Template media tab
You may have a database table that that contains field/column name of pictures, and holders information such as 'Record1.jpg', 'Record2.jpg', etc. You may want to display the pictures in your in your custom template. If the picture names in the database contain the location of the pictures such as:
www.yourwebsite.com/images/Record1.jpg
or
N:\Pictures\Record1.jpg
then Repeat Signage will be able to collect the picture to use automatically, as long as they are accessible from the computer running Repeat Signage. These are absolute locations of the files. However, if you just have 'Record1.jpg' in the database, then this tab allows you to specify a location for your pictures.
If doesn't necessarily have to be picture files, it could be PowerPoint files, spreadsheets, RTF, HTML, or any other media supported by the Banner control.
Custom template media location options
NONE - This means that Repeat Signage will not try to find media/pictures if absolute locations aren't used.
SAME FOLDER AS DATABASE FILE - If you are using a Microsoft Access database file, a CSV file, XML files, etc, then Repeat Signage will automatically look in the same folder.
SPECIFY LOCATION - This allows you to specify a local or network folder, a website prefix, or an FTP site folder. If you put a website address in, then need needs to be in the format:
http://www.yourwebsite.com/
http://www.yourwebsite.com/Images/
as what happens is that Repeat Signage will then append the picture file names, such as 'Record1.jpg' which will give a final full location of the file:
http://www.yourwebsite.com/Images/Record1.jpg
Same thing happens with local or FTP site files. So if you specify a local folder such as:
N:\Pictures
then the picture filename getting added automatically giving:
N:\Pictures\Record1.jpg
Download of media files
Repeat Signage automatically downloads media files automatically in the background. So if you are using files on a website, they are downloaded to a local cache area which means that once download, the files will always be available even if your Internet connection drops.