Creating an autorun.zip

There is a mechanism in the BrightSign OS, where if you create a file called autorun.zip in a specific way, the OS will unpack the contents of the file to the storage the file is on.  This is useful for delivering setup or application files that contain multiple files and directories by producing a single payload that is then delivered to the player.  Follow the steps below to create an autorun.zip.

Once you have the final autorun.zip, you can put this on the root level of your storage (SD, SSD, etc.) for your BrightSign player and reboot.  When the player boots up, it will unpack the autorun.zip contents to the root level of the storage and the player will reboot.  At that point, the setup files, application, or other contents will be on the root level of your storage.

Important Notes

• This only works with BrightSign OS 7.0.60 and later.
• You must ensure there is also an autorun.brs file since that is what the player will look for after unpacking the files and rebooting.
• If an autorun.brs exists on the root level of your device storage alongside the autorun.zip, the autorun.brs will prevent the autorun.zip from working.
• The built-in zip utility for Windows will not compress empty directories. If your set of files includes empty directories, you can:
  
  • Add any file into each of the empty directories. (i.e. deleteme.txt)
  • Use a different utility like 7zip, WinZip, or WinRAR.
• It's important that the autorun.zip that results from the steps below, when unzipped, is just the files and directories, and is not contained in another folder.
  • Good example
  • Bad example

Creating an autorun.zip

• Download the autozip.brs file.
• Put the autozip.brs in the root level alongside your setup files and directories.
  • Windows:
    
  • MacOS:
    
    
    
• Once the autozip.brs file is in place, CAREFULLY follow the steps for either MacOS or Windows below. If the resulting file is not structured properly, the BrightSign OS will not be able to unpack the files.

Windows

• Select all the files and directories
• Right-click and choose Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder
  
• There will be a new zip file created, the name will depend on the first file you had selected.  In this example, the first file was autorun.brs:
• If your zip file is named something different, rename it to autorun.zip
• This is the single file package you can then deliver to your storage (SD, SSD, etc.)

MacOS

• Select all the files and directories
• Right-click and choose "Compress files"
  
  
  
• Once this is completed you will be left with a new file called Archive.zip
  
  
  
• Rename Archive.zip to autorun.zip
  
  
  
• This is the single file package you can then deliver to your storage (SD, SSD, etc.)