Bright Sign App User Guide (ver 1.0.1)

: Brightsign Brightsign App User Guide (Ver 1.0.1) BrightSign App User Guide (ver 1.0.1) s

Open the PDF directly: View PDF .
Page Count: 14

BRIGHTSIGN APP USER GUIDE

iOS App Version 1.0.1

BrightSign, LLC. 16795 Lark Ave., Suite 200 Los Gatos, CA 95032 | 408-852-9263 | www.brightsign.biz

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction 1

Using the BrightSign App 2

UI Overview 2

Adding Players to the App 3

Switching between Players 4

Removing a Player from the List 5

Creating and Editing Commands 5

Sending Commands 6

Changing User Variables 6

Using the Diagnostic Web Server 7

Retrieving App Logs 7

BrightAuthor and the BrightSign App 8

Diagnostic and Local Web Servers 8

Using UDP Events 9

UDP Commands with Multiple Players 9

Creating User Variables 11

Using Conditional Targets 11

1

INTRODUCTION

The BrightSign App for iPad and iPhone allows you to broadcast commands to BrightSign players and

other compatible network devices over your local network using UDP (User Datagram Protocol) packets.

The app automatically retrieves UDP events in BrightAuthor presentations that are currently active on

the network, allowing you to access and activate them using a straightforward UI. You can also use the

App to modify User Variables and create new UDP Commands on the fly.

The BrightSign App is compatible with all networked BrightSign players, including the XD230, XD1030,

XD1230, HD220, HD1020, and HD1010.

2

USING THE BRIGHTSIGN APP

UI Overview

Once you download the BrightSign App from the Apple

Store, opening it will take you to the BrightSign App UI.

The first time you open the app, the main window will be

blank because you have not added any BrightSign

players to the app database yet.

• Back / Forward: Navigates the

Diagnostic Web Server or User

Variables webpage similar to a

web browser.

• Refresh: Reloads the page data

of the Diagnostic Web Server or

User Variables webpage.

• Player Name: The name of the

player that is currently

connected to the app. The

player name is designated

during the player setup process

in BrightAuthor.

Note: The BrightSign App can only

connect to one player at a time.

• DWS / User Variables Page:

Switches between the

Web Server

Diagnostic

and the

Variables webpage

User

pages will only be available if they are enabled

during the

. These

player setup process in BrightAuthor.

• Settings: Opens the settings menu, which allows you

to add players to the app, select players that have

been added, and add or edit the UDP Commands

for a player.

The BrightSign App main page for iPad

3

• Web Server Page: The main area of the App displays

either the Diagnostic Web Server or the User

Variables page of the selected player if they were

enabled during the player setup process.

• Command Buttons: Sends commands to the

connected player with the press of a button. In

the Settings menu, you can designate the title of

each button, as well as the UDP data that is sent.

• (iPhone only) Actions Menu: Displays the

Command Buttons for use.

Adding Players to the App

Once you are connected to a local network, the App will

automatically detect BrightSign players on the network.

However, there may be instances when you need to

manually add a new player to the App database. To do

so, follow these steps:

1. Ensure that your iPad or iPhone is connected to the

same local network as your BrightSign player.

2. Open the BrightSign App.

3. Press the Settings button.

4. Press the button in the BrightSign Unit field.

Adding a new player in the Select Unit window

The Command Button display for iPhone

4

This will take you to the Select Unit window, which

displays all currently active BrightSign players.

5. Press the button in the Add Unit field.

6. Enter the IP address of the BrightSign player you

wish to add to the app database. Then press

Search. If you haven’t manually specified the IP

address of the player during setup, or if you don’t

know the IP address of the player, you can find it by

following these steps:

a. Power off the player by unplugging the power

supply.

b. Remove the SD card (as well as the internal

µSD card if you are using an XD player).

c. Power on the BrightSign player by reconnecting

the power supply.

d. Wait for the player to boot up: The IP address of

the player, along with the serial number and

firmware version, will be displayed on the

screen.

7. After searching, the app will return the name and ID

of any player or other device matching the IP

address you entered.

8. Press the Add button to add the player to the app

database. Then press Done.

Switching between Players

You can create a list of locally networked BrightSign

players by adding units using the method described

above. To choose a player to send commands and User

Variable updates to, follow these steps:

1. Press the Settings button.

2. Navigate to the Select Unit window by pressing

the button in the BrightSign Unit field.

3. Tap the unit you wish to connect to. A checkmark

will appear next to that unit.

4. Return to the Settings page using the button in

the top left.

5. Save your new selection by pressing the Save

button in the top right.

Deleting a player in the Select Unit window

5

Adding a new Command button in the Settings window

Removing a Player from the List

The BrightSign App does not automatically remove

BrightSign players from the Active BrightSign Units list.

If you modify the IP address of a player or remove it from

the local network, that player will remain (marked in red)

on the Active BrightSign Units list.

