During initialisation and subsequent usage any significant events are recorded in a log.
The message log is viewed to track
the progress of the application
installation and initialisation with
successful events and errors being
recorded. When the application is
first used, this message log window
will resemble that shown above.
Actual messages may vary
depending on the particular system
configuration.
Supported Media Options
A comprehensive range of multimedia options are supported and include:
•
Internal data imported from Excel and Application Frames
•
External data extracted from RSS feeds
•
Images, Graphics and Text from on-premise files
•
Pre-recorded video from on-premise files
•
External URL sourced video and live web pages
OmniDisplay User Reference Guide
Standard 1920x1080 Layout featuring TV Channels, Video Playlists, Welcome
Playlists, Vertically Rotating Message Bars and a Scrolling Ticker.
Tool Bar Navigation
File
Top Row Tool Bar
New Display Layout
Defines the size parameters for a new Display
Open Content File
Opens a file previously saved file from the OmniDisplay folder
Save Content
Save current content and layout if previously saved
Save As
Save current content and layout with a new name
Remove Layout
Removes the Display from the list of active Displays
Publish
Saves current content and layout to a user named folder
Schedule
Set up a schedule (Load various files at different times).
Playlist
Set up a Playlist (Load various files at defined intervals).
Run OmniTicker
Activates OmniTicker to run alongside OmniDisplay
Edit
Top Row Tool Bar
Undo
Undoes the last editing action
Redo
Resets the last editing action to the prior status
Cut
Deletes current selection after copying it to the clipboard.
Copy
Copies the current selection to the clipboard
Paste
Creates new selection from clipboard contents.
Paste Link
Create a DDE link or links from selection in Excel.
Bring Forward
Brings selected object one layer forward
Send Back
Sends selected object one layer back
Bring to Front
Brings selected object to the front
Send to Back
Sends selected object to the back
New Item
Creates a Text, DDE, RMP or Graphic object
Delete
Permanently deletes and Item or group of Items
Select All
Selects all objects in the layout
Search/Replace
Identifies/Replace ‘Service’ & ‘Topic’ from a Feed Handler
Item Properties
Identifies the object properties
Tools
Top Row Tool Bar
Layout Properties
Establishes the width and height of the layout in pixels
Environment Options
General, Display, DDE & RMP Cache settings
Feed Handler Connect
Connection settings for local host (defaults set)
World Clocks
Identifies world time zones from Windows registry
Clean Graphics Folder
Removes all graphics objects not in use by active Displays
View
Top Row Tab
View Status Bar
Identifies object source when mouse hovers over the object
DDE Link Status
Identifies status of links with Excel spreadsheet
Message Log
Maintains log of programme actions
Help
About
Identifies Release Level and links to the online User Guide
Edit
Top Row Buttons
Cut
Deletes current selection after copying it to the clipboard.
OmniDisplay User Reference Guide
Copy
Copies the current selection to the clipboard.
Paste
Creates new selection from clipboard contents.
Undo
Undoes last action (up to 100 levels).
Redo
Undoes last ‘undo’.
Colour
Set the colour of the selection’s text.
Edit
Bottom Row Buttons
Text
Create a single line static text object.
DDE
Create a DDE link.
Paste link
Create a DDE link or links from selection in Excel.
E
Create an Item using data from OmniRSS.
Clock
Create a time or date Item.
World clock
Create a world clock Item
Graphic
Create a graphic / media Item
Colours
Text
Set ALL Text to a chosen colour.
Backg
Set the Background colour.
Display
Bold
Emboldens all characters on the published display.
Hide editor
Minimises editor to the task tray. Double click icon to restore.
