Sitevision
The Sitevision template datasource lets you show content from Sitevision, such as news, announcements, and events, on Smartsign screens without publishing the same content twice.
How it works
When connected, Smartsign fetches content from Sitevision and makes it available in Template Creator for databinding to text, image, and date fields. Text elements can use Sitevision - Title, Sitevision - Preamble, Sitevision - Text, Sitevision - Published date (with Date format and Language), Sitevision - Likes and Sitevision - Created By. Image elements can use Sitevision - Image and Sitevision - QR link.
You can control what is shown using archive and presentation filters, such as tags, target audience, and number of posts.
What content can be shown
Only pages built with the Sitevision Article content type are shown. Plain Pages, folders, and custom-built pages are not picked up, even if they are inside the selected archive. Articles in sub-folders of the archive are included.
You can connect to Sitevision and select any archive configured in the Smartsign app, but no posts are shown if the content inside is not made up of Articles. For example, an archive for ongoing projects where each item is a regular Page will connect successfully but stay empty.
If your content is not built as Articles, you can either:
- Recreate the content as Articles in Sitevision.
- Contact Smartsign to check whether your use case needs a different content source.
Article properties
An Article needs the following properties to appear and display correctly.
| Sitevision property | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Yes | The title of the post. |
| SV.Content | Yes | The body text of the post. |
| SV.Description | No | A short introduction, if the Article has one. |
| SV.Image | No | The image in the post. |
| Tags | No | Needed if you filter by tags. |
| Target audience metadata | No | Needed if you filter by target audience. |
Requirements
- A Sitevision URL, username, and password with access to the relevant content.
- Screens must be able to reach https://content.smartsigncloud.net
- Sitevision must be prepared with the Smartsign integration app and relevant content setup.
Prepare Sitevision first
Before creating the datasource in Smartsign, prepare Sitevision.
- Open Sitevision Marketplace.
- Find and install the Smartsign App for Sitevision.
- Configure the app according to your Sitevision structure, such as the news or content source used for signage.
- Ensure the account you use in Smartsign has permission to read the content.
- If you want audience-based filtering, configure Target Audience in Sitevision for the relevant content.
- If you want tag-based filtering, make sure tags are used consistently in Sitevision content.
Set up the datasource in Smartsign
- Go to Templates and Datasources.
- Select Add datasource -> Create new, choose Sitevision and select Select.
- Enter a name and description.
- Configure the connection settings listed below.
- Click Verify to test authentication. Verify is available once Sitevision URL, Username and Password are filled in. It shows "Authentication successful." or the error, and it is not required before Create.
- Click Create.
You choose the Archive per template in Template Creator, under Datasource settings for this template, when you connect the datasource.
Connection settings
| Setting | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Sitevision URL | Base URL to fetch content from Sitevision | https://intranet.company.se |
| Username | Sitevision username | smartsign.service |
| Password | Password for the Sitevision user | ******** |
| Verify | Tests authentication | Click Verify |
Presentation settings
Presentation settings are set per template in Template Creator, under Datasource settings for this template.
| Setting | Description | How to use |
|---|---|---|
| Archive | Selects which Sitevision archive or query to use | Lists the archives the credentials can read, sorted by name. The first one is preselected. Example: Company news |
| Tags | Filters posts by selected Sitevision tags | Select one or more tags. Leave empty to include all tags. |
| Target audience | Filters posts by selected Sitevision target audiences | Select one or more audiences. Leave empty to include all audiences. |
| Number of posts to show | Maximum number of posts in rotation | Example: 4 |
| Time between posts | How long each post is shown, in seconds | Example: 10 |
| Only show posts with an image | Includes only posts containing an image | Enable if your template design requires images. |
| Show progress | Shows a progress indicator between posts | Enable if you want viewers to see post rotation progress. |
Filter behavior notes
- Tag and Target audience options are loaded from Sitevision using the configured credentials.
- If the archives, tags or target audiences cannot be loaded, the list shows a "Failed to load" message. Check the connection settings or try again later.
- If filters return no results, broaden or clear the filters to verify that content is available.
- If an archive still returns no posts after clearing all filters, check that the pages inside it are built as Sitevision Articles, not plain Pages. See What content can be shown. Also check that the content is not in a location excluded from news in the Smartsign app settings.
- Best practice is to start with no filters, confirm data flow, and then narrow the content with tags or target audience.