Building a custom template

Templates define the layout of a screen — where the clock goes, where the announcements ticker runs, which corner shows the lunch menu. You can either pick one of the 17 system presets or build your own.

Start from a system preset (recommended)

Every system template is read-only, but one click makes an editable copy:

1. Open Templates in the sidebar.
2. Hover the preset you like and click Use as starting point.
3. Give your copy a name (e.g. "Lincoln ES — Main Hallway").

You now have a fully editable copy in your tenant's template library.

Anatomy of a template

Every template has:

• Canvas size — defaults to 1920x1080 for landscape displays. Change it for portrait or video-wall installations.
• Background — a solid color, a gradient, or an uploaded image.
• Zones — rectangular regions that each render one widget.

Zones are positioned in percentages (0–100), not pixels, so layouts scale gracefully to any screen resolution.

Adding a zone

1. In the builder, click Add zone in the toolbar.
2. Drag the zone to where you want it. Use the corner handles to resize.
3. From the right-hand panel, pick the widget type for that zone.

Available widget types

• CLOCK, WEATHER, COUNTDOWN, TEXT, RICH_TEXT
• ANNOUNCEMENT, TICKER, BELL_SCHEDULE, LUNCH_MENU, CALENDAR
• STAFF_SPOTLIGHT, IMAGE, IMAGE_CAROUSEL, VIDEO, LOGO
• WEBPAGE, RSS_FEED, SOCIAL_FEED, PLAYLIST

Each widget has its own configuration panel — for example, the Clock widget lets you choose 12/24-hour format, font size, and theme variant.

Layering (zIndex)

Zones can overlap. Use Bring to front / Send to back in the right-click menu, or set zIndex numerically (higher numbers render on top).

Save and save-as-copy

• Click Save (or press <kbd>Ctrl / ⌘ + S</kbd>) to persist your changes. The chip in the toolbar shows Unsaved while you have pending edits and Saved Xs ago after a successful save.
• If you try to close the tab with unsaved edits, the browser warns you before leaving.
• Click Save as copy (<kbd>Ctrl / ⌘ + Shift + S</kbd>) to fork — useful when you want to try a variant without losing the original.

Publishing

Saving doesn't automatically deploy the template to screens. To push it live, create a schedule that uses it (see Scheduling). This lets you preview a work-in-progress template safely without affecting what's currently showing.

Accessibility + design tips

• Keep text at least 48pt for 1080p displays viewed from 10+ feet away.
• Use high-contrast color combinations — our brand indigo on white, or white text on dark gradients.
• Animated tickers should not exceed 40 characters per second of scroll speed.