Publish
Opens Display Management Dashboard
OmniDisplay User Reference Guide
Display Name
User defined physical Target Display
Virtual Display
File name given to the OmniDisplay Layout
Display No
Display number for Extended Desktop
X & Y
Coordinates for the Target Display
Lock XY
Checked locks X&Y coordinates on Target
Visible
Checked makes Layout visible on Target
OmniDisplay User Reference Guide
Layout Right-Click Functions
On Right-Click replicates editing functions available from the
main menu, but adds four specific additional functions:
Align provides various options for aligning multiple media objects, horizontally and vertically. Media
objects include video, TV channels, text fields and numerical tables.
Restore aspect returns a resized object to its original proportion. It can be used for all objects, but
is relevant to video and graphic images.
Background provides an option to create a watermark background image. A JPEG image can be
selected from source to act as a watermark using the Transparent background option.
To avoid distortion an image should be the same size as the layout (e.g. a layout of 1080px 1920px
would have an image of the same resolution.
The image replaces the Background Colour selected from the main menu. Clear background
removes the watermark image and returns the background to the colour previously selected.
OmniDisplay User Reference Guide
Environment Options
New for the July 2020 Release is a restyled and
simplified suite of Environment Options:
Display placement grid provide a user layout
grid in pixels (lines or dots) where the spacing
between them is shown in pixels with a Snap to
Distance of a user’s choice.
A marquee select can Select all touched
objects or only those completely surrounded by
the selection rectangle. Where objects overlap
each other, a user can opt to select just the top
one, or the whole stack. A user can opt for a
warning if placing objects on top of each other.
An additional option will Show item positions
highlighted allowing a user to see the object
boundaries (but not where a background image
has been set).
The default values for disconnected DDE and
RMP items are set as #N/A and #RMP. A user
can change these value to their own values.
Clear data fields on load clears any residual
values that may be present on LED displays
and Ignore duplicate incoming data ensures
displays are not unnecessarily updated when
the incoming values have not changed from
their refresh.
Two specific vales Ignore non-printable
characters and Clear all displays on exit
apply only to Trans-Lux Character-based LED
datawalls
Display Layout Editor
Any
object
on
the
display
layout
editor
can
be
moved
by
selecting
the
object
and
dragging
it
with
the
mouse
to
the
chosen
coordinates.
Additionally,
graphical
display
objects
can
be
resized
by
dragging
the
bottom
right
hand
corner
of
the
object.
Multiple
objects
may
be
selected
by
dragging
a
rectangle
on
the
display
editor;
all
touched
objects
will
be
selected.
Any
selections
can
be
moved
and
graphical
displays
scaled
up
or
down.
Text
based
items
can
be
layered;
the
options
opposite
provide
for
items
to
be
moved
back
and
forward.
Restore
aspect
applies
to
video
and
graphic
items
and
restores
the
item to its original height and width ratio.
Using the Layout Editor
Static text
Static
text
is
a
single
line
text
object,
used
for
titles,
headings
and
messages.
Simply
enter
text
in
the
value
field
and
select
a
colour.
For
video
all
displays,
a
user
can
choose
a
font
style
and
size.
The
text
item
is
then
dragged
to
its
position
on
the
display editor.
The
Static
text
option
has
a
Playlist
function,
whereby
for
each
line
of
text
vertically
revolves
in
a
predetermined
sequence
to
allow,
for
example,
welcome
messages
to
scroll
within
the
same
display
area.
Various
scroll
effects
and
sequences
are
available in time intervals.
OmniDisplay User Reference Guide
TEXT
Multi-line Text
Available through the add ‘Media’ item dropdown menu, this is a simple text editor (.txt format)
allowing a user to create a box of text with the font and colour of choice which will wrap-around in the
box provided. Multi-line text objects can be entered directly into the application in the box provided or
loaded from a ‘.txt file; the competed text should be saved. Different text based messages can be
incorporated into Playlists, scheduled to run in a user’s chosen sequences and times. A text box can
be sized to accommodate the desired height and width that best suits the display.
Accessed
from
the
same
media
dropdown
menu,
images
(JPEG
and
PNG
formats)
can
be
placed
anywhere
on
the
layout.
