The system is controlled with Page Server, an easy to use package that allows the user to create lists of pages for display on any of the 255 supported noticeboard channels by simply dragging and dropping a page from the master list of pages on the system. It also has page creation facilities built into it for creating simple message pages.
System Controller, Page Server
Click for larger image use the browser back button to return
The electronic noticeboard system supports up to 255 separate groups or channels of information that will display in a carousel (slide show) independently of the other display groups. Each display channel can show any number of pages, and the display time for each page is adjustable from ten seconds to ten minutes. Pages can also be set to show at a specified time now or in the future. The carousels can be updated at any time without having to halt the system.
The above image shows the electronic notice board controller that is used to create the page carousels. Carousel lists are easily created and require nothing more than dragging and dropping a page from the list into the relevant noticeboard display group selected from a drop down list box.
The carousels are automatically saved and reloaded if the program is shut down or restarted.
The controller has information panels that show which page is currently on display on any of the remote noticeboard displays. A built in Group Identify feature will signal the NDD units to show the group that they are currently set to use.
Page Server will send any new pages, pictures, video files to all the connected NDD units. The system has been designed so that the NDD's can be downloaded the current carousel information, and then be left to get on with it. Once the NDD units have been updated Page Server can be closed down and the computer used for other purposes. Page server also has an 'auto' mode where it will send any new material automatically to the NDD units every minute. This would be useful if you had another system generating display pages such as timetables.
Page Server has simple message creation built in
Click for larger image
Page Server allows you to create message pages either by entering raw html, using the Orangevalley Simplified Tags or based on a page template. Page templates can be created with any html editor and where you wish the message to be inserted, you insert a special tag. The software will process the message against the template and create the finished page.
Associating templates with Groups
The system supports any number of templates and templates can be associated with different screen groups. This allows you for example to assign a 'Welcome' template page style to a screen in your reception area, and a 'Production' type page to a screen on the factory floor. Simply by selecting the screen group, the message will be automatically generated to that template. Page Server also has a facility for creating templates.
Group Swap Feature
The electronic noticeboard display units (NDD1) have the ability to swap to a different working display group at up to 12 different times a day. This allows the display units to show different sets of pages to different groups of people without having to create new page carousels at different times of the day. The image above shows the setup form in the system controller for achieving this.
Ticker Message Display
Sometimes you may want to show a 'ticker message' that scrolls along the bottom of the display pages. Page Server has a facility to create this type of message that can be configured with foreground and background colours. The message can also be configured to scroll horizontally along the bottom of the screen or vertically in the same area at the bottom of the screen. While independent pages can have their own scrolling messages added with the editor these ticker messages are separate from the main display page and will carry on displaying whatever pages are being displayed.
Scheduling message pages for display
Click for a larger image use the browser back button to return
Page Server has the ability to schedule a page for display on any of the display groups for a predefined display time and at any time in the future. Running carousels of messages will be halted for the duration of the scheduled message or the scheduled page will be mixed with the current carousel. After the schedule time has passed, the normal carousel will resume.
Features
- Easy To Use - Just Drag and Drop pages into the group list
- Supports an 'All' display group. Pages put here are displayed on all the noticeboards
- Up to six controllers can control the NDD units (A licence will be required for each one)
- Schedules pages for display at a given time today or in the future
- Sets up simple carousels (or slide shows) to show pages every X seconds
- Can instruct all displays to show the assigned display group for setup use
- Updates all remote units with any new image files and display pages
- Synchronise the Time on all units
- Schedule NDD units to reboot at any preset time
- Shows the page being displayed on any of the remote displays
- Built in editor for creating and sending simple messages
- Quick Show facility. A page can quickly be shown for ten minutes with the click of a button
- Built in FTP module for sending pages to displays at remote locations
