SignControlDocumentation
Ultimate Edition

Documentation

Copyright 2012 - Vodality, LLC.

LGPL License Page
Internal SD Card Help

SignControl Ultimate Edition has been tested and is supported with the following browsers:

  • Firefox: on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux
  • Chrome: on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux
  • Safari: on Windows, Mac OS X
  • Internet Explorer 9: on Windows

SignControl Ultimate Edition uses HTML5 Canvas, so it is not supported on IE8 or earlier, nor on Opera.

Using HTML5 technologies only, no plugins are required to use the software on this website.

Instructions on how to use the SignControl III Ultimate Edition Website

SignControl III basically constists of two main sections: the List of Signs, and the SignControl Studio.

See also Basic Instrutions for non-signcontrol mode. Non-SignControl method involves using a USB stick to update the signs, and requires knowing how to write the configuration files correctly. SignControl.net does this process for you, but requires an internet connection.

List of Signs, Sign Creation, and how to create, delete, and manage your signs

You can create a sign by entering a name consisting of letters, numbers, and spaces with a maximum length of 14 characters in the text field on that page and clicking the button, "Create New Sign".

You then should see the signname you created in the List of Signs section. If you click the name of the sign you will be directed to the SignControl Studio for that sign. You also have the option to delete the sign by clicking the "Delete" link. And you may click "Schedule" which is an advanced topic, but basically it allows you to create a separate presentation using the same signname and username, but with a date, hour, and days specification that will be selected by the server to play on your device if it matches for the current time and date. If two schedules conflict, the last matching schedule will be the one chosen by the server to play on your device. If no schedules match, the default presentation is the one that plays on your device. You create the default schedule by clicking on the signname in the List of Signs, not the Schedule link. Schedules are made in the same way as the default presentation, but to get to them, you click "Schedule" next to that signname, and then click the schedule name, which you create.

To create a schedule, first you need a signname created. Then you click on the Schedule link for that signname. Then you will see an Add link and a Save link below the List of Signs. Click on the Add link and enter a name for the schedule, containing only letters, number, and spaces, with a length of no more than 12 characters.

Then you will see your created schedule name in the box below with this selection: Jan 1 to Dec 31 : Select Days : 12:00AM to 12:00AM. The schedule will not be selected until you have published your presentation for that schedule. You create and publish your presentations in the SignControl Studio. Clicking on the Date, Days, and Time selections will pop up a box for you to make changes. While the middle selection says: "Select Days", that schedule will not be selected, even if its presentation is published.

Remember to click Save to save your Schedules to the server before you leave that page.

Also, you may select your timezone for your sign, which defaults to US/Pacific. This setting is set above your list of schedules by selecting from the dropdown box labeled: Select Time Zone. The current time for that timezone is also shown as an active clock next to your selection.

SignControl Studio: How to Create, Save, and Publish your Presentation

When you click on either a signname from the List of Signs, or a schedule for that Sign, you will enter the SignControl Studio. This is a Rich Client Application using HTML5 technologies, which means that what you develop on the page will not be recorded on our servers until you hit Save or Publish. Save will save your project settings, while publish will take those settings and create the Presentation into Smil format for your device to read. If more than one person is working on the same sign, you may click the buttons Refresh or Revert to see his saved work. Revert will reload the saved project settings, while Refresh will reload the entire page. The button "Signs" will return you to the list of Signs.

Below the Buttons on the left hand side is the Canvas for laying out the zones for your presentation. Choose the Resolution first: this is the drop down box on the upper left. Its opions are as follows:

Landscape

Portrait

After selecting the Resolution, you select the zone layout, which includes the number of zones. These zones can be dragged and moved. You can also set the zone dimensions by clicking on the zone and modifying the X, Y, Width, and Height fields below the Canvas and then clicking "Submit Changes". Note that zones may not overlap. So to make a zone bigger in one direction, you first need to make space for it by resizing any other zones as necessary. Dragging the zones can be done by dragging the central diamond that appears in a zone when you click on it. Dragging the diamond on the edges resizes the edges. If the zone is too small or you need to fine tune a dimension, then it is better to manually enter the dimensions in the X, Y, Width, and Height fields as mentioned above.

Next, you need content to put into your presentation. This is done by scrolling down to the box on the lower right where the Media File Uploader is. This allows you to upload media one file at a time to the server. Each sign has its own directory for uploading media. Media may be Jpeg, Jpg, or Gif images. We also support video in the following formats: mwv, mpg, mpeg, and mp4. While the video will not be playable on the website, the images are viewable. To see your list of uploaded media, click the "Get Media List" button just above the Media File Uploader box. This will show your media, 4 at a time, easily traversible. Moving the mouse over the image icon will show a larger version of your uploaded image. If you wish to delete media, click the Delete link and it will pop up a confirm dialog before deleting your media from the server.

Next you need to select a zone to add the image or movie to. Select a zone by clicking the selection on the Canvas. Then click "Get Media List" and navigate to the media you wish to upload. Stopping the mouse over the text "(Click to Select)" will popup the name of your media. The name has been modified by prepending the word "image_" for images and "video_" for videos. When you have made your selection, give it a single click.

Now you will see your media filename in the text box: "File to add:" For images, set the duration in seconds. The default is 10 seconds. For movies, you can leave duration blank and it will play the full movie. If there is more than one file in that zone, you can also select the Position by using the drop down box to the right. Positions start at 1, and if there is already a media file in that position, it is moved forward in the list. Then, to add the media file to the zone, click the button "Add to Zone". Now your media file is in your zone content. To remove it, click Remove. This only removes it from the zone content, it does not delete it from the server. To delete media from the server, you need to use the "Get Media List" section as described above.

Now that you have content in your zone or zones, click the Play button at the top of the screen to see how it will appear on your device. It is also important to click the Save button frequently to save your work. Clicking the Empty button will only empty the content state on your browser, and will not affect your saved project settings unless you also click Save. The Empty button empties your zones layout and zone content settings. If you don't want to save those settings or you made a mistake, click Revert to reload your saved settings. Click Publish to publish your presentation to your device. If your device is registered for that signname and username, it will read in the new Presentation.

If you are working on a Presentation that is part of a schedule, then you may not see your Presentation play on your device, depending on which schedule matches the current date, days, and time. Note that the last Schedule that matches is the one that plays, and if there is no schedule, then it is always the default Presentation that plays.

TroubleShooting...

And that is the simple explanation of how to use the SignControl III website.