RangeeOS - Automatically Playing a Presentation in a Continuous Loop

You can easily use RangeeOS to play a presentation in a continuous loop. To do this, you need the software modules "libreoffice" and "scripts". If you do not yet have access to the required software modules, please contact our support team:

• Email: support@rangee.com
• Support Form: https://rangee.com/support/

Deploying the Presentation

You can provide the presentation using different methods via the CommBox under Peripherals -> Drive Mapping Configuration :

1. Using a storage device connected to the Thin Client (USB stick/SD card):

• If the option "Auto-mount local drives" is enabled under Global Settings , no further steps are required. If this option is disabled, you can set up a local drive directly using the available option New Local Drive .
    
  2. Using a network drive:
• Select either New Network Drive or SMB Network Drive Wizard and enter the corresponding information for your network drive.
• After applying the settings, press the Start button next to the newly created entry.

3. Using a local directory directly on the Thin Client:

• Create a folder via New Local Directory . For this folder, you can optionally enable an FTP or SMB share to upload the video later. To use the FTP share, ensure the option "Enable FTP Server" is set under Global Settings . For SMB shares, enable "Activate Samba (Windows Shares)".
• Warning The FTP server on RangeeOS only supports the "Unencrypted" connection method. Depending on the FTP client, this must be configured in the connection settings.

Starting LibreOffice with Command Line Options

Navigate to Connections & Applications -> Script Configuration and create a New Connection .

Enter the suitable example script according to your environment and file format in the "Script" section.

Replace:

• #ShareName# with the name of the drive displayed in Drive Mapping Configuration .
• #PresentationName# with the name/path of the video file on the medium.
• "sliderTimeout" to define how many seconds before the next slide is shown.

Other options can be freely configured. In most cases, it’s recommended to enable "Enable Autostart" or "Reconnect after connection ends".

PPS File:
A PPS file automatically starts as a presentation and contains information about individual slide timings. This requires only a simple call to the presentation:

presentation="/mnt/shares/all/#ShareName#/#PresentationName#"
libreoffice --norestore --show "$presentation"

PPTX File:
A PPTX file must be opened using this script. In this example, a keyboard press on the "right arrow" key is simulated every 5 seconds to proceed to the next slide.

sliderTimeout=5
presentation="/mnt/shares/all/#ShareName#/#PresentationName#"

# Start the presentation
libreoffice --norestore "$presentation" &
sleep 10

# Confirm the tip of the day (if it appears)
xdotool key "Return"
sleep 2
xdotool key "F5"