Layout Designer

The Layout Designer is the heart of content creation in Xibo. Each time a new Layout is added, or an existing one needs a design change, the Layout Designer is used.

If you are using the 1.8 series CMS, please use the following link: Layout Designer 1.8

If you are using a version earlier than 2.3 for the v2 CMS, please use the following link: v2 Layout Designer. Speak to your Administrator about upgrading to the latest version!

Xibo makes layout design simple through the use of drag and drop,interactive previewing and design flexibility. On adding a new Layout, the Layout Designer will open:

Top Toolbar

A status indicator is shown to the left of the top toolbar to show you the current 'play' status of the selected Layout:

- This Layout has not been built yet.

- This Layout is valid and can be scheduled once Published.

- This Layout is invalid and will not be Published for scheduling.

- This Layout contains media that can only be assessed Player side, and can be scheduled once Published.

This is a normal Layout status to have if your Layout contains online content, such as a webpage etc. The CMS cannot say that the Player will display the content as it is not sent directly from the CMS (as with file based media, images, videos etc,) and is instead cached (stored) Player side. The Player will need to have a reliable internet connection to successfully display such content.

Hover over the status icon to see further information regarding the status you are seeing!

The total Duration of the selected Layout is displayed here in seconds, which updates each time a media item is added or an existing duration is edited, along with the Layout Dimensions applied from the selected Resolution on the Edit Layout form.

The overall Layout duration is always based on the longest running Region on the Layout.

A Layout must contain at least one Region and each Region must contain at least one media item for it to be valid and play when scheduled.

Layout Selector

To the right of the toolbar, the Layout selector provides easy navigation between all Layouts the logged in User has permission to edit without having to leave the Layout Designer screen. Use the dropdown menu to change the Layout you are currently viewing/editing.

Actions Menu

Located next to the Layout Selector is a menu of Actions that can be performed for Layouts, depending on the status of the Layout.

Layouts in a Draft status have the following available Actions:

• Discard

  Any changes made to the Layout can be completely discarded, reverting the Layout to the previous Published version.

Clicking on Discard will delete the draft and leave the Published version untouched.

• Publish

  Once you are happy with your designs, set your Layout to Publish ready to be Scheduled.

Invalid Layouts will not be published. On publishing, an error message will show as to why your Layout is invalid, which you will need to rectify before being able to Publish.

​ Layouts can be set to be Published straight away with updates automatically pushed to Layouts that are in the schedule. A Publish Date can also be selected to Publish a Layout at a specified date and time.

You can also use the row menu for a selected draft Layout to set a Publish time.

Published Layouts can be viewed in a read-only mode and 'Checked out' to create a draft Layout to make any edits needed.

Layouts in a Published status have the following available Actions:

• Checkout

  Enable editing by putting the published Layout into a draft status.

• Schedule Now

  Schedule published Layouts onto one or more Displays directly from the Layout Designer.

• Save Template

  Save your published designs by creating a Template for reuse. Saving a template will store an exact copy of the Layout, including Regions, Playlists and media.

Layout View

As you create your Layout, the Layout View will update, so that you can view all the elements as you go to ensure the correct positioning of Regions and the correct ordering of Widgets, so it will play as you intend.

Edit Layout Mode

All new Layouts, by default, have one full screen empty Region, represented as a semi-transparent overlay. Use the Edit Layout Mode to add, position and resize Regions, by clicking on the Edit icon to open the editor.

Clicking on a Region in the opened editor, opens the Region Options form which allows for refinement of Positioning and the application of Exit Transitions for when the Region finishes.

Use the arrow, in the bottom left corner of this window, to return to the Layout View.

Preview

Play a full Preview of your Layout by clicking on the Play button located at the bottom left of the Layout View window.

View your Preview in full screen by clicking on the icon in the bottom right corner of the screen then press Play.

Click on a Widget to view the media content and use the arrows to cycle through all Widgets that have been assigned to that Region.

Please note: Video files will only play in the full Layout Preview.

Return to the Layout View by clicking on the back arrow at the bottom left of the Preview screen.

When you have multiple Regions, easily Preview all of the Media assigned by toggling to full screen and using the arrow tabs for each Region to cycle through the content.

Edit Forms

Edit aspects of your Layout,Regions and assigned Widgets using the available options in the Edit forms.

Once assigned, click on Widgets from the Timeline to open the available edit options for that media item.

Layout Timeline

The Layout Timeline displays the duration of individual Widgets and gives you an overview of how media will play on the Layout.

Bottom Toolbar

Located on the bottom left of the toolbar use the buttons to add Library media items, apply actions from the Tools menu and assign Widgets to Layouts.

Further actions will show, when available, to Undo changes and Delete.