AdChiosk Scheduler Help
Overview
Date and Time
Starting Up
Properties
Navigation
Library
Test Run
Default Settings
Overview
AdChiosk Scheduler schedules your Signage timeline as well as provide a means to test your Signage itenaries.
However because it is built for scheduling purposes, all assets, ie artworks, information pages, multimedia and
web links would have been already setup via other tools eg. AdChiosk Designer ( provided free by Chio CS ), PhotoShop,
or simply any text editor to put in your assets by hand and save as an standard xml input to the Scheduler.
If you are working on the schedules and timeline first before working on your assets, then in Scheduler, it does
provide some basic skeletor framework to setup your pages and guide your through.
Date and Time Setter
Each screenfull of schedules consist up to a maximun time period of 24 hours. To view other day schedules,
select the date of choice from the calender to create or add a new date tab page.
- Time From – Show from this time
- Time To – Show to this time
- Time per tick – Each time tick can measure from one second up to an hour and represented by a spacing
of up to 10 pixels wide.
- Pixels per tick – Represent a pixel on screen
- Tick Length – Use as a guide to represent 3 different time space.
By setting the tick duration and spacing, it allows you to zoom in to adjust the minute details to within
decimal of a second or zooming out to view the day schedule at a glance.
The ruler shows in relative time, ranges from "Time From" to "Time To". However, if your scheduling
group runs continously ( ie. no time or date is set ), then it will shows up begining from time-from regardless
of selected time. Ruler settings are automatic save for the sessions and can be retrieve via the dropdown button.
Getting started
AdChiosk scheduler is part of AdChiosk suite of products and it is assume you install it in the same folder, but not necessary.
Before starting up, you may want to ensure you have your artworks in place or if you have use the designer to create, have the
outputed xml file ready. AdChiosk comes with a list of pre-compile flash effects register in a file, name adchiosk.register
where the scheduler will look for it and load these original flash effects in addition to the others that are in your xml
input. All other AdChiosk effects, windows etc.. should also be present in this input.
- File New / Open
If you choose to schedule first and put in your artwork and other inforation later, you can use the new option.
It will load the list of pre-compile flash assets into your library. All other library categories will contains
the header entries. If you are openning from an existing xml input ( or use the signage1.xml as an example ), it
will load all original flash effects plus all other assets into the library.
- View Properties
Expand the libray catgories and click on any assets, it will display in the properties page and can be
edited.
- Schedule Items
Before you can drag and drop any assets from the library, ensure you have inserted a group and slice panels ( by clicking
insert group and insert slice icon ). Assets can only be drop into the slice panel. To expand the slice panel simply pull the
bottom edge down, do like wise for the group panel.
- Group
You may only have a single group for your signage or more. A group can represent a continous time events or specific
series of events for a particular date and time. Or, you can have various group setup for managing different part of
your signage screen or screens ( AdChiosk supports more then one screen ).
- Slice
A group without any slice does nothing. A slice is a basic time event that defines within the boundary of the
group time, that contains a particular display items. These display items, may contains a single host ( window, browser, player )
and multiple flash effects each with it's own start and display ( stay ) time. Each host can have 2 moving effects latch to it.
- Start and Stay Time
Using the time ruler as a guide more information about setting time, you can
drag the slice header or display items to specifies the start time, to change the stay/display time, expand the slice
by dragging the right edges. For manual changes, double click on any items to bring it's properties and set from there.
- Some restriction
You are restricted to place your display items within the slice stay time. If you double click the slice header or host display
item, it shares the same properties, for visual arrangement purposes you can drag the host directly behind the slice item and
it will not affect the slice start time as this will allows you to manage your space and clarity of your schedules better.
As group display/stay time is determine by the collection of slices in it, you can only change it through adjusting your slices.
- Multiple Dates
By default, it display today's schedule items. If you have other days schedule or planning one, you can select
a different date from the calender and it will adds to the list of tab pages. Click on the tab to navigate to other pages.
For schedules that runs continously ie. without a date set, it will only shows on today's page.
- Moving Around
See navigation
goto Index
Navigation
Navigating in Scheduler follows the common standard of drag and drop, moving, resizing, naming, editing all through the
use of mouse click, hold down etc...
