Tutorial: Displays with DiapoEngarde in client-server mode
1. Configuration
A computer A with an EngardePro license to manage competitions with Engarde. A computer B with a Display license to make the images to be displayed on the screens.
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Licenses (1 EngardePro + 1 Display).
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One or more large screens in the room, connected to computer B by VGA or HDMI cables. VGA or HDMI doublers must be used when there are several screens. It is possible, instead of screens in the room, to connect computer B to a video projector.
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A local network that allows computers A and B to communicate. For example, computers A and B are connected by cable (it is preferable) or in WIFI to a box that is a router or both computers are connected by cable to a network switch.
2. Display with one window
We consider a competition in the poule phase. The poules are made and the results have not yet been entered. There is a session of Engarde on computer A with this competition opened. Computer B is connected to the screen that displays in the room.
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Launch DiapoEngarde on computer B. Wait a few seconds for the computer A competition to be proposed in a green panel:
Click on the arrow (or a button on the left) and wait for the competition to open.
In the "Poules" tab, click on the "Display" button and choose "Poules".
Specify the display with the panel that appears and click OK. Click on the "Full screen diaporama" button (you can find the names of the buttons by flying over them with the mouse):
You can, at any time, change many settings by double-clicking to display a panel, then using the different buttons to make changes (choice of topics, header, font, background and text color, banner...).
To remove the buttons, click beside the panel or on the small cross on the right.
To stop the current display, click on "Exit" or use the "Esc" key.
Creating a model
When a screen suits you, you can save it using the "Save as model" button with a name of your choice:
Reusing a model
To reuse a model, click on the "Display (Model)" button, then choose the family ("Poules" in this case) and choose the model
Adjustment of columns
By default, the "Adjustment of Columns" button is green and is set to 1. This means that the columns adjust automatically when each screen is displayed. If you set it to 2 (by clicking on the button), the columns automatically adjust themselves in relation to the entire document to be displayed. This prevents the font from changing size from one screen to another. If you set it to 0, you switch to manual adjustment: you can choose the font size with the "Increase..." and "Decrease..." buttons; you can change the order and width of the columns (with the “names of columns” line) and use the different buttons to make other changes.
Warning: the screen in the room must be connected to the computer to make manual adjustments because its connection can change the resolution of the computer screen; a model made in manual adjustment only works well on screens with the same characteristics.
3. Display with two windows on the same competition
We consider a competition in the poules phase. The poules are made and the results have not yet been entered. There is a session of Engarde on computer A with this competition opened. Computer B is connected to the screen that displays in the room.
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Launch DiapoEngarde on computer B and open the competition of computer A proposed in a green banner. Run DiapoEngarde again on computer B and open the competition again on computer A. You have two sessions of DiapoEngarde on computer B with the same competition.
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On one of the sessions, ask for the display of the poules with 2 or 3 poules per page (choice to be made in the panel before display) then click on the "Diaporama" button:
Then select "LEFT" to display the poules on the left half of the screen.
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On the other session of DiapoEngarde, request the display of the temporary ranking then click on the "Diaporama" button and choose "RIGHT" to display this ranking on the right half of the screen.
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Enter the results of poule 1 with Engarde. They appear after a few seconds in the DiapoEngarde windows.
4. Two Windows commands to know
Hide the taskbar
It is necessary to be able to hide the taskbar (at the bottom of the screen) because in the case of "Display with two windows", it is not hidden by DiapoEngarde. To do this, right-click on the taskbar and check "Automatically hide the taskbar" and then click on OK. From now on, the taskbar will only appear when the mouse is at the bottom of the screen.
Switch from one application to another
It is necessary to be able to switch from one application to another without disorganizing what is displayed. To do this, you can use the taskbar when it is accessible, otherwise, you can use the Alt+Tab key which displays all the application icons and make Alt+Tab until you are on the desired application.
5. Display with two windows on two different competitions
A P competition is considered in the poules phase and a T competition in the tableaux phase. There is one session of Engarde on computer A with competition P open and another session of Engarde on computer A with competition T open. Computer B is connected to the screen that displays in the room.
Launch DiapoEngarde on computer B and open competition P of computer A proposed in a green banner. Run DiapoEngarde again on computer B and open the competition T of computer A proposed in a green banner.
On the competition session P, ask for the display of the poules with 2 or 3 poules per page then click on the "Diaporama" button and choose "LEFT" to display the poules on the left half of the screen.
