To keep our dealers in the know about some of Life|ware’s most compelling features, we’ve created a series of e-mail communications called “Did you know?” This is the companion procedure to “Configuring Client Notification Messages.”

Life|ware Visual Project allows you to configure a message with customized text and buttons to be displayed on the client screen. This feature is called client notification.

One and Two Way Messages

Client notification messages can be one-way, “Someone is at your door” with an OK button to clear the message. Or the message can be two-way “Someone is at your door. Would you like to see who is there?” with a Yes button that activates the front door camera screen.

Client Must Be Running

Client notification appears in the Devices Pane of Life|ware Visual Project only when the client, Media Center (MCML) or touch panel (WPF), is running.

Configuring a One-Way Message

A one-way client notification message can be added to a script as a means of informing the customer. For instance, a script could start with the pressing of a doorbell. Customers may want an on-screen notification, so they will get the message even if they are in the theater and can’t hear the doorbell.

To configure a one-way client notification message:

1. Open or create the script you want to add the client notification message to.

2. Drag client notification from the Devices Pane into the script. Keep in mind:

• Drag the client notification from the machine you want the notification message to appear on. Use the Filter Servers button on the Device Pane to display the machines on your network.
• The client must be running for client notification to appear in the Devices Pane.

3. Click the Type arrow and select Message.

4. Enter the message text in the Message field.

5. Enter the text for the buttons (up to three). Since this message is one-way, the only effect a button can have is to cancel the message.

6. Enter the desired timeout value.

7. Click File | Save.

Add a Trigger

To get a client notification message to appear when a doorbell is pressed, you must add a trigger to the script that activates the message when the doorbell is pressed.

The message appears in the client when the doorbell is pressed.

Configuring a Two-Way Message

A two-way message allows customers to interact with the system. For example, suppose the client notification message is “Someone is at the front door. Would you like to see who is there?” If the customer selects

• Yes, the system displays the front door camera screen.
• No, the system returns the user to the previous screen.

Use the following steps to configure a two-way message:

1. Open or create the script you want to add the client notification message to.

2. Drag client notification from the Devices Pane into the script. Remember, the client must be running for client notification to appear in the Devices Pane.

3. Click the Type arrow and select Message.

4. Select the Two Way Message checkbox.

5. Enter the Timeout value.

6. Hover over the Variables tab in the upper left corner of the Designer window and click the plus sign to add a new variable.

7. Click the blue Variable arrow to expand the pane.

8. Enter the variable name and select Text as the type.

9. Click on the variable and drag on to the Response Variable option.

10. Complete the script by adding a conditional action to access the front door camera based on the Response Variable.

11. Click File | Save.

Add a Trigger

To get a client notification message to appear when a doorbell is pressed, you must add a trigger to the script that activates the message when the the doorbell is pressed.

The message appears in the client when the doorbell is pressed.