Alerts App - Tutorial

Pull in a Third Party Alert source, or create Custom Text, to quickly send emergency information to your devices!

Intro to the Alerts App

In this article, we will review Alerts within the Apps section in CommandCenterHD (CCHD).

The Alerts App is vital in any emergency situation. Anytime your alert system triggers in the event of an emergency, Alerts is able to take over the displays of your choice. The signs display an emergency notification and any relevant information, such as evacuation procedures. After resolving the situation, the signage will return to the originally scheduled content.

Third Party Sources can be used from Alertus, e2Campus, Everbridge, InformaCast, and Rave. The App also supports the ability to manually enter your own Custom Alert Text.

Accessing, Installing, and Activating the App

Trying to access the App? You can use the following article to understand how to find, install, and activate the App if it is available in your CCHD account:

Installing and Activating a Store App

Creating an Alerts Template

Before activating an Alert for playback, it's best to create an Alert Template. An Alert Template is an image you can upload into CCHD to use as your Alert background.

NOTE: Creating the Alerts Template requires an Administrator account in CCHD. If you are not an Administrator, contact an Admin in your account to confirm there is an Alert Template configured .

1. Hover over the Wrench Icon located in the upper right corner of CCHD and select Configuration.

2. Navigate to the Account Images section.

3. Set the Use Custom Alerts option to ON.

4. In the Custom Alerts Images section that populates underneath, you can add a Horizontal and/or Vertical Image to use as the background for the Alerts based on the orientation of the screen.

Select Choose File in the Image field to select a file from your computer.

5. Then, make sure the Alert Text Position is filled out according to the resolution of your screen and where you want the text to live on the slide.

H - Set the Height of the text box.
W - Set the Width of the text box.
Y - Set the Y (Vertical) Coordinate for the text box.
X - Set the X (Horizontal) Coordinate for the text box.

6. Once finished, click Save Configuration at the bottom of the page.

Adding a Third Party Source

An Alert added using an Third Party Source will pull the Alert information directly from the source when the feed is active.

Once the feed no longer has any active alerts, or when the source has been given the All Clear command, the Alert will no longer display on the digital signage.

1. On the Alerts page, click on Create New Slide at the top of the page.

2. Fill out the corresponding fields for the external Alert Feed Source:

Alert Name- Give a unique name to the Alert.
Data Source - Choose Third Party.
Providers - Select the Provider that will be used for the Alert feed. Providers include: Alertus, e2Campus, Everbridge, InformaCast, and Rave.
URL (Alertus, e2Campus, InformaCast, Rave) - Enter the URL for the source.
All Clear URL/Keyword (InformaCast, Rave) - Enter the URL or Keyword for the All Clear command to end the Alert.
Username (Everbridge ONLY) - Enter the Username for the Everbridge account.
Password (Everbridge ONLY) - Enter the Password for the Everbridge account.
Organization ID (Everbridge ONLY) - Enter the Organization ID for the Everbridge account.
Type - Choose ALERT.
Target Type - Select which devices this Alert will target: All Devices, Device Attribute, Single Device.
Target (Device Attribute, Single Device) - Enter the Attribute, for Device Attribute, or Device ID, for a Single Device, to connect the Alert to.

3. Once finished, click Create to save the Alert. If you want the Alert to save and activate immediately, click Create & Enable.

Adding a Custom User Alert

Choosing the User Alert option allows a User to configure a custom Alert message to display. The text field support up to 140 characters.

1. On the Alerts page, click on Create New Slide at the top of the page.

2. Fill out the corresponding fields for the custom User Alert:

Alert Name- Give a unique name to the Alert.
Data Source - Choose User.
Alert Text - Enter the text to display for the Alert.
Type - Choose ALERT.
Target Type - Select which devices this Alert will target: All Devices, Device Attribute, Single Device.
Target (Device Attribute, Single Device) - Enter the Attribute, for Device Attribute, or Device ID, for a Single Device, to connect the Alert to.

3. Once finished, click Create to save the Alert. If you want the Alert to save and activate immediately, click Create & Enable.

Activating/Deactivating an Alert

To activate the Alert, hover over the Thumbnail of the Alert and click on the Radio Signal Icon, if it's a Third Party Source, or the Silhouette Icon, if it's a Custom User Alert.

When the icon is Green, that means the feed is Active.

When the icon is Red, that means the feed is Inactive.

Editing an Alert

To edit the Alert, hover over the Thumbnail of the Slide and click on the Pencil Icon.

Removing an Alert

To delete an Alert, hover over the Thumbnail of the Slide and click on the Trash Can Icon.

Alerts App FAQ

1. How long does it take for an Alert to go to a device?

You can expect an Alert to occur within 60 seconds.

2. What if my Custom Alert Image does not display on my device?

The image did not download to the device, so we would recommend restarting the device.

3. Are any special characters supported for my Alert messages?

The following commonly used symbols are allowed: $, %, &, *, +, =, ! and quotation marks. Any other special characters will result in errors or issues with the Alert.