Build a Slideshow Layout

This tutorial uses the following steps to create a slideshow layout:

1. Load a new empty layout
2. Add the plugin
3. Configure the plugin's settings
4. Placement of the plugin's area on the screen
5. Save the layout

Load a new empty layout

To start a new own layout you can use two methods: You load an existing layout or preset and use that as a starting point or you create your new layout completely from scratch using an empty layout. In this tutorial you will use the second method and so you will first load a New emnpty layout.

• Start DeskoverX now in case it is not already running.
• Locate the DeskoverX icon in the system-tray and click on it to open the program menu
• Select Load layout... This will open the Load layout window.

  
  DeskoverX Menu with highlighted Load layout

• Select New empty layout from the presets on the left side.

  
  Load layout window with selected New empty layout preset

• Click the Load button to load this preset.

Add the plugin

Now that you have begun the New empty layout, you will want to add the Picture Player plugin to the layout. In order to do that you must first switch into layoutmode and then add the plugin.

• Click the DeskoverX icon in the system-tray to open the program menu.
• Select Layoutmode. DeskoverX will now switch into layoutmode and the Layout-Manager will open in the lower right corner of the screen.

  Layoutmode in the DeskoverX menu

  Empty Layout-Manager

• Locate the Add Button inside the Layout-Manager and click it with your mouse. This will open the Plugins Window which lets you select and add the plugins.
• Select the Picture Player Plugin and click the Add Button to add the plugin to the layout.

  
  Plugins Window with selected Picture Player plugin

Configure the plugin's settings

Now, technically, the Picture Player has been added to the layout, but it still needs its settings configured. The Picture Player needs to know what it should display. For that purpose you will now create a simple playlist, select a switching interval and activate Shuffle mode.

When you selected the Picture Player in the Plugins window and had clicked the Add button, the plugin had been loaded and its settings window popped up.

Settings for the Picture Player plugin, directly after adding it to the layout

To create the playlist, click the Playlist Editor button. This will open the Edit Playlist window, which you will use to create the playlist.

Edit Playlist window

Picture Player can display many kinds of pictures, coming from different sources. Images might come from the internet e.g. webcams or might be located on your hard drive e.g. your holiday photos.

A simple example how you add some webcams to your playlist:

• Select any folder containing webcam entried from the list in the right part of the Edit Playlist window, e.g. the folder Caribbean that contains many webcams from the caribbean sea.
• Now simply Drag & Drop the folder from the right side onto the playlist in the left part of the window. This will add all webcam entries that are contained within that folder to the playlist.

A simple example how to add pictures from your hard drive to the playlist:

• Click the button Add image file(s).
• In the dialog that pops up select Folder to add a whole folder of images.
• The next window lets you select which folder you want to add to the playlist. E.g. select the My pictures folder and click OK.

Now your pictures or webcams have been added to the playlist. You can of course mix webcams and local images in one playlist.

• Click the button Save Playlist to save the playlist. Best select a name for the playlist that reminds you of what the playlist contains, e.g. the name of the folder you just added to the playlist.
• Close the Edit Playlist window by clicking the Close button. The path to the playlist file that you just created will now be shown in the Playlist field of the settings window.

Now that you have successfully created your playlist you will finish adjusting the Picture Player's settings:

• Change the time interval after which the Picture Player will switch to the next webcam or picture in the playlist. E.g. set the time to 2 minutes so you have enough time to watch each picture as it is displayed.
• Also activate the Shuffle option, so the pictures will be shown in random order.
• Now click Apply settings so the Picture Player will know your changes.
• Now that all settings are made close the window by clicking the Close button.

Since this layout only requires the Picture Player plugin, simply close the Plugins window.

Placement of the plugin's area on the screen

The Picture Player is now configured and starts loading and displaying the pictures. But you will of course want to adjust where on your screen it will display them. DeskoverX is still in layoutmode and the layout-frame is drawn around the current area where the plugin is displayed. Using the layout-frame you can adjust the area's size and position just as you would do it with any ordinary  other window. You simply grab  the edges or the corners and drag them to adjust the size of the area. To move the area you grab  its title-bar and simply drag it to the new location on the screen. Additionally there are three buttons in the title-bar. The far right button lets you maximize the area so it covers the entire screen. The middle button returns the area to its previous size, after you had maximized it with the right button. The far left button finally resizes the area to its preferred  size. In case of the Picture Player plugin this is the original size of the picture that is displayed at that moment.

• Click the far right button in the area's title-bar to maximize it to cover the entire screen.

Save the layout

Your slideshow layout is now complete. You can exit the layoutmode and enjoy the slideshow of the pictures you selected. However, if you want to reuse your layout some other time later, then you should also save your layout.