How To: Create and Manage Guidebook Categories
🧾 Summary
- Guidebook Categories Management system gives you full control over the categories displayed to guests on Smart TVs. You can easily add, edit, reorder, and hide/show categories to create a customized experience. This system also allows you to preview your changes in real-time before syncing them with the Smart TV interface.
🕐 When to use this Guide
- When you need to add, edit, or remove categories from the Smart TV guidebook for guests, including renaming categories, changing images, or organizing your order.
- When you are having issues with category visibility on the Smart TV and need to know how to show or hide categories or understand why a category isn't appearing.
- When you want to create a customized guidebook by adding your own categories or need to understand the rules and limitations for category names and images.
💡 Benefits of using this Guide
- Enables Customization and Control: The article provides clear, step-by-step instructions for you to add, edit, reorder, and control the visibility of categories on guest Smart TVs. This gives them the power to create a highly tailored guest experience.
- Improves Efficiency: By detailing features like real-time preview and instant syncing, the article helps you to see your changes immediately. This streamlines the process and eliminates guesswork, saving time and effort.
- Reduces Support Inquiries: This comprehensive article answers common questions upfront, such as how to add new categories, what the naming rules are, or how to restore a deleted default category. This empowers users to troubleshoot issues on your own, reducing the volume of support tickets.
- Ensures Consistency: The article clarifies important rules and behaviours, such as the 15-character limit for category names and how default categories cannot be permanently deleted. This ensures users follow best practices and maintain a consistent, high-quality display for guests.
- Provides a Single Source of Truth: It consolidates all information about the system's features—from adding new categories to reordering existing ones and using the search function—into a single, easy-to-access document. This prevents confusion and ensures all users have the same, accurate information.
- Clarifies System Logic: The article explains key system logic, such as the fact that categories won't appear on the TV until content is added and the "Display on TV" toggle is active. It also explains what happens when the last category is removed, preventing user frustration and confusion.
- Enhances User Autonomy: By providing a detailed guide, you can confidently manage your guidebook without needing assistance. The information on how to use features like the drag-and-drop reordering and the search bar empowers them to be self-sufficient.
⚠️ Special Considerations
1. Default Categories
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- The system utilizes 21 default categories from Unit AI Field.
- When you first access the Guidebook, 6 of these default categories are automatically preloaded and visible on the setup page.
- You can access the remaining 15 default categories through the "Manage Categories" and "Add/Select Category" modals.
Each default category has a pre-assigned image and an editable name that adheres to specific naming rules. - You can also control your visibility on Smart TVs using a toggle.
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If you remove one, it'll reappear in the "Add/Select Category" list and can be re-added at any time.
Additional note:
It's important to note that default categories cannot be permanently deleted.
2. Category Naming Rules: (When creating or editing a category name, you need to follow these rules to ensure clarity and simplicity for guests)
- Simple and Short: Names should be easy for guests to understand.
- 15 Character Limit: The maximum length for a category name is 15 characters, but this limit can be configured.
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Avoid Ambiguity: You should avoid using compound or ambiguous wording.
Additional note:
For example, instead of "Food & Drink Specials," it's better to use something more straightforward like "Food Specials" or "Drink Specials.
⚙️ Steps to add and make changes to the categories.
1. Adding and Selecting Categories
You can add new categories or select from a predefined list of up to 21 options.
- Selecting a Category:
Choose from the available predefined categories. This list includes any default categories that may have been previously removed, preventing duplicates. - Adding a New Category:
Create a custom category by giving it a unique name (maximum of 15 characters) and uploading a corresponding image. -
Image Options:
When adding a new category, you can upload an image from your device, choose from a gallery of pre-selected images, or select from your "My Images," which are all previously uploaded images.
Special note:
Once added, new categories are enabled in the backend but won't be visible on the Smart TV until you've assigned content to them and enabled the "Display on TV" toggle. A helper message will prompt you, "Category will appear on TV as soon as you add content.
2. Removing Categories
You can remove any category by clicking the Minus Sign() icon on its card.
- Confirmation: A confirmation dialog will appear to prevent accidental deletion.
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Behaviour: When a category is removed, it is no longer visible on the Smart TV but remains available in the portal, allowing you to easily re-add it later.
Important note:
If you remove all categories, the entire Guidebook menu will be disabled on the Smart TV, and a notification will appear to inform you of the change. The default categories are not automatically restored; you must manually re-add them if you wish to use them again.
3. Editing Categories
You can edit a category's name and image directly from its card.
- Editing the Name: Click the Edit (✏️) icon to rename a category. The name is limited to 15 characters.
- Editing the Image: Click the "Edit Image" button to open a modal with options to upload a new image, select one from the system gallery, or use a previously uploaded image. You'll also have access to image cropping tools before saving.
4. Displaying Categories (Show/Hide Toggle)
A "Display on TV" toggle appears on each category card once content is assigned to it.
- Visibility: If a category has no content, it will show the message "Not visible on TV." Once content is assigned, you can use this toggle to either show or hide the category on the Smart TV without deleting it.
- Default State: Both default and custom categories are enabled by default in the backend after content is added.
5. Reordering Categories
You can easily change the order of categories by using a drag-and-drop feature.
- Process: Simply click, hold, and drag a category card to the desired position.
- Real-Time Updates: The new order is instantly updated in the portal, on the Smart TV UI, and in the Live Preview panel, allowing you to see the changes immediately.
6. Search and Filter
To quickly find a specific category, use the search bar located on the "Manage Categories" page. The search function provides real-time filtering as you type, helping you locate categories by your name. Note that this system does not support the creation of duplicate categories.
Here is a KB article that will assist you to understand Manage Categories:
🛠️ Additional information
Smart TV & Live Preview Behaviour
- Any modifications you make to the category order, visibility, name, or image in the portal are instantly reflected in the Smart TV Live Preview panel. This real-time synchronization lets you simulate the full guest navigation experience without needing a physically connected Smart TV. Changes are also immediately updated on the actual guest Smart TV interface, ensuring a seamless and current viewing experience for your guests.
Feature Summary
- When you begin, you'll have six default categories preloaded from the Unit AI Field, with a total of 21 available. You're not limited to these; you can add additional default categories or create your own custom ones at any time
- You can edit the names and images of categories, provided you stay within the defined constraints. Reordering categories is a breeze—simply drag and drop them into your desired order, and the change is immediately mirrored on both the Smart TV and the live preview.
- If you need to remove a category, you can delete it after a confirmation step. Don't worry if you delete a default category by mistake; it's recoverable.
- The "Display on TV" toggle controls a category's visibility on the Smart TV. A key rule is that only categories with content can be displayed.
- To help you visualize the guest experience, a live preview panel simulates the user interface and interaction in real time. For quick navigation within the portal, a search bar lets you easily filter through categories.
- Finally, if all categories are removed, the Guidebook menu on the Smart TV will automatically disable, but it remains accessible in the portal for you to manually set up again.
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