24 posts tagged with "Features"

Interactions let a template react to what happens while it plays, and global states are site-wide on/off values shared by every screen, template and publisher user in a site.

Interactions were introduced as an experimental feature earlier in 2026, global states arrived in the August 2026 release, and the September 2026 release made interactions available to everyone. Earlier release notes only mentioned them in passing, so this note describes both features in full.

Interactions​

Interactions replace the old trigger setup with a flow you build visually in Template Creator: an event—something happens—is linked to one or more actions—what should happen—and states remember a yes/no value in between. One event can start several actions, and the same action can be started by several events.

Build behaviour in Template Creator​

• Interactions workspace — the Interactions button in the Template Creator toolbar opens a canvas with event nodes on the left and action nodes on the right. Drag nodes to arrange them, click an event's connector and then an action's connector to link them, and click a line to remove the link.
• From the selected item — select an item that already takes part in an interaction and its properties panel shows the click events and show, hide and toggle actions tied to that item, with an Edit interactions shortcut to the full workspace.
• Saved with the template — interactions are stored as part of the template and follow it wherever it is used, including in Smart Media created from it. Deleting an item from the template also removes the events and actions that referenced it.

Events you can react to​

• On start — runs when the template starts playing. Use it to hide items that should appear later.
• Click item — a touch or click on a chosen item in the template.
• Key press — one or more keys, entered as characters or key codes separated by spaces. This works with keyboards, remotes and button boxes that send key presses to the player.
• Inactivity — the screen has been idle for a chosen number of seconds. A typical use is returning a wayfinder to its start screen after visitors walk away.
• State set to true/false — a local or global state changed value. This is how one flow hands over to the next.
• Webhook — an existing webhook data source received a request. External systems can start a prepared flow on screen without any change to the template. Webhook data sources are created under Data sources as before.

Actions you can run​

• Show, Hide and Toggle visibility of any item in the template.
• Set state to true, Set state to false and Toggle state for a local or global state.
• Predictable order — when one event starts several actions, they run in the order the action nodes are stacked on the canvas, from top to bottom. Follow-up events caused by a state change run after the current batch of actions has finished, so chained behaviour stays easy to follow.

Local states​

• A local state is a named true/false value that belongs to one template and starts from its default value every time the template starts. Use it to remember whether a step has been completed, whether an overlay is open or whether a signal has already arrived.
• States are managed from the States button at the bottom of the Interactions workspace. Deleting a state also removes the events and actions that used it.

Test in the preview​

• When a template with interactions is previewed in Template Creator, an Interactions debug panel shows the running timers and the current value of every state, so you can follow what the template does while you click and type.
• Global states are not available in the preview. The panel lists them separately and explains that the media must be scheduled or used as a screen layout to test them.

Permissions​

The Interactions button is shown to users whose profile has the Interactions permission in the Media section.

Global states​

A global state is a named true/false value that belongs to the site rather than to one template. All templates, Smart Media and screens in the site see the same value, and a change made anywhere is pushed to every connected player immediately. This replaces the global trigger setups that were previously needed for behaviour across screens.

Shared values across screens​

• Change it from a screen — a template can set or toggle a global state through an action, so a button on one screen can change what another screen shows. A screen that changes a state reacts to it immediately, and every other screen in the site follows.
• Change it from the publisher — users can switch a global state directly in the publisher, for example to open or close a queue, start a campaign on every screen or switch a building to evacuation mode.
• Use it in Template Creator — the States dialog in the Interactions workspace lists the site's global states under Global states (this site). Click one to add it to the template, or create a new global state with an initial value. Local and global states are grouped separately when you pick a state for an event or action.
• References, not copies — removing a global state from a template only removes the template's reference. The state itself stays in the site. A global state that has been deleted from the site is flagged in the template so you can repair the flow.

Manage global states in the publisher​

• Global states page — under Management, the new Global states page lists every state in the site with its name, current value and when the value last changed. You can search by name and add new states with a chosen default value.
• Switch a value — set a state to true or false from the row's menu. A confirmation explains that changing the value affects all interactivity nodes tied to the state in the connected resources.
• Details panel — open a state to rename it, add an optional description and switch its value.
• Live updates — when a screen or a template changes a global state, the list in the publisher updates without reloading the page.

Permissions​

Global states have their own permission group in user profiles: View, View detail view, Create, Edit and Delete. The default user profiles have been updated to include them.

Users can now add Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets to the media library and publish them on screen. Files can also be synced from Google Drive, so teams can keep working in Google Workspace while Smartsign keeps screen content up to date.

With this feature, users can:

• Publish Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets to digital signage screens.
• Sync files directly from Google Drive.
• Automatically keep screen content updated when the original file changes.
• Reduce manual exports, downloads, and duplicate uploads.
• Manage content in Google Workspace while Smartsign handles publishing.

This is ideal for organizations that use Google Drive as their main content hub and want a simpler way to publish documents, presentations, and spreadsheets to screens.

Smartsign Share lets organizations make physical digital signage screens available online so employees can view them from anywhere, whether they are in the office or working remotely. Shared screens can be opened on any device with a web browser, such as a computer, tablet, or smartphone.