- Right Click
Right Click on any items to bring out the context menu which may permit you to do other operation like add, remove, copy, paste, rename etc...
- Dropping of Library assets
To drop a asset, simple drag an asset from the library and drops into the any open slice container.
Once drop, you can the mouse to move within it's permitted boundary, ie. you are not permitted to move any
assets out after it's being drop into a container. To move into another slice container, simply delete it and
drag the same asset from the library into the other container.
- Delete Screen Assets
Click on it and use the delete key or right click and remove from the context menu.
- Expanding Collapsing
Click on the plus minus button or right click on the group or slice header menu item for expanding out or collapsing to a single strip.
- Moving Group
To reposition a group of slices, hold down the shift key and use the mouse to move, otherwise you may find it
heavy to move if there are many slices. Alternatively double click and adjust from the properties start field.
- Moving Slice
Slice can only be re-position to the right of the group edge, as you move it may expand or contract the group header to reflect
the total schedule time. Adjust the slice stay time by pulling the right edge, by pushing the right edge it shrinks the time,
but sometimes it also pushes the start time back, to avoid, hold down the shift key while you adjust the stay time. Alternatively
you can change the time by double click and change in the properties field.
- Latch Effects
Transisition effects cannot stand alone, therefore it may have to latch onto the display items. Drag the effect
and align the top right edge onto one of the 2 latches. The top latch represent the entering effects while the bottom
the leaving effects. AdChiosk support one enter and one leave effect for all it's slice items.
- Guide
A vertical red line drawn on the ruler as you move the slice acts as a guide. Also, tool tips are provided for each of
these screen assets that shows your current position.
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Library
Library items or assets are created externally via the free AdChiosk Designer or by hand using text editor or
other artworks, video, webpages etc... that created from other tools. However, you still can add a basic entry for each of
these assets for testing and reviewing the schedules.
- Effects
These are basic transition effects, although AdChiosk support many transition type, here only the move transition type
is supported.
- Flash Effect
Besides loading the modified flash effects from your xml input, the Scheduler will look at your installation or
current folder for adchiosk.register to load in the default "unique" effects.
- Windows
If you create your window's asset in the designer, however only the skeleton framework of the window is shown in the properties.
Likewise it only allows you to add a new basic window framework. After you created the schedule, you will need to use the designer
to modify or add any assets you desire.
- Browser
Show or add the basic framework for web page. To add a list of web pages, use the designer.
- Player
Show or add the basic framework for Player. To add a list of media files, use the designer.
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Properties
Double Click on any assets allows you to show and edit any of it's permitted values. Below are general characteristic that
describe the assets that posesses it.
- Date From
Scheduled from this date and time
- Date To
Scheduled to this date and time
- Time From
Scheduled from this time
- Time To
Scheduled to this time
If only dates are selected, it will play between the range of date and time specified. However if times
are selected, it overides the time in the date field and play only between the selected time slot within the
range of dates. If no dates or times are selected, it will plays continously.
- Start
Start Time, time offset to it's parent.
- Stay
Amount of time to display or show itself.
- After
Provide millseconds accurancy. A time offset from it's parent slice start time. However please note when
save into the xml file, the time will be recalculated to show the offset from the previous flash effects.
AdChiosk limit the offset time to a minimun of 0.2 seconds.
- Flash Loop
Number of cycle to play it's flash effects.
- Flash Interval
Default value for after.
- Name
Descriptive name, can be optional or required
- New
When duplicating flash effects with different paramters, it is required to have a unquie name for reference.
- Input
Optional, name and location of flash effects parameters files.
- Timeout
The default flash effects timeout ( time for display ) is 30 seconds, you may reduce or prolong this time period.
- ID
Unique id, AdChiosk reference effects, windows, browsers, players with an unique id for each of these.
- X
Screen X coordinate.
- Y
Screen y coordinate.
- Width
Container width.
- Height
Container height.
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Test Run
Ensure you have AdChiosk installed, and it must be preset in your working folder or have a short cut place in the scheduler path.
goto Index
Default Settings
You may change and save the position, size and individual color scheme of each of the various display items. For menu bars
and items, it is dependent on your main windows settings.
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