SignStix 3.3 Release Notes

We are delighted to announce the release of SignStix version 3.3. Following the team’s move to a spacious new office and demo suite in Central Leeds, this release adds several great new features to enhance the SignStix experience further.

Power Tools

Until now, some of the most powerful functionality in SignStix was only available to expert users willing to try their hand at coding with the SignStix JavaScript API. The aim of the new ‘Power Tools’ concept is to make that functionality available to everyone via easy-to-use dialogs in SignStix Creator. The first power tool being released is for ‘Lift & Learn’ experiences, where the signage changes to show more detail about whatever item the user has just lifted from a SignStix RFID Pad.

The new power tool allows clients to build entire Lift & Learn (or Place & Learn) experiences with minimal effort and no coding. Clients simply define a set of items (or products) and choose which sign should be displayed when a given item is triggered. A new ‘Item Mode’ in the SignStix Player (for Android) allows shop-floor staff to easily assign RFID tags to physical items in the store.

Validity Period for Videos

In response to customer feedback, we have enhanced video playlists so that clients can optionally set a validity period for each video. In effect, videos which are only relevant for a given period (e.g. time-limited offers) can be set to drop in and out of the playlist automatically.

Once set up, you can deploy the playlist and then forget about it – safe in the knowledge that the Players will disregard any videos that have gone beyond their end date.

Remote Hardware Rotation

For displaying on portrait screens, recent devices (notably the SignStix M12S and Philips 4050D) have offered a ‘hardware rotation’ facility. This is generally preferable to the ‘software rotation’ setting because it rotates the entire content (video and signage).

In 3.3, we have now added ‘hardware rotation’ as a setting in the device page in SignStix Director. This makes it easy to adjust all aspects of content rotation remotely, without the need for a site visit.

Selective Deploy

When doing a ‘Deploy’ in Director, only the devices where the assigned content has changed will be affected. (Previously, all devices would restart their content, regardless of whether the content had changed or not.)

An important benefit of this change is that clients can now freely deploy new content to a test device without fear of affecting other screens.

Improved Navigation

When browsing a sequence or a schedule, navigation links are now available for jumping to the signs and sequences they contain. Similarly, when browsing a video playlist, there are links for jumping to the videos it contains.

These changes make it much easier to browse around the content that’s relevant for a particular device, for example.

Improved Web Preview

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The web-based signage player that Director uses for displaying previews of signs and sequences has undergone a major overhaul, resulting in significantly improved functionality and quality.

Receive Text Input via JavaScript

Text Input via JavaScript The SignStix JavaScript API has been extended so that it can provide notifications when text input is received e.g. from an attached barcode reader or USB keyboard. This makes it possible to build interactive experiences were scanning a product’s barcode causes the signage to change (e.g. to provide more detail about the scanned product).

General Improvements

A number of minor fixes and enhancements have also been applied in 3.3 as part of our ongoing programme of quality and usability improvement.

These include:

1. M12S and Philips 4050D devices now report their serial number via Director, making it easier to keep track of the estate.

2. In the Devices page, hovering the mouse pointer over the video-wall icon now reveals the video-wall geometry as well as the synchronisation settings. This makes it quicker to diagnose a misconfigured video-wall.

SignStix Support

We hope you enjoy using the new 3.3 version of SignStix Director, which is being released to all SignStix customers as a free upgrade.

Devices can be upgraded via the Devices page in Director.

For further information, please visit SignStix Support: