Usage
In the beginning
SmartSignage requires to be specified the folder where the image and the video contents and the URL link files to be displayed are stored. The “Pictures” folder of the user who is signed in (logged in) is set by default. Here, we will explain in order of about SmartSignage’s window, and specify data folder.
About SmartSignage’s window
SmartSignage is operated using the “control bar” displayed above and below the window.
Immediately after launching SmartSignage, the “control bar” is displayed above and below the window.
If several seconds elapse without operating anything, the control bar will be hidden.
This image designed by Freepik
If the control bar is hidden, click anywhere in the SmartSignage window to show it.
Differences in behavior between Windows / Ubuntu and macOS
Windows / Ubuntu
The content display operation does not stop while the control bar is displayed. The display of image, etc. will switch to the next content after the specified time has elapsed. The video will continue to play.macOS
While the control bar is displayed, the content display operation is paused. An icon
is displayed in the center of the window during pause. As soon as you click this icon, the control bar hides and resumes operation.
The control bar
Those displayed on the top and bottom of the SmartSignage window are called “control bars”. In Windows the above is called the title bar.
You can move the window by dragging the control bar.You can also move the window with the control bar below. And you can resize the window by manipulating the left and right corners of the bottom control bar.
Top control bar
Top control bar on Windows / Ubuntu
Top control bar on macOS
Drag the center part to move the window.
Close the window and exit SmartSignage.
To fullscreen mode or exit fullscreen mode. Since Ver.2.1.
Maximize the window or normalize it.
Show the settings.
Bottom control bar
Drag the center part to move the window. The path of the currently displayed content is displayed.
You can resize the window by dragging. You can also resize the window using the trackpad gesture.
If the “Yu Gothic UI” font is installed on your PC, the path delimiter will be a yen(¥) instead of a backlash(\).
Specify the data folder
In order to display images and video contents with SmartSignage, you need to specify the folder where the contents are stored. That is the “Specify the data folder”.
Show the settings
If you pressor button on the top control bar, the settings will be displayed.
Specify the data folder
Immediately after the settings is displayed, “Basic settings” is displayed. Enter the path of the folder where the content is stored in the “Data folder” field. You can also specify in the folder selection dialog box by pressing the
button.
If the clipboard contains text, 
button will appear and you can paste it.
- Enable Data Folder Path Valication …. Ver.2.6.1.0 or later
Automatically check whether the entered data folder path exists. If the path does not exist,
will be displayed on the left side of the input field to alert you. In this case, the entered path is not saved. By default this option is enabled.
Finish settings
After specifying the data folder, press the
button in the upper right to switch to the content display.
The setting contents are applied immediately, but it is not reflected in the contents being displayed. Also, if the next content has already been loaded, it will not be reflected in the next content.
For details on other settings, refer to the section “Settings”.
Automatic content update
SmartSignage creates the content list data to be displayed at startup or after data folder settings are changed. It will display and switch contents based on this content list data.
Order to display
If [Name] is selected
Display files in folder in order of name- [Folder Hierarchy Depth] - from Ver.2.8.1
Specifies the depth limit for subfolders (folders within folders). If 1, subfolders are ignored. If it is 2 or more, the contents are displayed following the folder hierarchy for that number. (Maximum value is 10) - Folders with names containing the following extensions will not be displayed.
.app
.bak
.git
.except
.web
.without
.photoslibrary
- [Folder Hierarchy Depth] - from Ver.2.8.1
If [Random] is selected - from Ver.2.5
Randomly sort and display the files in the folder. Randomly sort after one round.
Note: If Random is selected, files in subfolders will not be displayed.
Content added or deleted
If there is a change in the data folder while SmartSignage is running, the content list data will be updated. The update timing will be immediately before the first file in the folder is displayed.
For deleted files that do not exist, they are skipped when displaying and the next file is displayed. As a result, when the file is added or deleted, the timing to be reflected on the display is different.
- When a file is added —> The display reflects after one cycle
- When a file is deleted —> reflect immediately
Updated content
SmartSignage does not cache images. Even if it has the same name as the displayed file, it will be reloaded when displaying it. If you update the file, it will be reflected the next time SmartSignage load it. Images in webview are cached.
In the case of video contents, even after displaying is ended, the file reference is kept until switching to the next next content.
You can not delete or update files while holding file references. Therefore, there is a possibility that it can not be updated depending on the timing. In that case, please refer to “Update files with special extensions” below.
Update file with special extension
SmartSignage recognizes a file with a special extension “. _ fdu” as a file to be updated. If a file with this extension and a file with the same name except this extension are in the data folder, it will automatically be replaced.
Example
If there is a file called “sample.mp4” in the data folder and there is a file called “sample.mp4._fdu”, just before the “sample.mp4” file is read as content, SmartSignage will replace it with “sample.mp4._fdu”. The original “sample.mp4” file is deleted, and the “sample.mp4._fdu” file is renamed to a new “sample.mp4” file.
This file update function starts processing after waiting for the end of playback if the content currently being displayed is a video and it is a file to be updated. Normally, the file reference is released at that timing, but if it is not released due to some problem it will not be updated. Please restart SmartSignage at that time.