Image
resolution
should
be
at
least
the
same
size
in pixels as the image to be displayed.
This
can
be
a
single
image
or
a
collection
of
images
in
a
local
playlist.
When
there
are
multiple
images
the
playlist
will display them in a user-defined sequence and interval.
OmniDisplay User Reference Guide
Images (JPEG)
Excel Integration
OmniDisplay supports a powerful and transparent level of Excel integration. It offers a user the
capability to select any group of cells from an Excel spreadsheet and map them to a layout. When a
cell value changes the layout auto-refreshes with the new value in real-time.
Comprehensive formatting options are provided. These include real-
time conditional formatting based on the immediately previous value
and the new value on a cell-by-cell basis.
For example, when a value changes from positive to negative
conditional formatting allows a traffic light colour theme to show red
for negative and green for positive. Other colour conditions include
where a value is within a range, previous and time.
Additionally, an ‘Enable Flash’ option is provided to draw attention to
the change in value.
The Enable Flash option can apply to any alphanumeric change, the colour of which is user-defined.
OmniDisplay User Reference Guide
Linking Excel Items
A DDE object is a live link to an Excel spreadsheet. A user can copy a range of cells and use right
click ‘Paste Link’ the place those cells on their layout. This brings across cell formats, fonts and
alignments. Resizing cells thereafter is achieved by resizing the target cells through select and drag
to size or by width and height in the Properties box. Changing font and alignments for cells on the
layout is permitted and does not change the target link.
External Sourced Data
Externally
sourced
data
can
be
accessed
through
a
proprietary
RSS
Feed
Manager
(OmniRSS)
)
using
a
Record
Management
Protocol
(RMP).The
‘E’
button
shows
a
dialog
box
with
three
source
levels: “Service”, “Topic”, and “Item” with options for formatting and prefix text.
OmniDisplay
has
one
standard
Service,
RSS,
and
a
reserve
(unused)
“WWW”
tab
in
the
dropdown
menu.
“Topic”
refers
to
an
RSS
feed
that
has
been
captured
by
OmniRSS,
“Item”
refers
to
the
item
number from the list. Item numbers start at “00” upwards with the most recent RSS items first.
Line
items
can
be
added
to
a
Playlist,
where
that
playlist
can
be
a
composite
aggregation
of
data
items from different sources.
Local User-Defined Clocks
A Local Clock takes its time and date from the host Windows desktop and world clocks that take their time
from the Windows registry of time differences. For a Local Clock select the icon from the editing menu and
select the date and time in the required formats.
Mapping Time Zones
To add a time zone, select the time zone from the dropdown menu and add it to the time zones for the Local
Clock.
OmniDisplay User Reference Guide
ZONE
LINK
RSS
Live Screen Capture
Live off Screen (Web page/ video)
This
media
type
uses
any
data
sources
accessible
from
a
URL;
includes
live
video
such
as
Sky
News
and
the
BBC
(if
in
the
UK).
The
URL
is
entered
into
the
dialogue
box.
The
portion
of
the
web
page
to
be
shown
on
the
display
is
captured
using
the
source
rectangle
over
the
browser
window
which
appears when when the ‘Go’ button is activated.
The
rectangle
can
be
adjusted
by
dragging
its
borders
to
fit
the
desired
target
image.
Source
width
and
height
adjusters
can
also
be
used.
Each
item
can
be
resized
using
the
display
editor
to
fit
the
desired
size
on
the
display;
this
will
automatically
re-scale
the
source
rectangle
to
fit
the
user’s
preferred
size
on
the
display.
Restore
aspect
can
be
used
to
ensure
an
image
or
video
is
in
the
same
perspective as its original source.
Live of Screen (Application Frame)
OmniDisplay User Reference Guide
OmniDisplay User Reference Guide
This
media
type
sources
data
from
any
open
window
on
the
desktop.
It
works
on
the
same
principles
of
selecting
an
area
to
the
displayed
as
identified
by
the
source
rectangle
whose
X
and
Y
coordinates
are adjusted in the panel.
