How to Display PowerPoint, Word, and Excel Documents on Your Screens Using Pickcel's Office Essentials App ?

How to Display PowerPoint, Word, and Excel Documents on Your Screens Using Pickcel's Office Essentials App ?

The Pickcel Office Essentials app is designed to bring your everyday business documents to life on your digital signage screens. Seamlessly display your PowerPoint presentations, Word documents, and Excel spreadsheets directly from your local system. The app converts these files into a digital signage-friendly PDF format, ensuring consistent and clear display. Whether you prefer an automated presentation flow or interactive user navigation, Office Essentials provides the flexibility you need.

Accessing the Office Essentials App

1.  Log in to the Pickcel console
2.  From the left-hand navigation menu, click on Apps.
3.  In the search bar, type "Office Essentials" and select the app from the results.

Steps to Create Your Office Essentials App Instance

1. Upload Your Document

This is where you'll select the file you wish to display.
  1. Click on the "Choose File" button or simply drag and drop your file into the designated area.
  2. Supported formats: Ensure your document is in `.pptx` (PowerPoint), `.docx` (Word), or `.xlsx` (Excel) format.

2. Configure App Settings

Once your file is uploaded, you'll set up how your content will appear and behave on screen.
  1. App Name: Provide a clear and descriptive title for your app instance (e.g., "Monthly Sales Report," "Company Presentation," "Product Catalog").
  2. Source: This field will automatically display the name of the file you have uploaded.
  3. Slides Duration:  If you want your document to transition automatically, enter the duration (in seconds) for which each slide/page should be displayed before moving to the next.
  4. Enable Interaction: Toggle this setting ON if you want viewers to manually navigate through the slides using on-screen arrows. If toggled OFF, the app will solely rely on the "Slides Duration" for automatic transitions.

Understanding Slide Behavior (Interaction Options)

The "Enable Interaction" setting offers flexible control over your presentation:
  1. If Interaction = No:  Your document will play automatically, with each slide or page advancing after the time specified in "Slides Duration." This is ideal for continuous, unattended playback in public areas.
  2. If Interaction = Yes: Viewers can use on-screen arrows to navigate forward or backward through your document.
InfoTo ensure content flow, if a slide is left idle (no user interaction), it will auto-advance after the duration specified in "Slides Duration." This prevents the presentation from getting stuck on a single slide indefinitely. This is perfect for interactive kiosks or touch-enabled screens.


3. Create App

After configuring all your settings, click the "Create App" button to save your setup. Your Office Essentials app is now ready to be added to a playlist and scheduled on your screens!

Notes
We are working to enhance the Office Essentials app. Stay tuned for future updates that will support the display of animations and transitions present in your original PowerPoint files.

That wraps up our guide to the Office Essentials app! 🎉. You're now ready to transform your documents into dynamic digital signage content, enhancing communication and engagement across your screens.