If you would like to remove a player from the from the

Active BrightSign Units list, follow these steps:

1. In the Select Unit window, press the Edit button

in the top right. Each player should now have a

button next to its name.

2. Press a button to turn it. You will now be able to

delete a player from the list by pressing the Delete

button to the right of the player name.

3. Press Done to save the changes you’ve made.

Note: Deleting players only removes them from the

app database. The configuration settings of the

players themselves are not changed in any way.

Creating and Editing Commands

The BrightSign App automatically populates a list of UDP

Commands that are being used in the current

BrightAuthor presentation. However, in some cases you

may need to manually add command buttons (for

example, when using the BrightSign App to send UDP

commands to other types of networked devices).

1. Press the Settings button.

2. Use the Small, Medium, and Large Size buttons

to edit the size of the action buttons in

the Commands field. Making the Command

buttons smaller allows you to fit more buttons on

the screen.

3. Add a new UDP Command button to the UI by

pressing Add Button…. This will bring up a

window that allows you to enter an Label, as well

as Data.

6

a. Label: The name of the button as it is

displayed in the Commands field and the

Settings menu.

b. Data: The command parameter that is sent

to the player in the form of a UDP packet.

For the BrightSign App to activate the

BrightAuthor UDP event, this text must

match exactly the text in the Specify UDP

input field of the UDP Input Event in

BrightAuthor.

4. Press the Save button once you are finished

inputting the Label and Data.

When the App connects to a player, it assigns a name to

each command based on the data of that command. If

you would like to edit these default names, click the

button to the right of a command in the Settings

window. You can then edit both the Label and Data.

Sending Commands

You can send UDP Commands using the Commands

field in the UI. Simply touch one of the command buttons

to send the UDP Command string to the currently

connected player.

If you would like to affect multiple players with a single

command, please see the UDP Commands with Multiple

Players section.

Changing User Variables

You can also use the BrightSign App to change the value

of User Variables. User Variables have various uses in

BrightAuthor presentations: You can display them on

screen like dynamic price tags, or you can use them

as conditionals targets in a presentation (for example, by

configuring the presentation to play a different video if the

variable is equal to a certain value).

Changing variable values on the User Variables webpage

7

By default, the home page of the BrightSign App displays

the Diagnostic Web Server. To change the values of

User Variables, you will need to switch to the User

Variables webpage.

The title above a field reflects the name of the User

Variable. The number in the field reflects the current

value of the User Variable. To change the value of a User

Variable, tap the field, enter a new value, and then press

Set Values. If you chose to Enable Update Notifications

when setting up the player, the User Variables page will

automatically refresh whenever a variable value changes.

Note: Like UDP Commands, you can only work with User

Variables that are available on the currently selected

player.

Using the Diagnostic Web Server

The Diagnostic Web Server is a helpful tool for managing

and monitoring networked players. It is included with the

BrightSign App to increase the overall utility of the App,

but it is not directly related to the interactive capabilities

of UDP Commands or User Variables. Please see

the Diagnostic Web Server User Guide to learn more

about using this tool.

Retrieving App Logs

Follow these steps to retrieve a record of actions taken in

the BrightSign App:

1. Open the Settings window.

2. Press the Information button in the top right.

3. Select the Logs button.

4. Enter an Email recipient and subject line for the

log report.

Opening the Information panel

8

BRIGHTAUTHOR AND THE BRIGHTSIGN APP

This chapter details how to create BrightAuthor

presentations that work with the BrightSign App. The

following sections are intended as quick setup

instructions. For a more comprehensive explanation of

BrightAuthor features, please see the BrightAuthor User

Guide.

Diagnostic and Local Web Servers

In order to use the Diagnostic Web Server and User

Variables pages in the BrightSign App, you will need to

make sure they are enabled during the setup process in

BrightAuthor.

1. Create new setup files for a BrightSign player by

navigating to Tools > Setup BrightSign Unit.

2. Check the Enable diagnostic web server box.

3. Check the Enable local web server box. By

default, this enables the User Variables webpage.

If you would like to disable the User Variables

webpage or use a custom webpage, navigate to

File > Presentation Properties > Variables.

4. (Optional) Enter a Password for the Diagnostic

Web Server and a User name and Password for

the Local Web Server.

5. (Optional) Click Enable Update Notifications to

have the player automatically refresh the User

Variables webpage when variable values change

on the player.

Note: This feature is only available in BrightAuthor

versions 3.7.0.16 and later.

6. Specify other settings for the BrightSign player as

needed.

7. Click Create Setup Files to publish the setup files

to an SD card.

Enabling the Diagnostic Web Server and Local Web Server

9

Connecting media items with a UDP Input Event

Using UDP Events

You can use Commands on the BrightSign App to trigger

UDP Events on a BrightSign player. This allows you to

program a wide range of interactivity into your

BrightAuthor presentations. Here we’ll demonstrate how

to create a simple media transition event using UDP

input:

1. Make your presentation interactive by clicking the

Edit > Playlist tab and then selecting the

Interactive option under Playlist type.

