After you have added a Placeholder to a Presentation and configured the settings specific to the type of Content Widget you added to it (e.g., Image Widget, Video Widget, Text Widget, Google Spreadsheet Widget, RSS Widget, etc.), you can customize the Properties for it.
Placeholder Properties are NOT unique to the type of Content Widget. They are are the same for all types.
The Properties allow you to assign a descriptive name to a Placeholder Item and define how the content it contains appears within the Presentation - i.e., where on the Display it should appear and how big the Placeholder should be (e.g., full screen or partial screen).
You can customize some or all of the Properties. The options are described below.
Assign a name to this Placeholder:
When a new Placeholder Item is added to a Presentation it is given a default name “ph0” or “ph1”, “ph2”, etc. depending on how many Placeholders are in the Presentation. You can give this item a descriptive name that makes it easier for you and your team to know exactly what content it contains, e.g., “Local Weather”, “RSS Industry News”, “Donor List”, “Breakfast Menu”, etc.”
- To assign a name, click Edit.
- Type the name in the field below. Placeholder names cannot have blank spaces in them. Use underscores to add space between words, e.g., “Local_Weather”, “RSS_Industry_News”.
- Click Apply to save the name.
- Click Save to save the changes in the Presentation.
Define a size and position for this Placeholder:
A Placeholder can be any size. It can appear full screen or on just a portion of a Display. And, you can control the exact position for where it should appear on a Display. Size is controlled by specifying a width and height. Position is controlled by specifying Top (X) and Bottom (Y) coordinates. Used together, they allow you create “zones” of content so you can show different content at the same time on one Display.
By default, all Placeholders will be visible, meaning you will be able to see it as part of the Presentation.
- Specify the coordinates for the size of the Placeholder - i.e., the width and height coordinates (in pixels). Size is specified in pixels.
- Specify the coordinates for where on the display the Placeholder should appear - i.e., the Top (X) and Left (Y) coordinates (in pixels).
- If you want to stack content on top of other content, you can do this by specifying a number in the Z Order field - e.g., 10. Z-ordering is an ordering of overlapping objects, in this case Placeholders, so that one Placeholder hides all or part of another. The Placeholder with the highest Z Order will be placed on top.
- Click Save to save the changes in the Presentation.
Define a background for the Placeholder
For some content, you may want it to show with a specific background to make it easier to read, to make it more dramatic or to align it with your brand or corporate colors. A background can be a color or an image. When a background is defined, all content for this Placeholder will show with the defined background.
To use a color:
- To use a color, type the rgba code for the color you want, or click the color wheel icon to access the color picker. Only rgba colors are supported.
- Click Save to save the changes in the Presentation.
To use an image:
- Click the Image checkbox.The image properties will display.
- Select the image you want to use:
- If the image you want to use is located somewhere on the Internet, type the URL for it in the URL field.
- If the image has been uploaded to Rise Vision Storage, click the Storage icon to select the file.
- Once selected, a thumbnail of the image will be shown.
- Define how the image appears within the Placeholder. If the image is smaller or larger than the size of the Placeholder, you can control how it appears by using the image properties:
- Click Save to save the changes in the Presentation.
Apply a Transition to the image
Transition controls the movement of the image and allows you to control how it appears within the Placeholder, e.g., Fade, Slide Right, Slide Left, Slide Up, Slide Down.
The default is None, i.e, there is no movement, the image just appears onscreen with the Placeholder.
To select a Transition:
- Click the Transition drop-down and select a Transition style.
- Click Save to save the changes in the Presentation.
Change the Timeline
The Timeline controls when a Placeholder appears within a Presentation. By default, the Timeline is set to Always, meaning it will always show when the Presentation plays as part of a Schedule. However, sometimes you only want to show a Placeholder on a certain day of the week or certain day of the month, or you want it to be a recurring event.
To change the Timeline:
- Click to uncheck the Timeline. When unchecked, the Timeline field appears.
- Click in the Timeline field to access the Timeline settings.
- Edit the Timeline settings.
- Click Apply.
- Click Save to save the changes in the Presentation.
Select the Displays this Placeholder will appear on
In addition to controlling when this Placeholder appears as part of the Presentation, you can also control the specific Displays you want it to appear on. This is useful if you use the same Presentation for multiple Displays, but you only want this content to appear on one or two of those Displays. By default, a Placeholder will appear on all Displays the Presentation is scheduled for.
To select specific Displays for this Placeholder content:
- Uncheck Select All Displays.
- Click in the Displays field to access a list of available Displays.
- In the Edit Distribution dialog, click to select the Displays you want this Placeholder to appear on. Only Displays that have been previously set up on your network will show up in the Distribution list.
- Click Apply.
- Click Save to save the changes in the Presentation.