In
the
example
above,
the
open
application
window
is
Excel
and
the
graph
within
that
spreadsheet
is
selected
for
display
as
an
Application
Frame.
Whenever
there
is
a
change
in
source
data
this
is
immediately reflected in the display.
The
combination
of
Excel
integration
and
Application
Frames
creates
a
real-time
image
for
management reporting.
An
Application
Frame
can
be
a
selection
from
any
open
window.
For
example,
if
a
user
wants
to
display
a
data
selection
such
as
a
management
dashboard
from
another
application,
this
can
be
selected and resized on the layout as required.
Live Webcam from Desktop
OmniDisplay
supports
the
integration
of
a
desktop
webcam.
This
can
be
used
(for
example)
for
periodic broadcasts to employees.
Live Webcam
Excel Export
OmniDisplay User Reference Guide
Local Playlists
Playlists
can
be
created
for
vertically
rotating
message-bars,
static
graphics,
(images),
multi-
line text (text boxes) and videos.
For
message-bars
data
can
be
a
mixture
of
alpha
numeric
text
and
internal/external
data
sourced
from
RSS
feeds
managed
by
OmniRSS,
including
Twitter.
Vertically
rotating
message
bar
provide
the
opportunity
to
create
a
user
defined
list
of
data
items
to
be
displayed.
In
the
example
above,
RSS
feeds
have been selected from multiple sources.
The
user
defines
the
interval
or
length
of
time
each
data
item
appears,
the
time
taken
to
scroll
and
any
scroll
effect;
the
latter
has
various
options that can be used for visual impact.
Layout Playlists & Schedules
Layout
Playlists
and
Schedules
are
groups
of
virtual
displays
that
can
be
published
at
user
defined
intervals.
Schedules
and
playlists
must
initially
be
placed
in
the
local
Documents/
OmniApps
to
be
available. They will not otherwise show as being available for selection.
All
Playlists
and
Schedules
are
standard
OmniDisplay
layouts
that
are
grouped
together.
A
user
can
set
the
time
each
virtual
display
layout
will
be
published
to
a
physical
display
and
the
sequence
in
which they will appear.
Playlists
can
be
reviewed
and
changed
at
any
time,
provided
the
playlist
is
paused.
This
is
achieved
through the toggle button in the main menu; ONLY when paused
Similarly,
schedule
are
can
be
set
up
for
loading
different
layouts
to
the
same
display,
or
a
Playlist
of
files can be displayed in rotation.
In
the
example
above
two
files
are
selected,
each
to
run
for
one
minute,
although
they
can
be
set
OmniDisplay User Reference Guide
individually.
can
a
Playlist
be
edited.
Scheduled
files
have
a
start
date
and
time.
They
can
be
set
individually to run daily from a start date.
Publishing Virtual Displays
The
Publish
button
brings
up
the
Display
Management
Dashboard.
This
lists
all
the
Virtual
Displays
that are available to publish to physical displays.
For
ease
of
reference,
the
Display
Name
is
user
defined,
whereas
the
Virtual
Display
is
selected
from the dropdown menu, which lists displays that are open and available.
These include standard layout displays, layout playlists and layout schedules (playlists and schedules
identified by their icons).
Display No:
This is the display number identified from Windows Extended Desktop.
For example a second monitor would be 2 and a third and forth, 3 and 4.
X & Y:
For a standard video display these are usually be set to (0,0). Where the virtual
display is required to appear on a display larger than the virtual display size in pixels,
the X and Y coordinates would be specified by the user and will need to be set such the
virtual display appears in the correct position on the the target display.
Lock XY:
Ensures each time OmniDisplay restarts the virtual display will appear in the correct
place on the target physical display.
Visible:
A user can opt to the make a particular virtual display not visible on the target display.
This could be a user is editing the virtual display or has chosen the publish a different
virtual ticker to that physical ticker or display