User Guide

Main Navigation

The left sidebar provides access to all features:

• 📊 Dashboard - Overview of your system
• 💻 Devices - Manage display devices
• 🎬 Content - Upload and manage content
• 📅 Playlists - Create content schedules
• 📝 Logs - View system logs
• 👥 Users - Manage user accounts
• 🔑 License - View license status
• ⚙️ Settings - Configure system settings

Quick Stats

The dashboard shows at-a-glance information:

• Total devices (online/offline)
• Total content items
• Total playlists
• Active broadcasts
• System health

Viewing Devices

Navigate to Devices in the sidebar.

Devices page showing multiple device cards

Each device card shows:

• Device name and status (Online/Offline)
• Live thumbnail - Latest screenshot
• Current playlist - What's currently assigned
• Playback controls - Pause, resume, next, previous
• Health status - Click card to flip and see details

Adding a New Device

1. Click + Add Device
   [Screenshot: Add device button highlighted]
2. Fill in the device details:
   • Device ID: Unique identifier (e.g., "lobby-display-01")
   • Name: Friendly name (e.g., "Main Lobby Display")
   • Description: Optional description
   • Location: Optional location info
   [Screenshot: Add device modal with form fields]
3. Click Create
4. Important: Copy the device token shown in the popup
   • You'll need this to configure the client software
   • Store it securely - you can view it later if needed
   [Screenshot: Device token popup]
5. Install and configure the client software on your display device using this token (see Installation Guide)

Device Actions

Click on a device card to flip it and reveal actions:

Available actions:

• Assign Playlist - Choose which playlist to display
• Screenshot - Take immediate screenshot
• Live Remote - View and control display in real-time
• Visual Remote - Control using screenshot interface
• View Token - Show the device token
• Delete - Remove device (confirmation required)

Filtering Devices by Tags

Use tags to organize devices by location, department, or purpose:

1. Click Manage Tags to create tags
2. Assign tags to devices
3. Use the tag filter buttons to show only specific groups

Playback Controls

Control playlist playback directly from the device card:

• ▶️ Play/⏸️ Pause - Resume or pause playlist rotation
• ⏮️ Previous - Go to previous playlist item
• ⏭️ Next - Skip to next playlist item
• Status indicator - Shows playing (green), paused (yellow), or broadcasting (purple)
• Item counter - Shows current item position (e.g., "2/5")

Viewing Device Details

Click the thumbnail to see:

• Full-size screenshot
• Current URL
• Health metrics (CPU, memory, disk usage)
• Connection status
• Last screenshot timestamp

Viewing Content

Navigate to Content in the sidebar.

Content page with grid view

View Modes

Toggle between two viewing modes:

• Grid view (📱) - Thumbnail previews
• List view (☰) - Detailed list

Your preference is saved automatically.

Content Types

TheiaCast supports four content types:

1. 🌐 Web Pages - Any website URL
2. 🎬 Videos - MP4 files uploaded or from URL
3. 🖼️ Images - JPG, PNG files
4. 📊 Presentations - PowerPoint files (converted to slideshow)

Adding Web Content

1. Click + Add Content
   [Screenshot: Add content button]
2. Enter details:
   • Name: Descriptive name
   • URL: Full website address (e.g., https://example.com)
   • Description: Optional notes
   [Screenshot: Add web content form]
3. Click Save

Uploading Videos

1. Click the Upload Video button
   [Screenshot: Upload video button]
2. Fill in the form:
   • Name: Video title
   • File: Choose your MP4 file (max 2.5GB)
   • Upload progress will show
   [Screenshot: Video upload form with progress bar]
3. Click Upload

The video will be:

• Uploaded to the server
• Cached on display devices
• Available for playlists immediately

Uploading Images

1. Click Upload Image
2. Enter name and select image file (JPG or PNG)
3. Click Upload

Images display full-screen on devices.

Uploading Presentations

1. Click Upload Presentation
2. Enter details:
   • Name: Presentation title
   • File: PowerPoint file (.pptx)
   • Duration per slide: Seconds to show each slide (default: 10)
   [Screenshot: Upload presentation form]
3. Click Upload

The presentation will be converted to individual slides.

Editing Content

1. Click the edit button (✏️) on any content item
2. Modify the details
3. Click Save

Deleting Content

1. Click the delete button (🗑️)
2. Confirm deletion
3. Note: Content used in playlists will be removed from those playlists

Searching Content

Use the search box to find content by name or URL:

Storage Management

View storage usage at the bottom of the Content page:

Shows:

• Total space available
• Space used by videos, images, presentations
• Percentage used

Viewing Playlists

Navigate to Playlists in the sidebar.