• Site owners control the feature with a separate Share license. One license covers one site, and Share menu items are hidden when a license is not available.
• Site owners can create and manage shared screen links, add password protection, set an end date, or deactivate sharing manually.
• Some content may not appear in shared links, such as internal-network content or integrations that rely on other systems.

Share in Smartsign 11 works in much the same way as Share in version 10, making it easy for existing users to get started.

We've added support for custom logos and thumbnails for JSON, XML, and CSV data sources, making it easier to identify and manage integrations across Smartsign.

You can now display the external system's logo directly in Smartsign, making connected data sources easier to recognize at a glance. The feature is available when creating or editing supported data sources.

We've updated bookings to support multiple schedules within a single booking, making it easier to plan and manage recurring or distributed playback times.

Example use case: A restaurant can now create one booking for a lunch campaign and schedule it to run during lunch hours on weekdays and different hours on weekends, without needing to create separate bookings.

• Users can now add multiple schedules to the same booking by selecting "Add schedule".
• Each added schedule will be included in both playback and calendar visibility.
• If all schedules are removed, an informational message is displayed to highlight that no schedules remain.

The functionality is now available in the booking workflow and requires no additional configuration.

We've introduced a new analog clock data binding that allows designers to display the current time as a fully styled visual element directly.

The update includes:

• New data binding option: Datasource set to Time with Analog clock rendering on a circle layer
• Automatic square scaling to preserve the clock's shape when resizing
• Time zone selection with Auto or manual configuration
• Clock styles: Classic (detailed markers) and Modern (cleaner, simplified look)
• Numeral options: Standard (1-12) or Roman numerals
• Customizable colors for clock face, border, hands, numbers, and markers, including theme colors.

This enhancement enables designers to create dynamic, brand-aligned clock visuals without needing external assets, while ensuring the time always stays current. Templates, a layout, and a layout component featuring the Analog clock have also been added to the Marketplace for quick use and inspiration. The feature can be configured directly from the Data binding panel when working with circle shape layers.

We've introduced a booking preview that allows users to see how a booking will play on a screen before it is saved and published, using the same functionality already available in version 10.

• Preview can be launched directly via the "Open preview" button below version history
• Users can select a target screen
• A specific time can be chosen to simulate when the booking will play

This update makes it easier to validate bookings in advance, reducing errors and ensuring content appears as expected on the intended screens. The feature is available in the booking view and requires no additional setup.

We've updated how all-day bookings are displayed and introduced a explicit all day booking option to provide a clearer and more consistent calendar overview.

• Bookings marked as "All day" appear in the dedicated "All day" section at the top of the calendar and play for the full day.
• Booking blocks can be expanded to show screen selection
• Bookings that span a full day using from-to times (but are not set as "All day") will continue to appear as regular scheduled bookings.
• All day bookings treat screen active time like any other booking, so screens will turn on and of as usual.

These changes improve clarity when managing schedules and reduce ambiguity between all-day and timed bookings. The update is available immediately for users on EU an AU, with no additional configuration required beyond selecting the "All day" option when creating or editing bookings.

We've introduced a new OneDrive integration, allowing you to add files directly from OneDrive to the Smartsign media library and choose how they should be managed. When adding a file, you can decide whether it should remain linked to OneDrive with automatic updates or be stored as an independent copy in Smartsign. The feature includes:

• The ability to add files directly from OneDrive to the media library.
• A prompt when adding a file from OneDrive to choose between enabling sync or adding a copy.
• A "Sync" entry in the file's properties when sync is enabled, showing the sync type (currently OneDrive).
• Disabled name editing (and other non-editable synced attributes) in media details while sync is active.
• An optional "Sync" column in the media library list view, showing the sync type for quick visibility.
• A visible unlink icon in the sync info section that removes synchronization and converts the file to regular media.
• Files are synced with a one-hour interval.

This feature improves transparency and control over how imported files are managed, helping you decide whether updates in OneDrive should automatically carry over to Smartsign or remain independent. The "Sync" list column is optional and can be enabled in the list view column settings. If a file is unlinked it will no longer update from OneDrive-re-enabling sync requires re-adding the file from OneDrive.

Normally, a screen's on and off times are controlled by Active Time settings. This is the preferred way to manage screen activity because it's an easy way to save energy and ensures that content scheduled outside of intended display hours is not shown.

However, there are situations where important content needs to be displayed outside the configured active hours. For example, special events, late-night promotions, or temporary activities may require the screen to show content even when it would normally be turned off. The Override screen active time option allows a specific booking to be displayed regardless of the screen's active time settings.

For example, a clothing store may host a late-night special event with exclusive discounts starting at midnight. Normally, the store's digital signage screens turn off at 22:00 according to their Active Time configuration. By enabling Override screen active time in the booking schedule for the event promotion, the screen will still display the content during the night, ensuring customers arriving for the special event can see the message.

• When Override screen active time is enabled in a booking schedule, the screen will display that booking even during hours when the screen would normally be turned off according to Active Time settings.

The feature is available to all users with permission to manage screens and requires no additional configuration to use. Note that regular publishers do not have permission to manage screens, and therefore not override active time. (Info: This post has been updated with additional information)