How to Use Microsoft Excel Online with OptiSigns

Microsoft Excel is a very popular way to create and share your spreadsheet. You can also use it on your Digital Signage screen.

There are 2 ways to use Excel with OptiSigns:

1) Upload the XLSX file, and OptiSigns will convert and display on your screen (pros: can play offline, just upload files, cons: when there are changes, you need to upload the files again)

2) Use Excel for Web (online) (pros: you can make changes to the Excel file and screens will update automatically, cons: need internet connection to display)

This article will walk you through how to set up option 2:

Upload your Excel to OneDrive and changes to your Excel can be automatically updated on your screens.

If this is your first time using OptiSigns, you can read here to get set up.

Otherwise, let's dive in.

1) Create and prepare your Excel

First, we need to make sure your spreadsheet will fit on a single page. To do this, go to the Page Layout tab, then locate the Scale to Fit area. Here, for the Width, keep it to 1 page, then set Height to however large your spreadsheet is.

Then upload your Excel file to your Microsoft OneDrive. If you're using the Web version of Excel, you can skip this step.

Then on the File tab of the Ribbon, click Share. Make sure the Link Settings are set to Anyone:

Now click Share again, then click Embed.

To create the HTML code to embed your file in the web page, click Generate.

Under Embed Code, right-click the code, click Copy, and then click Close.

2) Add Excel Online App on OptiSigns

Go to our portal: https://app.optisigns.com

Click File/Assets, then click Apps, search and select Excel Online app.

There are two options to enter your Microsoft Excel.

• Copy and paste your Microsoft Excel embed code directly.
• Sign in with your Microsoft account, and select your Excel file.

Option 1: Click Embed Code and copy and paste your Microsoft Excel embed code directly.

Name: for you to remember, you can use the same Excel file name.
Embed Code: Paste in your Embed Code.
Update Interval: Default is 600 seconds (10 minutes). This means the app will refresh the link every 10 mins for any changes in your spreadsheet.

Click Save.

Option 2: Sign in with Microsoft Account

• Name: This is the name to organize assets, it will not be shown on the screen.
• URL: This is the Excel link that is auto-generated.
• Customize Display Region: Select a specific region in your file to be displayed on your screens. The asset must be saved first before the feature is enabled.
  • If enabled, click on 'Select Display Region' and then click on the sheet page to select display region.

• Speed: Select how fast you want the slide to switch between slides. You can also customize your speed if you select Custom.

Advanced option:

When you sign in with a Microsoft account, you can choose how often it will force-sync.

Force Sync Interval: By default, the system will force sync every 12 hours. The minimum is 1 hour.

Click Save.

That's all! 

You have created an Excel Online.
Anytime changes are made to the Excel Online workbook, the screens will be updated by the update intervals.

Why does using Excel require giving OptiSigns Admin permission to use?

OptiSigns uses Microsoft APIs for integration. In order for our integrations to work, the integration has to be approved by an administrator. This is the same across all integrations using Microsoft APIs.

This administrator access is only needed for first time access. Once the OptiSigns app is approved for use, other users can use OptiSigns directly.

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