How do I use a custom autorun on BSN?

Overview

The BrightSign Network servers are programmed to ensure the least chance of conflict between the autorun version of a presentation (which is usually determined by the version of BrightAuthor used to create the presentation) and the firmware version of the players it is being distributed to. However, this system can make it somewhat difficult to distribute custom autoruns to your networked players. If you want to distribute a custom autorun via the BrightSign Network, you will need to take a few extra steps to prevent your custom autorun from being overwritten by the most current standard autorun version. Consider the following guidelines when using custom autoruns with the BrightSign Network.

Standard and Custom Autoruns in BrightAuthor

• Each autorun (.brs) script has “autorunVersion$” and “customAutorunVersion$” values listed in the first lines of the script.
• BrightAuthor uses the settings in the File > Presentation Properties > Autorun window to determine which of these two values will be used as the autorun version number when the presentation is uploaded to the BrightSign Network:
• If you select Standard Autorun, BrightAuthor will assign the autorun version of the current presentation to the “autorunVersion$” value.
• If you choose Select custom Autorun, BrightAuthor will assign the autorun version of the custom autorun file you select to the “customAutorunVersion$” value in that file.

Autorun Versions on the BrightSign Network

• Like firmware versions, the BrightSign Network sets the autorun version of a player according to its group. You can see the current autorun version of a group by navigating to the Groups tab and clicking the Properties button of any player within that group. The standard autorun version for the player (and, by extension, the group) will be listed in the Autorun Ver. (standard) field.
• The BrightSign Network determines the autorun version of the group by comparing the autorun version numbers of all presentations scheduled for that group. It selects the highest number among the autorun versions and applies that version number to all players and presentations in the group.
• This process applies to all presentations scheduled for a group, not just the presentation that is currently running on the players.

Using Custom Autorun Versions on the BrightSign Network

• To use a custom autorun presentation in a group that contains standard autorun presentations as well, you must ensure that the version number of your custom autorun has a higher value than any other standard autorun presentations scheduled for the group.
• For example, if the current autorun version of the group is 6.5.20, then you would need to set the “customAutorunVersion$” value in your custom autorun script to a number greater than or equal to 6.5.20.
• You can check the highest standard autorun version of a group by clicking the Properties of any player in that group and viewing the Autorun ver.(standard) field.

Forcing an Autorun Upgrade on the BrightSign Network

• (Optional) BrightAuthor allows you to force a BSN group to update to a version of autorun beyond what is currently being used in any presentation. Note that you cannot force players to downgrade their autorun versions by forcing a version number below the highest current autorun version.
  • To use BrightAuthor to update the autorun version of a group, go to Tools > Advanced > Update Autorun, select the group you wish to update, and click Update Now. The autorun version will be updated to the current version being used by BrightAuthor.