2. Drag two media items (images, videos, or audio)

into the playlist area from the Media Library.

3. Click the Events tab under the Media Library.

Drag and drop the UDP Input Event onto the first

media item.

4. Specify a desired command parameter in the

Specify UDP input field. This is the same as the

parameter in the Data field in the BrightSign App:

Sending this data from the BrightSign App (using a

command button) will activate the UDP Input

Event.

5. Select Transition to new state. Make sure the

second media file is chosen.

6. Press OK.

You have now created an interactive presentation that

will transition from one media item to another with the

press of a button in the BrightSign App. When you use

the app to connect to the player, the app will

automatically retrieve and display the UDP Input Event

as a Command Button.

UDP Commands with Multiple Players

The BrightSign App can only connect to (and send UDP

Commands to) one player at a time. However, you can

use UDP commands and UDP events to broadcast a

BrightSign App command from one player to multiple

players. This is useful if , for example, you want to

change the content of an entire sales floor with a single

command from the BrightSign App.

1. Double-click an existing UDP Input Event (like the

event created in the previous example).

2. Navigate to the Advanced tab and click the Add

Command button.

3. Under Commands, choose the Send category.

10

4. Under Command Parameters, select UDP and

enter a command parameter.

Note: Commands entered here use the same format

as commands from the BrightSign App. This means

that a player will respond to a UDP command with a

certain parameter regardless of whether it is sent from

the BrightSign App or from another player.

5. Navigate to File > Presentation Properties and

click the Interactive tab. In the UDP section,

choose one of the following:

a. Select Specific IP address if you want

UPD commands to be sent to only one

player on your local network. Enter the IP

address of the player.

b. Select All devices on the local subnet if

you want UDP commands to be sent to all

players on your local network.

6. Change the default UDP Destination Port if

desired.

Note: If you change the destination port for this

presentation, you will need to change the receiver

ports for all presentations that are linked to the

command.

7. Create a new presentation for the player(s) that

will be linked to the first player.

8. Add two media items of your choosing to an

interactive presentation (similar to the previous

example).

9. Click the Events tab under Media Library. Drag

and drop the UDP Input event onto the first media

item.

10. In the Specify UDP Input field, enter the same

command parameter that you used in Step 4.

Now, when you send a command to the first player using

the BrightSign App, it will send a similar command to the

other player(s) on the local network.

11

Creating User Variables

To modify User Variables in the BrightSign App, you

must first create them in a BrightAuthor presentation:

1. Go to File > Presentation Properties.

2. Navigate to the Variables tab and click the Add

Variable button.

3. Specify a Name for the variable. This will be

displayed above the value field in the BrightSign

App.

4. Select a Default Value for the User Variable.

5. (Optional) Check the Networked box if you want

the User Variable to also be updatable via RSS,

Live Text, or Dynamic Playlist (see the BrightAuthor

User Guide for more details).

6. Repeat the above process to add as many User

Variables as needed.

You can display User Variables in Live Text states to

create price tags, menus, and schedules that are

dynamic and updatable from the BrightSign App. You can

also utilize User Variables to change the volume of media

files on the fly.

Using Conditional Targets

If you have User Variables in your interactive

presentation, you can also use conditional targets.

Though they can be somewhat complex and difficult to

master, conditional targets, used in conjunction with the

User Variables page on the BrightSign App, allow for

nearly limitless interactivity and customization within a

presentation.

Conditional targets allow you to manipulate how a

presentation will behave depending on the value of one

or more User Variables. You can change what media is

displayed and what media is transitioned to, along with

display properties like connector volume and video

playback, by changing the values of variables.

As a simple example, we will take the UDP Input event

created for the BrightSign App in the Using UDP Events

section and add a conditional target to make the media

transition dynamic. In this example, we will create a

presentation that transitions to a certain media item when

Creating a User Variable

12

the User Variable has a value of 1, but will transition to

another media item if the User Variable has any value

greater than 1.

1. Add a User Variable to the presentation using the

instructions in the previous section.

2. Name the variable “Transition 1” and give it a value

of 1.

3. Click OK to save the variable.

4. Add another media file to the interactive playlist.

This will be the file that the UDP Input event will

transition to conditionally.

5. Open the UDP Input event and navigate to the

Advanced tab.

6. Click the Set Conditional Targets button near the

bottom of the window.

7. Click the Add Conditional Target button. The

conditional target equation has three parts: the

variable, the operator, and the value.

a. Set the variable to Transition 1.

b. Set the operator to Greater than.

c. Enter “1” in the value field.

8. Select the Transition to new state option and

specify the media file that you added to the

interactive playlist in Step 4.

9. Click OK when you are finished.

Now there are two media items you can transition to

using the command from the BrightSign App. If you leave

the “Transition 1” variable set to 1, the command will

continue to transition to the original media item. If you go

to the User Variables page and change the “Transition 1”

variable to any number greater than 1, the command will

transition to the new media item instead.

Creating the conditional target equation