Install Second Screen add-on

This article describes how to install and use the Second Screen add-on for the Grassfish Windows & Linux Player. This add-on enables you to control the spot playback on one or multiple players via an external device like a tablet or smartphone. 

This can be useful, for example, for a salesperson who wants to show customers an explanatory video or configuration on a large screen instead of a smaller device like a tablet. A large screen renders the display of content more impressive and comprehensive. Also, displaying content on a tablet requires a certain physical proximity and it would be difficult to show content to several people at once.

With the Second Screen add-on, you can see all available spots on a custom website on the device and start them with a tap or click. This interrupts the playlist that is currently playing on the player and initiates the playback of the selected spot. You can control which spots are available on the device via a dedicated event playlist in the IXM Platform.

System requirements

Before you begin the installation and configuration process, ensure that you meet the following requirements.

Add-on: configure settings

The second screen functionality requires a remote control add-on that you must install on one of the players that you want to control via an external device. 

Before you install the add-on on your Linux or Windows Player, you must configure it. To do so, perform the following steps: 

1. Unzip the add-on installation package into any folder on your PC.

2. Open the config.json file.

3. In the file, specify the following values:

   Entry	Value
   filter > eventValue	Enter the name of the event. The name must be the same as the name of the start event in the IXM Platform.
   login > customer	Specify the customer’s name.
   login > user	Specify the user name.
   login > password	Specify the user password.
   server > apiPath	Enter the URL of the Grassfish Server.

4. Save your changes and close the file.

5. Compress the installation package back into ZIP format and store it in a folder on the file system of your player.

Example configuration of the config.json file

{
	"filter":{
		"eventValue": "TriggerSpots",
		"numberOfSpots": 1
	},
	"login": {
		"customer": "Client1",
		"user": "User1",
		"password": "Password1"
	},
	"server": {
		"apiPath": "https://[path_to_server]/gv2/webservices/API/v1.0/",
		"eventScreen":{
			"screenNr": 1,
			"splitNr": 0
		}
	},
	"player":{
		"icon": "./assets/images/player.png"
	},	"layout":{
		"favIcon": "./assets/images/favIcon.png",
		"backIcon": "./assets/images/back.png",
		"refreshIcon": "./assets/images/refresh.svg"
	}
}

Player: install the add-on

Once you’ve configured the add-on’s config.json file, you can install it on the player.

Install the add-on under Linux

To install the add-on on a Linux Player, perform the following steps:

1. Put the add-on ZIP file into any folder on the player. Note that you need read and write access to the folder.  

2. Open a terminal window.

3. To install the add-on, execute the following command: sudo /opt/grassfish/tools/current/gfBootstrap/gfBoostrap <archive.zip>

4. The bootstrapper unzips the files to: addon/gfServer/SecondScreenAddon[…]

5. Restart the player service gfServer or restart the player.  

Install the add-on on Windows

To install the add-on on a Windows Player, perform the following steps:

1. Put the add-on ZIP file into any folder on the player. Note that you need read and write access to the folder.

2. Open a command prompt.

3. To install the add-on, execute the following command:  C:\GVClient\tools\current\gfBootstrap\gfBootstrap.exe <archive.zip>

4. The bootstrapper unzips the files to: addons/gfServer/SecondScreenAddon[…]

5. Restart the player service gfServer or restart the player.  

IXM Platform: set playlist and player

To configure which spots are available for selection on the external device, you must create one or more event playlists in the IXM Platform. 

In addition to the event playlist, you must also configure the player in the IXM Platform via the player configuration group.

Configure the event playlist  

You must create at least one event playlist in the IXM Platform that contains the spots that you want to start externally. You can, however, specify multiple event playlists and assign them to the respective players via a program scheme. This allows you to, for example, play different spots on every player.

To configure an event playlist for the Second Screen add-on, perform the following steps:

1. In the IXM Platform, go to Channels > Program scheme.

2. Double-click on the event playlist or select it and click Edit.

3. In the Edit playlist properties dialog, select the Event properties tab.
    

4. Specify the event properties as follows:

   Attribute	Value
   Event type	Select Once by ID.
   Start event	Enter the name of the start event. The name must be the same as the eventValue in the config.json file.
   Start behaviour	Select Immediately.
   Playback position	Select Interrupt playlist.
   Action at finish	Select Play next spot.

5. Click Save to save your changes.

Configure the player

To configure the player via the configuration group settings, perform the following steps:

1. In the IXM Platform, go to Administration > Player > Configuration groups.

2. In the Configuration groups pane, double-click on the player that you want to configure. Alternatively, select the player and click Edit.

3. Select Display extended modules. 

4. In the Modules pane, select Server.

5. In the Settings pane, select enable CORS for public access. 

6. Click Save to save your changes.

Device: control players and spots

The players are controlled via a RemoteApp website that you have to access on your external device. This website is where you start the players and select the spots that you want to play back. 

To do so, perform the following steps:

1. On your external device, open the website via the following URL: http://[IP address of the player]:5006 

2. Log in to the website with the user and password from the config.json file. The subsequent page displays all online players that you have access to in the IXM Platform.
    

3. Optionally, use the search field at the top of the website to find a player.

4. To select a player, tap or click on it. The subsequent page displays all available spots from this player’s event playlist.
    

5. Optionally, use the search field at the top of the page to find a spot.

6. To play a spot on the player, tap or click on it. This interrupts the current playlist until the selected spot has ended.