In this article, we will go over how to best use the tagging feature in OptiSigns to organize your assets and screens.
Tagging is an essential tool for keeping your content and screens organized. They can be applied to any asset to allow for seamless sorting, and applied to screens to help identify screen location, screen type, hardware, and far more.
NOTE |
Asset and screen tagging are distinct from content tags in playlists. |
Screen Tagging
Your screens can be tagged in much the same way as an asset. This has a number of different uses:
- Organizing numerous screens, by location, type of screen, etc.
- Grouping sets of screens together for quick pushes of assets or playlists
- Allowing Emergency Messages/CAP Alerts to appear on certain screens with specific tags
- Enabling Remote Commands to be able to alter the content displayed on multiple screens at once
You can add as many different tags as you want to a screen. Please note that these screen tags are separate from those tags you may have applied to your assets. For more information on tagging assets, see the Asset Tagging section later in this article.
To tag your screens, select the screens, then hit Edit.
This will bring up the Edit Group of Screens tab.
In the “Tags” section, you can click the field and you’ll be able to select from existing tags, or create a new one.
Pushing to Multiple Screens
The most commonly used feature of screen tagging is the ability to push content - be that an asset, playlist, or schedule - to multiple screens at once.
To do this, find the piece of content you wish to push, then click the Three Dots:
This will open up the Options menu. Click Push to Screens. You’ll see the Push to Screens tab:
Here, select the Target to say “Tags”:
You can then select the Tags from your previously created Screen Tags.
When done, hit Push. Your content will now display on any Online screens that have the tag you selected. This is a method OptiSigns uses to change what displays on numerous screens at once, and can be used to drastically speed up deployments.
Tagging for Remote Commands
Screen tags can also be used by OptiSigns Remote Commands to send direct commands to multiple screens at a time. This can be anything from forcing an update to changing the content displaying on screen.
NOTE |
Remote Commands can only be used by Pro Plus subscribers or above. |
For more information on how to send Remote Commands via tag, see our article on Remote Command Execution.
Asset Tagging
Tagging assets can be extremely helpful when you have many screens across many locations and when certain content does not apply to all screens.
For example, let’s say you want to advertise certain special deals in one location, but not another. This asset can be tagged with a simple “location” marker, which will signal where it should be displayed. You can apply as many tags as you like to a single asset.
Tags may only be applied to existing assets in OptiSigns. To learn how to create an asset, see our article on How to Upload and Manage Files and Assets.
Once there is an asset to tag, from within the Files/Assets tab on the OptiSigns portal, there are two methods to add/edit tags:
- Single asset
- Multiple (bulk) assets
Single Asset Tagging
Single asset tagging is quite simple: just click the Three Dots on the asset you wish to tag, then choose Edit Tags from the drop down menu:
This will open up the Edit Tags menu for this single asset:
Clicking within the Tags field will bring up a list of existing tags that you can select from. You can also input a new tag here to create it.
This feature is most useful for adding individual tags to specific assets that may be different from those around it.
Multi Asset Tagging
The most useful way to apply tags to large numbers of assets at once is by multi tagging. This is similar to applying tags to a single asset, except it can be used to apply the tag(s) to numerous assets at once.
In order to do this, you’ll need to click the Circle icon in the upper left corner of the assets you want to tag.
Once you’ve selected the assets you wish to apply the tag(s) to, click the “Edit Tags” button:
This will open up the Edit Tags menu for this single asset:
Clicking within the Tags field will bring up a list of existing tags that you can select from. You can also input a new tag here to create it.
Tagging Use Examples
OptiSigns tagging capabilities make it one of our most powerful features, with numerous capabilities being unlocked through it. Here, we’ll lay out some common use case examples. Bear in mind that there are numerous other ways to use tags to enhance your experience, and that these are but a few.
Asset Tagging for Organization
Applying multiple tags to your assets will allow you to find them easier for when you need them. These tags can be anything from what type of material they are, to what the substance of the content is, to where they need to be displayed and far more.
Any time a tag is created, it is added to the list on the left of your screen in the Files/Asset tab:
Any of these tags are clickable. Doing so will highlight them green.
Now, this is useful on its own, as it will then only display assets which possess that tag:
Selecting multiple tags will display any assets that have any of these tags:
This can also be used inside any folder to the same effect:
These tags, essentially, provide a filter for what content will be displayed. Combining these tags with your folders makes it extremely easy to locate assets relevant to what you’re looking for.
Tags can also be used to denote Expired assets (i.e. a Christmas message from last year), which makes them easy to filter out.
Currently, OptiSigns allows creation of up to 40 asset tags.
Screen Tagging for Simultaneous Updating
In this example, when creating a screen, we’ll add at least a couple of tags to it denoting the device’s primary location, device type, or device purpose:
These “location” tags allow screens in a specific spot to receive commands quickly. The “device” type lets your IT team and our support team quickly identify the type of screen or device you’re running OptiSigns on in case of a problem. A “purpose” tag lets you identify which screens are being used for what purpose (ex. “Marketing” or “Internal”).
As we’ve mentioned before, setting these tags allows you to quickly push Assets, Playlists, or Schedules to screens, but there’s more to it. It also lets you batch update your hardware with the latest version of OptiSigns
Don’t forget: it’s possible to add as many tags as you’d like to any given screen or asset, so don’t hesitate to create complex webs or simple notation as you like. Feel free to experiment with the feature to make the easiest experience for your business.
That’s all!
OptiSigns is the leader in digital signage software. If you have any additional questions, concerns or any feedback about OptiSigns, feel free to reach out to our support team at support@optisigns.com.