Creating slides using templates

Slides offer a quick way to get a simple message on screen in a way that's:

  • Editable
  • Attractive and can be branded (for example, with your logo)
  • Simpler and quicker to keep up-to-date than PowerPoint or PDF slides

They are perfect for situations where you want to let non-technical users edit on-screen words without having to worry about uploading files, assigning things to displays, or using PowerPoint.

Of course, PowerPoint and PDFs are fully supported by CODA and you should probably be using these if you have any more complicated needs. We're always happy to hear from people and to provide advice on the best way to achieve your needs: in fact, lots of CODA's features develop this way, so please feel free to get in touch.

Start by setting up a template

Slides are based on templates. That means it's possible to have one template and several slides based upon it. Each slide inherits its visual appearance from its template, but has completely independent text.

Click Templating then Templates to get started.

Templates are based on a backdrop. CODA comes with lots of generally-useful backdrops, but it's important to realise: you can upload your own. This is done through the Upload button under Templates > Backdrops. Read the note on screen resolutions below when considering uploading your own backdrops.

Select a backdrop from the menu on the right and then use the Add Fixed Text and Add Editable Text buttons to place text into the central editing pane.

The buttons on the left are used as follows:

Save Saves any changes to the template back to CODA.
Save & Preview Saves any changes to the template back to CODA, then shows an image preview of how the slide might look on your screen. See the note on screen resolutions below for a bit more background on this.
Delete selected Removes the current text object (highlighted in red).
(Add) fixed text Fixed text is the same on every slide. For example, it might be your company name or a standard announcement. In the screenshot above, "Welcome to the canteen" is fixed text, whereas the other text items are editable text.
(Add) editable text Editable text fields are placeholders for the text to be used once slides are created. In the example shown above, "Meal", "Main course" and "Dessert" are editable text fields - the intention being that canteen staff can fill in the day's menu using these placeholders.
(Format) text Allows you to change the size of the selected text object (highlighted in red).
(Format) colour Launches a colour selection box to let you choose the colour for the selected text (highlighted in red).

Text objects can be moved and resized by clicking and dragging within the central edit area. Double click them to change the words.

A note on screen resolutions

The screen size selector at the bottom right is intended to allow you to design a template with a screen size in mind. When using normal software to create slides, the target screen is usually your own screen or a projector driven by your own PC. When using CODA, though, the situation is a bit different: the screen isn't connected to your computer. In fact the screen isn't associated with the slide until you assign it using CODA, and you could put the same slide on very different screens.

This means that you should design slides with the resolution set as closely as possible to that of the screens you intend the content to end up on. The same is true of images you use as backdrops.

Click Save & preview at any time to see a simulation of your slide on a screen of the chosen size.

It's also worth remembering that the CODApod may not have exactly the same fonts as your web browser, so the final rendering may also be a little different for that reason.

Because of the above considerations, it's also a good idea to think ahead about line breaks. Extend your (editable) text boxes as far as you are prepared for text to run (see "Main course" and "Dessert" in the screenshot) - don't just leave them tightly cropped to the name of the field.

Create slides based on the templates

Once you've set up and saved your template, click Templating > Slides, then Add to build slides based upon it. You'll be prompted for a name and a choice of template, then shown a screen like this:

Your editable text fields have turned into entry boxes, into which you can put messages or information. The slide preview to the right updates as you do.

Create as many slides as you like, all based on one template. Following the screenshots again, three slides have been created to allow staff to edit the details of forthcoming meals while the screen continues to show the current meal's menu.

Assign slides to displays

Once you've created slides, they can be assigned to displays just like any other item of content. You can put them in schedules, or playlists.

Let people edit the text

Anyone with the right permissions can log in, double-click the slide and then edit the words - no need for them to worry about the layout, formatting or branding of the content. Displays update immediately to reflect changes when slides are saved.