On the session of competition T, request the display of the current tableau then click on the "Diaporama" button and choose "RIGHT" to display this tableau on the right half of the screen.
6. Alternative display of two DiapoEngarde full screen windows
Here we repeat situation 3 or 5 with two DiapoEngarde windows on computer B. We want to make a full screen display from one window to the other to have screens that can be read from a distance.
Put one window in full screen then switch to the other window using Alt+Tab and put it in full screen.
Manual solution 1
To switch from one display to another, Alt+Tab is used on computer B.
Manual solution 2
Run EngardeSwitch on computer A. It displays the two DiapoEngarde sessions of computer B. To show a session, click on it to select it and then click on "Show". The session displayed has "++++" after its number; the hidden session has "---" after its number.
This approach has the advantage of not showing the display change controls on the screens in the room.
Automatic solution
With EngardeSwitch on computer A as before, launch a script by clicking on the "Edit" button. EngardeSwitch proposes the script:
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1>15 2>15
which means "display session 1 for 15 seconds and then session 2 for 15 seconds, etc.".
If the documents are rather large, it needs much more than 15 seconds, for example 60 or 120 seconds. When you have modified the script, click on OK, the script is analyzed. If you get "Script ok", you can launch it with the "Run the script" button. Then, you can intervene with the buttons "Stop the script", "Previous app", "Next app".
7. Alternative display of 4 windows DiapoEngarde in groups of 2
A P competition is considered in the poules phase and a T competition in the tableaux phase. There is one session of Engarde on computer A with competition P open and another session of Engarde on computer A with competition T open. Computer B is connected to the screen that displays in the room.
Launch 4 sessions of DiapoEngarde on computer B:
- one on competition P showing the poules on the left half of the screen,
- one on competition P showing the temporary ranking on the right half of the screen,
- one on competition T displaying a tableau on the left half of the screen,
- one on competition T displaying another tableau on the right half of the screen.
Run EngardeSwitch on computer A. It shows the 4 DiapoEngarde sessions of computer B. We will make 2 groups A and B each having 2 sessions to be able to display all at once the 2 sessions of one competition by masking the 2 sessions of the other competition.
Select a session and click on the A button. The number of this session becomes A1. Select the other session of the same competition and click on the A button. The number of this session becomes A2. Similarly, put the other two sessions in group B.
Edit the script, you get:
A>15 B>15
which means displaying group A (the 2 sessions of group A) for 15 seconds then group B for 15 seconds , etc.
Adjust the duration to your needs and click on OK.
Run the script.
8. Additional display of photos with DiapoEngarde
DiapoEngarde allows you to display photos: fencing moments, landscapes, images with sponsor icons, etc. See http://www.engarde-escrime.com/applis/manuels/en/Diaporama-photo-en.pdf
You can include one or more photo displays on computer B.
Example 1
Place in the Resources directory1\cacheDiapoPhotos (create it if necessary) the photos you want to display at certain times. Launch a DiapoEngarde in photo diaporama using these photos in full screen.
You can operate your displays as in any of the previous situations and, at some moments, show the photos instead of the poules or tableaux. If you use EngardeSwitch with a script, do not put the photo session in the script and, when you want to show the photos, stop the script, select the photo session and click on "Show".
Example 2
Place a single image in a directory of your choice, for example Resources1\transition, as a transition between different displays. For example, a landscape or image with the title of the competition and sponsor logos. Launch a DiapoEngarde in photo diaporama using this photo in full screen.
Put this "photo diaporama" session in your EngardeSwith script. For example, if it has number 3 in EngardeSwith and there are sessions number 1 and 2 to show for 30 seconds each, use the script :
1>30 3>4 2>30 3>4
which will display the transition image for 4 seconds before switching to another display
9. Display combined with a ShowPiste
At the end of the competition, when you use only one piste and that piste is connected to Engarde, you can put a session of the ShowPiste software on computer B with DiapoEngarde sessions (tableau, ranking, photos...). You can choose with EngardeSwith what you display at any time, using the "Show" button or a script or a combination of both.
10. Remarks
To make quality displays, it is necessary to train before the competition on simulated competitions of the same type: make models and use them; use EngardeSwith on situations similar to those of the competition (take the time to imagine them all).
When the chosen displays are not elementary, it is a good idea to assign them to a person who has no other task during the competition (and who has trained for a long time before the competition). This person can then prepare the postings, make the changes at the right time, and regularly check that everything is fine. In this case, it is preferable that EngardeSwith be on a separate computer. EngardeSwith only needs a Display license on the computer on which it is located.