November 2011

Tech Info

Take SEQUEL ViewPoint Dashboards to the Next Level with Digital Signage

Digital signage refers to the concept of strategically sharing information on a digital screen. It can include many forms of media and information—television programming, menus, advertising, and basic text messages. Typically the information is dynamic (changes), sometimes interactive.

We’ve all seen the Departures Board at a major airport. That’s one example of digital signage. Other examples are the screens on the headrest of a taxi, hotel or hospital kiosks that help you navigate, and electronic billboards. Manufacturers use digital signage to display floor statistics, production line alerts, and more. There are many examples of digital signage, and many industries use it.

So, how does digital signage fit into the world of SEQUEL ViewPoint? Simple—just display a SEQUEL ViewPoint dashboard on a large monitor in your lobby or on your manufacturing floor and you have digital signage courtesy of SEQUEL ViewPoint or the SEQUEL Web Interface.

You can use SEQUEL ViewPoint dashboards to combine different SEQUEL objects (views, tables, reports) and display them with graphs, gauges, and pictures, or use the SEQUEL Web Interface to display dashboards and other SEQUEL objects. When you run the dashboard, all of the objects display with optional individual refresh options. You can save the dashboard as a desktop shortcut or an IBM i object. And, you can display the dashboard using the SEQUEL Web Interface and SEQUEL ViewPoint.

In this issue we’ll describe two methods of how you can use multiple dashboards to create digital signage with IBM i data.

Method 1: Use Dashboards with PowerPoint

The first method uses the SEQUEL Web Interface, so we’ll assume that it’s installed and working on your system. You embed the URLs in PowerPoint slides to run the dashboards using the SEQUEL Web Interface. By using multiple slides, one for each dashboard, you cycle through the dashboards. The slide transition time you specify determines how long the dashboard displays.

Before You Begin

You should create or install the following items first:

• Create your SEQUEL ViewPoint dashboards. After you have your objects in each dashboard, save them to a library on the IBM i system and then test them.

  Note: Refer to the SEQUEL ViewPoint User Guide for details on creating dashboards.

• Install the WebEx plug-in (or the WebEx Universal Toolkit) for PowerPoint. You can get the plug-in from the WebEx website. When you install it, it adds a WebEx toolbar to PowerPoint.

  Alternatively, you can download the LiveWeb plug-in available at: skp.mvps.org/liveweb.htm. From this page, select the Download Section, scroll down, and select LiveWeb - Web Pages updated real-time in Powerpoint.

Creating the URL

First, you must create the URL that the SEQUEL Web Interface will use to display the dashboard(s). The easiest way is to run the dashboard in the SEQUEL Web Interface.

Note: With SEQUEL Web Interface 10, make sure you run in “Classic” mode so you can see the URL.

The following sample URL displays all of the objects in a library (SEQUELEX) in classic mode:

http://<<systemiaddress>>:400/secure/sequel? langid=&Obj=*all&Lib=SEQUELEX

Note: You can remove the port number (:400) if you use the default http port.

1. In the list of objects, find your first dashboard and run it. You should see a different URL in your browser, similar to the following: http://<<systemiaddress>>:400/secure/sequel? Obj=DASHBOARD1&Lib=SEQUELEX&databind=A
2. Copy this URL and paste it into a text editor, such as Notepad, to edit it.

   Note: Depending on your browser and security settings, you may need to remove the “secure” statement from the URL so you aren’t prompted every time the dashboard displays in PowerPoint.

3. You should have the following: http://<<systemi address>>:400/sequel? Obj=DASHBOARD1&Lib=SEQUELEX&dastabind=A

   TIP: As a test, copy this URL into a blank web browser to verify that the dashboard displays.

4. Copy and modify the URL for each dashboard you want to use in PowerPoint.

Creating the PowerPoint Slides

1. Start PowerPoint and add or create a new blank slide. You should use a separate slide for each dashboard URL.
2. From the PowerPoint WebEx toolbar, select the option Insert Web Page.

   

3. In the dialog box that displays, enter a title, paste the URL for your dashboard into the Location field, and click OK.

   

   You should see a WebEx placeholder object on the slide. You can move and resize this object.

   

4. Add a new slide with a WebEx link for each dashboard you want to display.
5. After you have each of your dashboard URLs linked on separate slides, specify transition loop and time settings by selecting Slide Show/Set up Show on the menu. In the Show Options section (see below), check Loop continuously until ‘ESC’ and click OK.



6. To change the transition settings, select Slide Show/Slide Transition on the menu.



7. At the bottom of the panel, check Automatically after and specify the number of seconds for each slide/dashboard to display.
8. Click Apply to All Slides.
9. That’s it! Save and run your PowerPoint slideshow to display your SEQUEL ViewPoint digital signage.

Method 2: Use a Batch File to Run Shortcuts

The second method runs dashboards locally with SEQUEL ViewPoint. You can use a PC batch file (a text file with a .bat extension) to run dashboards and control their display.

Before You Begin

First, you need to create one or more SEQUEL ViewPoint dashboards and save each one as a PC file (often referred to as SEQUEL ViewPoint shortcuts).

You can save a dashboard as a PC file with a .vpt extension on your local drive or in the IFS. Remember the name and location of the files.

Creating the Batch File

1. Using a text editor, such as Notepad, enter (or cut and paste) the following code:

@echo off

set /a counter=0

:numbers

set /a counter=%counter%+1

if %counter% ==10 (goto :eof)

START “” “C:\Scripts\dashboard1.vpt”

DELAY 300

taskkill.exe /f /im viewpnt.exe /t

taskkill.exe /f /im sequel_dashboard.exe /t

taskkill.exe /f /im sequel_progress.exe /t

START “” “C:\Scripts\dashboard2.vpt”

DELAY 300

taskkill.exe /f /im viewpnt.exe /t

taskkill.exe /f /im sequel_dashboard.exe /t

taskkill.exe /f /im sequel_progress.exe /t

goto :numbers

Notes: This batch program runs two dashboards (open and close) one at a time.

• The lines beginning with START reference the dashboard shortcut file. Remember to replace dashboard1.vpt and dashboard2.vpt with the actual names of your dashboards and verify that the pathname is correct.
• The program loops through the process 10 times (defined by the %counter% value in the fifth line).
• Each dashboard remains open for 5 minutes (300 seconds) based on the DELAY setting.
2. Save your text file with a .bat extension.
3. When you’re ready, double-click the batch file to run the program.

Summary

These are two very different methods of using SEQUEL ViewPoint dashboards to create digital signage. Try them and start showing off your data.

By Steven Smith, Technical Consultant

IBM i Solution Edition for Help/Systems

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