Playlists page with 2-column grid layout

Filtering Playlists

Use the filter tools at the top:

• Search box: Find playlists by name or description
• Tag filters: Click tags to filter by category
• Results counter: Shows how many playlists match

Creating a Playlist

1. Click + Create Playlist
   [Screenshot: Create playlist button]
2. Enter details:
   • Name: Playlist name (e.g., "Reception Area - Weekdays")
   • Description: Optional notes
   • Active: Check to enable immediately
   [Screenshot: Create playlist modal]
3. Click Create

Adding Items to Playlist

1. Find your playlist and click Add Item
   [Screenshot: Add item button on playlist card]
2. Configure the item:
   • Content: Select from your content library
   • Display Duration: Seconds to show (0 = permanent/static)
   • Order: Position in playlist (auto-assigned)
   [Screenshot: Add playlist item modal]
3. Click Save

Advanced Scheduling

Restrict when content displays using time windows and days of week.

Time Windows

Show content only during specific hours:

1. When adding/editing a playlist item, expand Time Window
2. Set Start Time and End Time (24-hour format)
   • Example: 09:00 to 17:00 (9 AM to 5 PM)
   [Screenshot: Time window configuration]
3. Content only displays between these times

Date Ranges

Run an item only between two calendar dates:

1. When adding/editing a playlist item, expand Date Range
2. Set a Start Date and/or End Date (both inclusive)
   • Example: 1 December to 14 December for a two-week campaign
   • Leave one side blank for an open-ended range
3. Dates are evaluated in the device’s time zone (see Scheduling and Time Zones)

Clearing a date field removes that bound. An unparseable date is rejected rather than silently cleared, so a saved date is never lost by mistake.

Days of Week

Show content only on specific days:

1. In the playlist item editor, expand Days of Week
2. Check the days when content should display
   • Example: Monday-Friday only
   [Screenshot: Days of week checkboxes]
3. Content only displays on selected days

Combined Scheduling Example

Show "Lunch Menu" only Monday-Friday, 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM:

• Time Window: 11:30 - 13:30
• Days: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri checked

Reordering Playlist Items

Drag and drop items to change their order:

1. Click and hold the drag handle (≡) on an item
2. Drag to new position
3. Release

The order saves automatically.

Editing Playlist Items

1. Click Edit on any playlist item
2. Modify settings
3. Click Save

Changes take effect immediately on all assigned devices.

Removing Items from Playlist

1. Click Remove on the item
2. Confirm deletion

The item is removed from this playlist but remains in your content library.

Assigning Playlists to Devices

1. Go to Devices page
2. Click a device card to flip it
3. Click Assign Playlist
4. Select the playlist
5. Click Assign

The device will immediately start playing the playlist.

Playlist Tags

Organize playlists with tags:

1. Edit a playlist
2. Select tags or create new ones
3. Save

Use tag filters on the Playlists page to find related playlists.

Setting a Device Time Zone

1. Go to Devices and edit a device
2. Choose a Time Zone (IANA name, e.g. Europe/London or America/New_York)
3. Save — the setting is pushed to the device immediately

Content Publish and Expiry

Set a go-live and retire date on a content item itself, so it applies everywhere that content is used, across every playlist:

1. Edit a content item
2. Set Publish At and/or Expires At (both inclusive)
3. Before the publish date and after the expiry date, the content is skipped on every device

Where both a content window and a playlist item’s date range apply, the tighter of the two wins.

“What’s Scheduled” Preview

The device page has a What’s scheduled panel that explains, for each item in the assigned playlist, whether it is allowed to play right now — and if not, the exact constraint blocking it (outside its time window, wrong day, before publish date, expired, and so on).

• It reports eligibility, not the live rotation order — use it to answer “why isn’t this showing?”
• Each eligible item shows the last minute it stays eligible (its window is inclusive).
• The preview looks ahead 14 days.

Live Widgets

Add a widget zone in the layout editor and pick a type. Each has a live preview on the editor canvas:

• Clock — digital or analogue, with its own time zone, optional label, and toggles for seconds, date, and 12/24-hour format, plus colour controls.
• Countdown — counts down to a target date and time in a chosen zone, correct across daylight-saving changes.
• Weather — current conditions for a location, no API key required. If the weather service can’t be reached it shows an “Unavailable” placeholder rather than a blank zone.

Per-Zone Audio for Video

Video in a layout zone is muted by default. Tick Enable Audio on a zone to let its video play with sound. Only the zone currently on screen is unmuted; others are paused and rewound, so multiple video zones don’t talk over each other.

Apply Layout to Live Devices

Editing a layout’s zones doesn’t automatically repaint screens already showing it — that would flicker every display on each drag of a handle. When your edits are ready, click Apply to Live Devices.

• Every device currently showing that layout reloads it with the new version.
• The editor lists which devices are affected before you apply.
• Offline devices are reported, not treated as errors — they pick up the new version when they reconnect.
• Use Live Preview to check your work; Apply is the deploy step.

