Using the Playlists Menu

Playlists are used to organize content slides into meaningful groups. Playlists can be created here so that slides created on the portal (in the Content Menu) or on your website (via the Locol plugin) can be assigned to playlists.

Playlists that are associated with a particular Screen Location will be played on that screen location, subject to the scheduling of the Playlist.

Playlists that are associated with a particular Hub will be played on all screen locations associated with that hub, again subject to the scheduling of the Playlist.

Using the Playlists Menu

1. Select Playlists from the navigation menu.
2. The screen locations list is sorted by create date and in descending order.
3. To sort by Title or by Date in ascending or descending order:
   1. Mouse over the Title field, click the upward arrow to sort in ascending order, and click the downward arrow to sort in descending order.
   2. Mouse over the Date field, click the upward arrow to sort in ascending order, and click the downward arrow to sort in descending order.

Creating a New Playlist

1. Click on the Add New button next to the title Playlists.
2. On Add New Playlist page, key in a name in the Enter Name of Playlist field.

Items – Adding Content to a Playlist

• Items are added to a playlist in the Content menu. Please see Using the Content menu on how to create or update an item for a playlist.

Associated Locations – Associating/Disassociating Playlists and Screen Locations

• There are two columns in the Screen Locations display. The left column has all available screen locations created in the Screen Locations menu. If it is empty, create a new screen location first.
• The right column has all the Screen Locations associated with this Playlist. A Playlist can have one or more Screen Locations associated with it.
• If a Screen Location is already associated with this Playlist via the Screen Locations menu, it is displayed here in the right column. The association can be updated here. Any updates made here will also be reflected in the Screen Locations menu.
• To associate a Screen Location, do a wildcard search in the Search field if necessary. Select the desired Screen Location on the left column and it will be moved to the right column.
• To disassociate the relationship, select the desired Screen Location on the right column and click on the minus button next to it.

Associated Hubs – Associating/Disassociating Playlists and Hubs

• There are two columns in the Hubs display. The left column has all available screen locations created in the Hubs menu. If it is empty, create a new hub first.
• The right column has all the Hubs associated with this Playlist. A Playlist can have one or more Hubs associated with it.
• If a Hub is already associated with this Playlist via the Hubs menu, it is displayed here in the right column. The association can be updated here. Any updates made here will also be reflected in the Hubs menu.
• To associate a Hub, do a wildcard search in the Search field if necessary. Select the desired Hub on the left column and it will be moved to the right column.
• To disassociate the relationship, select the desired Hub on the right column and click on the minus button next to it.

Specifications – Set Start Time and End Time to start and stop a Playlist

• The Start Time is when a playlist starts playing during the day and the End Time is when it stops playing. If both times are blank, the playlist plays around the clock. If there is a Start Time but no End Time, the playlist plays continuously. If there is no Start Time but an End Time, the playlist is not going to start.
• The system uses the UTC time zone. There are two columns in Specifications: Start Time and End Time. For Start Time
  1. Click on the Start Time field
  2. The Choose Time box pops up
  3. Click Now to select the current time, or click on the hour field pulls down a 12-hours in am/pm and the minute field pulls down 60 minutes in the hour
  4.  To clear a Start Time, highlight the field and hit the Delete button on the keyboard
• For End Time
  1. Click on the End Time field
  2. The Choose Time box pops up
  3. Click Now to select the current time, or click on the hour field pulls down a 12-hours in am/pm and the minute field pulls down 60 minutes in the hour
  4. To clear an end time, highlight the field and hit the Delete button on the keyboard

Saving a Playlist

• A Playlist can only be used in production when it is Published.
• To save work before it is ready for production, use Draft mode.

1. The Save Draft button and Publish button are changed to the Update button for a saved playlist. Click the Update button to save your changes.
2. Click on the Save Draft button to save the playlist in draft mode. To change the status from draft to published, simply click on the Publish button. To change the status from draft to pending review, click the Edit link next to it, select Pending Review from the dropdown box and click on the OK button to save, or Cancel to exit.
3. Click on the Publish button to publish the Playlist for use. The published date and time are shown. To change the status from published to pending review or draft, click the Edit link next to it, select Pending Review or Draft from the dropdown box and click on the OK button to save, or Cancel to exit.
4. Visibility is set as Public by default. A Playlist needs to be public to be used. Click the Edit link next to it, select Password Protected or Private, and click on the OK button to save, or Cancel to exit.

Searching for Playlists

1. There are several ways to search or filter a playlist list
   1. Playlists are grouped by All, Published, Draft, Pending, and Trash boxes. Each box has a count next to it.

• Wildcard search – key in some keywords in the field below the profile pic and click on the Search Posts button.

• Filtered by create date – click on the All Dates dropdown box, select month and year, and click on the Filter button.

Editing a Playlist

1. Select a screen location from the Playlists list and go to the Edit Playlist page, or
2. Mouse over a playlist from the Playlists list, the three links below it:
   • Select Edit link goes to the Edit Playlist page which has the same result as 1. above.
   • Select the Quick Edit link to pop up the Edit box to easily update the name or its status. Click on the Update button to save or Cancel to exit.
   • Select Trash link moves a screen location to the Trash box. A playlist cannot be used when it has been trashed.

Deleting a Playlist

1. Follow 2.c. above, or
2. In the Edit Playlist page and in the Publish box, select the Move to Trash link.

Permanently Deleting a Playlist or Restoring a Playlist

1. A deleted Playlist can be restored from the Trash box or deleted permanently from the portal. Select the Trash link from the Playlists list.
2. On the trash Playlist list, mouse over the one and select the Restore link to move it back to the All box.
3. On the trash Playlist list, mouse over the one or check all by clicking on the checkbox next to Title, select Delete Permanently link to delete these Playlists permanently from the portal; or
4. On the trash Playlist list, check all by clicking on the checkbox next to Title, then select Restore or Delete Permanently on the Bulk Actions dropdown box and click on the Apply button. Bulk action does not prompt with a confirmation box or a warning message.

Playlists – Bulk Edit Functionality

1. The purpose of the Bulk Edit function is to update multiple playlists in one shot, similar to the status update or move to trash functions.
2. Search or filter for a group of playlists, or go to any of the All, Published, Draft, Pending, or Trash boxes by selecting the link on the top.
3. Check all by clicking on the checkbox next to Title, or click on the checkbox next to a playlist individually, or multi-select by holding the Ctrl button on the keyboard and clicking on the checkbox next to a playlist
   1. To update the status of the list:
      1. Click on the Bulk Actions dropdown box, select Edit and click on the Apply button.
      2. A pull-down shows two columns, the left column is the list for bulk editing and the right column is the status dropdown box.
      3. On the left column, click on the cross next to a playlist to take it out of the list before bulk editing.
      4. On the right column, select an action from the Status dropdown box.
      5. Click on the Update button to save or Cancel to exit.
4. To delete the list:
   1. Click on the Bulk Actions dropdown box, select Move to Trash, and click on the Apply button. This moves the list to the Trash box.
   2. To restore or delete permanently from the Trash box, please see 4. in the Permanently Deleting or Restoring a Playlist section above.