How To use the table element
- Hendrik van der Tuin
From version 4.1 and higher, it is possible to use the table element within your template design.
With this element you can easily create a table by dragging the area you want to use and configure the table in the layout tab. Here you can define the number of rows and columns, whether you want to use a border and define properties like border thickness and color. In the data tab you can select an external data source to automatically fill the table with information from an external data feed.
This guide explains how the table element can be created and configured within the template editor.
Requirements
If you want to use the table element in the designer you need to meet the following requirements:
Have access to Templates in the designer.
Please open “Content Creation” from the menu on the left side and select ‘Templates’.
Please create or edit a template. This will bring you into the template editor.
Select the ‘Table’ element. This is the element with the following icon:
Once the element is selected you can create a frame within your template design by clicking and holding the left mouse button. Now you can draw a frame within the template which will be used for the table element.
Once you release your left mouse button a pop-up will be opened. This is the place where we can configure the table element. With this example we will create a table which loads information from an external data feed. In case you want to manually enter the text please skip the settings in the tab called ‘Data’.
Please fill in the following fields:
Tab: General
Name: Please fill in the name of the element, for example ‘Weather Information’Tab: Layout
Transparency: With this option you can configure the transparency of the table element.
Columns: With this option you can configure the amount of columns the table should have. In the example we use 4 columns
Rows: With this option you can configure the number of rows the table should have. In the example we use 5 rows
Border: With this option you can configure if the table should use a border around the element or not.
Font Family: The font you want to use.
Font Size: The size of the text you want to use.
Font weight: You can choose if you want to use bold or regular font weight for your text.
Text color: Here you can choose the color of the text you want to use.
Background colour: With this option you can decide if you want to use a background colour for your table
Text alignment: With this option you can decide if you want to align your text on the left, centre or right side of the table.Good to know: You can change the size of the element if you press ‘Show positions’, here you can adjust the size in pixels. For example, if you use Full HD and want to have the counter full screen fill in the following positions:
Tab: Data
Datasource: Here you can select which data source you want to use for your table, in this example we use “Weather”
Table: Here you can select the table of the XML which you want to use, normally this is the top level of the XML. In this example we use “/weather”
Row: Here you can select the row of the XML which you want to use, normally this is the second level of the XML. In this example we use “/weatheritem”
Columns: Here you can select the values you want to display in the table element, in this example we want to display: Date, High, Low and Title.
Once you have finished configuring all the fields please press “Save”. The pop-up will now close and the element will become visible in the template editor.
Once you reach this step you have successfully setup the table element. Now you can add additional elements if needed. Once you have finished your template you can create a page based on the template and add this to your playlist.
You can use the following link to download this manual as a PDF-file.
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