Selecting Overlapping Zones

Clicking the canvas only selects the topmost zone at that point. Use the zone dropdownnext to “+ Add Zone” to pick any zone by name — it lists every zone top-first with its stacking order and content type, and brings the chosen zone to the front of the editor so its resize handles are reachable. This only affects the editor view, not the stored layout or what devices display.

Starting a Broadcast

1. At the top of the Dashboard page, click Start Broadcast to All Devices
   

   Broadcast button on dashboard

2. Choose broadcast type:
   • Message: Text message with custom background
   • URL: Navigate all displays to a website
   • Image: Show an image file
   • Video: Play a video file
   [Screenshot: Broadcast type selection]

Message Broadcast

Display a formatted text message:

1. Select Message type
2. Enter your message text
3. Click Start Broadcast

All devices will immediately show your message in a styled card.

URL Broadcast

Send all displays to a specific website:

1. Select URL type
2. Enter the full URL
3. Click Start Broadcast

Image/Video Broadcast

1. Select Image or Video type
2. Upload the file (or select from library if available)
3. Click Start Broadcast

Targeting Specific Devices

Filter which devices receive the broadcast:

1. In the broadcast modal, expand Target Devices
2. Select tags to filter devices
3. The counter shows how many devices will receive it
4. Click Start Broadcast

Ending a Broadcast

1. The Active Broadcast banner shows at top of Dashboard
2. Click End Broadcast
3. Devices return to their assigned playlists

Live Remote Control

The most powerful way to interact with displays:

1. Go to Devices
2. Click device card → Live Remote
   [Screenshot: Live remote button on device]
3. A modal opens showing live video stream from the device
   

   Live remote control modal with stream

Features:

• Live video at 10-30 FPS
• Click anywhere on the stream to interact
• Type directly when focused (click the video first)
• FPS counter shows stream performance
• Connection status indicator

Visual Remote Control

Screenshot-based interaction with auto-refresh:

1. Click Visual Remote on a device
2. Screenshot-based interface loads
3. Enable Auto-refresh for continuous updates (every 2 seconds)

Features:

• Click on screenshot to interact at that position
• Keyboard controls sidebar with common keys
• Type text with optional CSS selector targeting
• Refresh page button
• Lower bandwidth than live remote

Basic Remote Control

Simple command interface:

1. Click Remote on a device
2. Use the control panel:
   • Type text: Enter text with optional CSS selector
   • Special keys: Enter, Tab, Escape, Arrow keys, F5
   • Click coordinates: Send click at X,Y position
   • Scroll: Scroll up/down/left/right
   [Screenshot: Basic remote control panel]

Remote Control Use Cases

Creating Tags

1. Go to Devices page
2. Click Manage Tags
   [Screenshot: Manage tags button]
3. Click + Create Tag
4. Enter tag name and choose a color
5. Click Create

Assigning Tags to Devices

1. Edit a device
2. Select tags from the list
3. Save

Or use bulk tagging:

1. Select multiple devices (if feature available)
2. Apply tag to all

Assigning Tags to Playlists

1. Edit a playlist
2. Select tags
3. Save

Filtering by Tags

Tag Organization Examples

Device Health Monitoring

View real-time health metrics for each device:

1. Go to Devices
2. Click a device card to flip it
3. View health indicators:
   • CPU Usage: Percentage of CPU in use
   • Memory Usage: RAM utilization
   • Disk Usage: Storage space used
   • Status: Online/Offline
   • Last Seen: Time of last connection
   [Screenshot: Device health metrics on card back]

Viewing Screenshots

See what's currently displayed:

1. Device card shows latest thumbnail
2. Click thumbnail for full-size view
3. Click Screenshot button for immediate refresh

Automatic screenshots:

• Single-item playlists: Every 30 seconds
• Multi-item playlists: On each rotation
• On-demand: Click Screenshot button

System Logs

View system activity and troubleshoot issues:

1. Go to Logs in the sidebar
2. Filter by:
   • Device
   • Log level (Info, Warning, Error)
   • Date range
   [Screenshot: Logs page with filters]
3. Each log entry shows:
   • Timestamp
   • Device name
   • Message
   • Level/severity

Device Logs

View logs specific to a device:

1. Go to Devices
2. Click View Logs on a device
3. Logs filtered to that device appear

Useful for troubleshooting connection or playback issues.

How It Works

• A background check watches how long each device has been silent. Once it passes the offline threshold you set, you get one alert email.
• The threshold acts as a debounce — a display that briefly drops and reconnects won’t trigger an alert.
• A device that loses power is caught too: the alert is driven by missed check-ins, not by a clean disconnect.

Turning It On

Alerting and the email connection are configured under Settings → Email & Alerts. See the Administrator Guide for recipient addresses, the offline threshold, and choosing a send method (SMTP, OAuth 2.0, or Microsoft Graph).