Showing a Playlist on Displays

New to this? What the instructions mean

Click means select with your mouse (or tap on a touch screen). Row menu means the small actions menu beside an item in a list. Drop-down means a box you click to choose an option. Drag and drop means hold the mouse button on an item, move it, then release.

CMS is your online screen-control system. Display means a managed screen. Publish makes a layout ready to play. Schedule chooses the screens and times.

Some buttons depend on your version and permissions. If your screen looks different, ask your administrator or get help.

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE

Show several images in a repeating slideshow.

Before you start

Upload the pictures you want to use first. A “playlist” is simply a list of items that play one after another.

1. Create your playlist

Click Playlists under Library.
Click Add Playlist.
Enter a clear name, such as Shop window – Weekly offers.
For this simple guide, leave the Dynamic option off if it is shown.
Click Save. The playlist editor opens.

2. Add and arrange your pictures

In the Toolbox, click Library image search. The toolbox is the panel containing the types of content you can add.
Find your first picture. Use the search or filters if necessary.
Drag the picture onto the Timeline — the area that lists the playlist items.
Repeat for each picture you want to add.
Drag items into the order you want them to play.

3. Set how long a picture stays on screen

Click a picture in the timeline to select it.
In the Properties Panel, click Advanced. This is the settings panel for the selected item.
Tick Set a duration.
Enter a number of seconds. For example, enter 10 to show the picture for ten seconds.
Click Save. Repeat for any other pictures you want to adjust.
Click Exit to return to the playlist list.

4. Schedule the playlist

Find your playlist in the list. Open its row menu — the small actions menu beside that item.
Click Schedule.
Select the display or displays you want to use. Check the names carefully so the content goes to the correct screens.
To keep the content available without an end date, leave Always selected. To set dates or times, click Next and choose Custom.
For a custom schedule, enter the start and end dates and times shown in the form. Check these before continuing.
Click Finish when you have completed the relevant options.
Allow the display to collect the new schedule and download the content. Check the physical screen after it has updated.

How to check it worked

Your playlist appears in the Playlists list. On the display, the pictures play in sequence for the durations you chose.

Something not working?

If a picture is missing, open the playlist and check that it was added to the timeline. Button names can vary between versions. If you cannot see an option, check with your administrator. For a screen that has not updated, follow the troubleshooting checklist.

More detail, screenshots and advanced options

Create a Playlist of content and Schedule to show on Displays.

You may have a set of content collated to meet a specific requirement which need to be shown in a rotating sequence on Displays. Playlists allow users to streamline resources and organise multiple content types to play in the order they need to be displayed.

Playlists can have content added by automatic assignment based on selected criteria or by manual selection. For this example Image content already uploaded to the CMS Media Library will be added to a Playlist manually.

Add Playlist

Click on Playlists under the Library section of the main CMS menu.
Click the Add Playlist button.
Provide a Name for easy identification in the CMS.
Click Save and the Playlist Editor will open.

Adding Content

Using the Toolbox, click on Library image search to add Images from the CMS Library.
Use the filters to locate the Images to add.
Drag and drop images to add to the Timeline.
Re-order the sequence by drag and drop.

You can view the total duration of the Playlist at the top of the Timeline.

To change the duration of items in the Playlist, click to highlight and select the Advanced tab in the Properties Panel.
Tick the Set a duration box and provide a new duration in seconds.
Click the Save button to update the total duration of the Timeline.
Select Exit to return to the Playlists grid.

Select Playlist

From the Playlists grid use the filters to locate the Playlist.
Use the row menu and select Schedule.
Select which Displays to show the Playlist on.
If you want to use the default Always schedule, and happy with the default settings and have no further advanced scheduling options to set, you can click Finish to complete the schedule.
If you want to select alternative created Dayparts or Custom dates, select Next.
If you don’t need to apply any further scheduling options and are happy with the defaults set for Resolution, Background Colour etc. click to Finish.

The CMS will now update a Schedule change and the Playlist will be shown on Displays for the timings set in the schedule.

FAQs

Can I add Widgets to a Playlist?

Yes, Widgets can be added using the Playlist Editor using the top button from the Toolbox.

I don’t see any Global or Data Elements to add to my Playlist?

Elements are not available in the Playlist Editor. Data Widgets have a selection of Static Templates to choose from to display your data.

Do I have to upload the files I want to use to the CMS Media Library before creating a Playlist?

No, you can upload media directly to a Playlist by dragging the Upload card for a selected media type to the Timeline and use the file uploader.

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