Widgets (also known as "Apps" in Signagelive) are dynamic, interactive, and automatically updating content elements that can bring your digital signage to life. Whether it's a live news feed, weather updates, social media streams, or internal dashboards, widgets add a layer of real-time relevance to your displays.
Signagelive offers two primary methods for incorporating widgets into your Layouts, catering to different needs for displaying single or multiple widgets.
Method 1: Adding a Single Widget in a Static Zone (Always-On)
If you need a single widget to be continuously displayed and always present for the entire duration your Layout is active, the best approach is to add it within a Static Zone. This method ensures constant visibility of that particular widget.
Here's how to do it:
Log in to your Signagelive Network as a User or Administrator.
From the main menu, select Content.
Choose Layouts.
Open an existing Layout or create a new Layout.
Select the 'Static Widget zone' (or 'Static App zone') option from the menu ribbon in the Layout Designer.
Resize and position this new zone to the area of the Layout where you wish the widget to be shown.
With the Static Widget zone selected, click on the 'Zone Properties' tab in the feature row to open the sidebar.
Under the 'Asset' section, use the drop-down menu to choose an existing widget from your Asset Library. If you have a new widget file (a
.wgtfile), you can select 'Add New' to upload it directly.
Once saved, this widget will be a constant feature of your Layout.
Please note: Widgets in static zones generally refresh their content every 10 seconds. For widgets that need smoother updates or less frequent visible refreshes (like some social media feeds), the second method below is often preferred.
Method 2: Adding Multiple Widgets (or a Single Widget with More Control) in a Schedulable Zone
If you want to display more than one widget in a rotating sequence or schedule a single widget to appear only at specific times, you should use a Schedulable Zone in conjunction with a Playlist. This method offers much greater flexibility and control.
Here's how to set it up:
Add a Schedulable Zone to your Layout:
Select the 'Schedulable Zone' option in the Layout Designer from the menu ribbon.
Resize and position it as desired.
Save your Layout (at this stage, the Schedulable Zone will be empty).
Create Your Widget Playlist:
Navigate to Content > Playlists.
Create a new Playlist.
Add multiple widgets (or just the one widget you want to schedule) to this Playlist. You can arrange them in the order you want them to play.
Save your Playlist.
Assign the Playlist During Publishing:
Go back to your Layout in the Layout Manager.
Click the 'Publish' button for your Layout.
During the publishing process, you will be prompted to assign Playlists to each of your Schedulable Zones. Select the Playlist containing your widgets for the relevant Schedulable Zone.
Your player will now update and cycle through the widgets within that zone according to your Playlist's settings!
Using the Schedulable Zone method grants you access to advanced conditional playback features within the Playlist Creator, such as recurrence and validity. These features enable you to precisely manage when and for how long each widget appears, offering you exceptional scheduling flexibility. You can find out more about these features [here](link to relevant article about conditional playback if available).