *type)
          • TrackingEvents (Attr: event, offset)
            • Tracking
          • VerificationParameters
          • BlockedAdCategories
      • Creatives
        • Creative
          • Linear
            • TrackingEvents
              • Tracking
            • VideoClicks
              • ClickTracking
              • CustomClick
            • Icons
              • Icon
                • StaticResource
                • IFrameResource
                • HTMLResource
                • IconClicks
                  • IconClickThrough
                  • IconClickTracking
                • IconViewTracking
            • InteractiveCreativeFile
          • NonLinearAds
            • NonLinear
              • NonLinearClickThrough
              • NonLinearClickTracking
            • TrackingEvents
              • Tracking
          • CompanionAds
            • Companion
              • StaticResource
              • IFrameResource
              • HTMLResource
              • AdParameters (Attr: xmlEncoded)
              • AltText
              • CompanionClickThrough
              • CompanionClickTracking
              • TrackingEvents
                • Tracking
      • Error
      • Extensions
        • Extension
      • Impression
      • Pricing (Attr *model, *currency)
      • VASTAdTagURI
      • ViewableImpression (Attr: id)
        • Viewable
        • NotViewable
        • ViewUndetermined

Document VAST Findings and Problems

• AdVerifications : Document says parent is InLine but support Wrapper, too
• JavaScriptResource: Document says have 2 required attributes but iAB sample does not have
• BlockedAdCategories: Where? Under wrapper (doc), AdVerifications ?
• TrackingEvents has 4 places? under Verification, Linear, NonLinearAds, Companion
• TrackingEvents is under NonLinearsAds or NonLinear?
• InteractiveCreativeFile : Doc said only MediaFiles, but structure said under Wrapper and Linear
• NonLinear: NonLinear has Resources? doc said yes, but structure does not have