Screenly makes it easier than ever for businesses and organizations to manage their digital signs. Part of fulfilling this mission means enabling both technical and non-technical users to be able to take control of their company’s digital signage deployment. We believe that users should be able to use tools that they already know and are comfortable using.
With our recent Zapier integration, users can add content to their screen by simply adding the content piece to a Google Drive folder. In this post, we show you how to set up a custom Zap workflow so that you can start managing your digital signs with a simple drag-and-drop into a Google Drive folder.
Step 1: Get a free Screenly account and your API key
The first step is to get a free Screenly demo account or log in to your existing Screenly account. Once you are logged in, you’ll need to get an API key that you will use with Zapier. Navigate to the Settings tab on the left-side menu. Once you are there, click the Security tab and then click the Show button in the Tokens row. Provide a name for your token, and copy this secret token key from the popup modal that shows up. You will use this token key to authenticate your Screenly account with Zapier.
Step 2: Get a free Zapier account and set up a Zap workspace
Next, you will need to get signed into Zapier. Zapier makes it easy for non-technical users to make two different software products talk to each other. Once you are logged in, click the orange + Create button on the top left of the Zapier interface. In the dropdown, click Zaps.
Step 3: Set up your Zap trigger
The next step is to set up a trigger for your Zap. A trigger is the event that gets your Zap workflow to start. In this case, the trigger will be a file getting added to a Google Drive file. Click the Trigger icon, and then select Google Drive in the popup modal. At this step, you will have to log in to your Google Drive account. Next, in the popup that appears on the right side of the screen, select the trigger event to be New File in Folder.
Click the purple Continue button to configure the trigger further. Select your Google Drive account and select the Folder you want to use to manage your digital signage content. For the Include Deleted Files? option, you can select Only return non-deleted files. Next, click Test trigger to get sample data into your Zap.
Step 4: Set up your Screenly workflow
This is the step where you tell Screenly what to do when your trigger fires. Click the Action button below your Trigger setup. Type in Screenly in the search bar and select the Screenly icon. In the Action event section, click it and then click Complete Workflow. Next, you’ll need to connect your Screenly account. Click the purple Select button, and enter the Token key from Step 1. If you do not have a Token key, you can create a new one inside Screenly. Once your Screenly Account is selected, click the Continue button.
Now, in the Configure stage, click on the File URL input box and select the second option File in the drop-down. For the Asset Title input box, select the first option Title in the drop-down. Next, select the duration that you want the asset to display in seconds. Next, select the playlist where you want the content to display. You can choose an existing playlist or make a new playlist in the New Playlist Name section and select a screen in the Screen section for that content to play on. Next, click the purple Continue button and test the Zap. If successful, you will see the content in the desired playlist within your Screenly account, and it will shortly after start displaying on any assigned screen(s).
That’s it! That is how you use Zapier and Google Drive to simplify digital signage management with Screenly. Instead of having to instruct a non-technical user on how to use the Screenly interface, teams can delegate digital sign content responsibilities by enabling users to work with the familiar Google Drive interface.
If you have any questions or run into any trouble, let us know at Screenly Support. We are always happy to help!
