I know this was partially covered in a previous post that is now closed (Splash Screen from Display Profile) but I would like to revisit it. As my company is deploying Xibo across multiple remote locations, I find there is a need to remotely set the splash screen via the CMS without remoting to each client one by one. This feature will allow for updated graphics to be easily sent to each client to be used in the event of an outage or large update.
In my case, we have over 20 displays in 4 states with limited local admin assistance. The ability to set the default graphic via the CMS will save substantial time when setting up new clients and maintaining existing units.
With that in mind, would anyone be able to assist with helping me write a command script to run on each client to client remotely to set a jpeg, that will be assigned to the client, to run as the default splash screen?
Our opinions in the topic you’ve linked to haven’t changed - the splash screen is an absolute last resort when all else fails and therefore needs to be embedded in the Player.
You can set the “default layout” using the Display page - which will be sent to the Player and used when nothing else is valid. Assuming you have static content on your default (just an image) you’d expect this to be shown during network outages, etc.
I say the above as justification for moving this out of “Features” - your idea of writing a script to handle it would work if you decide you still need it.
Guess we are going to have to respectfully disagree on that subject. I don’t see why it would take away from the screen of last resort process. Just asking to be able to manage more clients with default information from the central point of control, rather than from each individual client. You’ve centralized every other aspect of this product not sure why this one shouldn’t be included as well.
I’ll add that several of our clients are on slow connections so when the screens are updated the splash screen is shown for an extended period of time. Often local plant staff thinks that the client has broken and call us which leads to us having to check the client machine only to find out it was an update. We have a nice jpg that explains the update is in process and we are in the process of remoting to each client to add it. This is a time-consuming process and thus why we think it should be centralized in the CMS. With a plan to add another 30-40 units in the coming year we just feel that others that manage large instances would agree that this is a feature that makes sense.
The splash screen isn’t default content, its embedded application data, always available, never needs downloading.
Really what I am trying to say is that the feature you want is already available and is called the default layout. Have you tried using the default layout in this way? Did it not work for your for some reason?
Sure. Once again to set default layout I have to visit each display/client in the CMS. While it is faster than having to remote to each machine, I’ve still got to touch each configuration AND it is another layout that I have to manage that just displays one image. It really seems overkill when I could just go to a display group and set the same image and disperse to the entire display group with one click.
So, if you flat out refuse to centralize the splash screen, (which I once again strongly disagree with considering you already have the ability to assign a library item and send a command) at least let us define a default layout by display group. If I had 5 units it wouldn’t be an issue. When we start pushing 80 units it is such a time-consuming function to touch each configuration for something so simple as to what to display when something is updating.
I had this same questioning in the past, and for the same problem “Long time on the Splash screen”
I believe that you, like me, created a layout, and within this layout it added multiple media.
So when you requested to update a media in this layout, all the rest stop being displayed, until the update is completed, and as you mentioned, if the connection drops after the download starts, this layout will not be displayed until the connection check back and download is complete.
*** My solution was as follows:
01 - Instead of creating a layout and adding multiple media. I created a layout for each video.
02 - So I created a “layouts group / campaign” and added the layouts inside it.
Note that in this way, the "layouts group / campaign " is equivalent to “Layout” in the old method.
And the “Layout” here is equivalent to the media.
03 - So just schedule the “layouts group / campaign” for the player or group of players you want,
In this way, when you update, remove, add some new media, the rest continue to be displayed, because each one is in an individual layout.
This is the most practical way to solve the problem.
That sounds like a good workaround but that wouldn’t work well with how we display information. We use multiple videos on one layout along with additional real-time business intelligence information via tickers and 3rd party content that are all shown at the same time on the screen.
The easiest way to address the problem is to let us define the default splash screen from the CMS or at the very least define default layout by display group.
You just wanted to set the STANDARD LAYOUT for all players without having to visit one by one.
Option 01 you made:
01 - Whenever you create a new player, define a default layout, ALWAYS THE SAME.
02 - So when you need to change all players at the same time, just modify the media.
Option 02 dan made:
01 - Add the dropdown of the “Default Layout” option in the player configuration screen [Players> Config Players] in the first tab.
02 - However, if this is done. it would not be possible to choose a default layout for each player, that is, everyone would always have to use the same layout.
What if you wanted to use a different default layout in a specific player? this would be a problem.
Option 03 dan made:
03 - An alternative would be a menu option that allows you to select a default layout, and then choose which players or groups of players it should be applied to at once, substituting the individually configured default layouts. '
*** Obviously this should not prevent these players who have had the layout defined in group, can not be changed individually as they are currently, my suggestion is a batch configuration.
So, If dan can’t implement the 02 and 03 I see that option 01 is the best, since you will have to access each new player at the moment of its configuration.
You can set your “default layout” for the entire CMS in Settings under Displays - all new registrations will then get that default layout. It isn’t set on a Display Group because a Display can be added to more than one Group, meaning you’d have multiple default layouts.
We could certainly consider adding a multi-select capability on the Display page which allowed setting the default layout which would make bulk changing those easier.
I’m afraid we won’t be adding the ability to centrally change the splash screen. On the surface it sounds like an obvious and sensible idea, but in our opinion this doesn’t make sense when the functionality already exists elsewhere in the software and ultimately makes the product harder to support and explain to users.
A default layout with a single image on it should be the bullet proof way to do it. You can even change it “live” if you want - just make sure something else valid is being shown at the time (an “always” schedule for example).
Maybe there is some mileage in us changing our shipped “default layout” to something a bit more instructive? A nice image with some text showing “This display is updating from the CMS” or similar?
Maybe that would be more instructive for users unfamiliar with the system.
I would settle for that! Plus the existing image is very pixilated on large screens. We would really like the ability to have some granularity on default layouts by group for various reasons. Simple as we would like to show a plant image in the background or feature pictures of our local plant staff. We try to make each plant feel special with our messaging.
