How screen layouts work

A screen layout determines how content is organised on your screen. With layouts, you can divide the screen into different areas and control what is shown where.

Contents

• What is a layout?
• Create a new layout
• Area types
• Area order
• Editor settings
• Advanced area settings
• Change the layout on a screen
• Duplicate a layout

What is a layout?

A layout is a template that controls how the screen is divided. Each layout consists of one or more areas that you connect content to. You can use the same layout on multiple screens, making it easy to maintain a consistent look.

Create a new layout

1. Go to Signage in the main menu
2. Click Screen layouts
3. Click Create layout
4. Choose a ready-made layout template as your starting point, or click Custom layout to build a completely new one from scratch. If you choose custom layout, you first select the orientation. If you choose a ready-made template, you instead configure the following:
   • Name: Give the layout a name that is easy to recognise, for example reception-layout or entrance-layout
   • Logo: Upload your company logo if the template has an area designated for it. The logo should be in PNG format with a transparent background
   • Colours: Adjust the colours in the layout if the template contains areas with colours. Enter a hex code or use the colour picker
   • Font: Choose a default font for the layout
5. Give the layout a name
6. Add areas and configure them as needed
7. Optionally, add a background to the layout. Choose either a colour using a hex code or upload an image. If you upload an image, it is important that the image is the same size as the layout
8. Save the layout

Area types

When you add an area to your layout, you choose which type it should be. There are three types:

Playlist The area is connected to a playlist where you upload and manage content. This type supports all media formats that PLAYipp handles, such as images, video, presentations, and widgets. This is the most common option. If you want to use advanced widgets, add them to a playlist.

Graphic element Used for static elements such as a logo or graphic that should always be visible on the layout, regardless of what content is playing in the other areas. An area of this type displays a single image, it is not possible to have multiple images that rotate.

Widget Connects a simple widget directly to the area, such as weather or a clock. The widget appears automatically without needing to be added to a playlist. If you want to use more advanced widgets, use the Playlist type instead and add the widget from there. You find playlists under Signage > Screens or Screen groups, where you open a screen or group and access its playlist.

Area order

The order of areas in the list controls which area appears on top of another if areas overlap. The area at the top of the list is shown at the front on screen, while areas further down the list appear behind and may be hidden by areas above them.

To change the order, hover over an area in the list until the three lines appear on the right, then click and hold them and drag the area to the desired position.

Editor settings

When editing a layout, there are two general settings that control how areas behave in the editor.

Space when splitting an area Sets how large the gap automatically becomes when you split an area in two. A value of 0 means the areas are placed directly next to each other with no gap.

Grid size Controls how areas move and resize in the editor. With a grid value of for example 10, areas snap in steps of 10 pixels, making it easier to position areas precisely and align them with each other.

Advanced area settings

Areas of the Playlist type have a number of advanced settings. You find them by opening an area and clicking the Advanced tab.

Soft transitions Enables a fade in/fade out effect between each item in the playlist.

Sound enabled Sound is turned off on all areas by default. If you want to play a video with sound, you need to enable this setting on the area.

Random play order The playlist plays in random order instead of the order in which items were added.

Show time indicator Displays a small circle on the screen that fills up in line with the item's play duration. If an item is set to 10 seconds, it takes 10 seconds for the circle to fill completely.

Hidden area A hidden area is not shown in the overview and cannot be clicked on directly. To edit a hidden area, go into another playlist and select Show hidden areas, after which the hidden area becomes accessible as normal.

Preview in the editor Under the area settings there are two toggles, Show text and Show image, as well as the option to upload an image. These are only used to get a visual preview of how the layout looks while working in the editor. The text and image are never shown on the screen.

Change the layout on a screen

1. Go to Signage in the main menu
2. Click Screens
3. Select the screen you want to change
4. Click the Settings tab
5. Click Edit next to the layout setting
6. Select the layout you want to use
7. Save

Duplicate a layout

Duplicating a layout is useful when you want to create a similar layout without starting from scratch.

1. Go to Signage in the main menu
2. Click Screen layouts
3. Find the layout you want to duplicate
4. Click ... (three dots) on the layout card
5. Select Duplicate layout

A copy of the layout is created and appears in your layout list. You can then open the copy and customise it as needed.