MAWi Link Foreground Feature: Display Real-Time Tickers and Live Information Across Your Screens

Overview

The Foreground feature in MAWi Link introduces a dynamic way to overlay real-time information on top of your existing playlist content.
Whether you want to display a news ticker, highlight safety alerts, show promotional messages, or include a real-time clock, the Foreground feature enables this without altering your original playlist layout. This feature is applied at the playlist level, meaning any screen playing that playlist will display the ticker or foreground overlay in real time.

What You Can Display Using Foreground

You can choose from two types of foreground content:

1. Scrolling Text (Custom Message)
   
   
   Ideal for announcements, safety notices, event schedules, and ad-hoc messaging.
   
   
2. RSS Feed
   
   Pulls live news or information from any public RSS source. For example:
   • News headlines
     
     
   • Financial market tickers
     
     
   • Weather updates
     
     
   • Internal organizational feeds
     
     

Additionally, you can optionally show a live clock alongside the text.

Key Customization Options

The Foreground feature allows you to fine-tune how the ticker appears on the screen. You can adjust:

• Position – Choose whether the ticker appears at the top or bottom of the display.
  
  
• Text Size – Increase or decrease the font size to suit screen size and viewing distance.
  
  
• Scrolling Speed – Set how quickly the text moves across the screen.
  
  
• Background Color – Select a background color that provides clear contrast with the text.
  
  
• Clock Display – Enable or disable a real-time clock, which can be shown alongside the ticker text.
  
  

These controls make the Foreground feature flexible for various display environments, such as control rooms, retail spaces, corporate offices, educational campuses, and public-facing areas.

How to Enable Foreground in a Playlist

1. Open the MAWi Link Console
   
   
   Log into your MAWi Link environment and navigate to the Playlists section.
   
   
2. Select a Playlist
   
   
   Choose the playlist where you want to add the foreground layer.
   
   
3. Add a new item
   
   
   Look for the Foreground tab inside the playlist settings.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Name the Foreground item
   
   
5. Choose the Content Type
   
   
   • Select Text to enter your custom message. 
     Separate each message with ';' to add a graphical separator.
     
     
     
     
     
   • Select RSS Feed and paste the RSS feed URL.
     
     
     
     
6. Apply Formatting & Behavior by clicking on the settings wheel
   
   
   • Adjust Position (Top / Bottom).
     
     
   • Choose Text Size.
     
     
   • Set Scrolling Speed.
     
     
   • Select a Background Color.
     
     
     
     
     
   • Enable Show Clock if desired.
     
     
     
     
     
7. Save the Playlist
   
   
   Once saved, any screen assigned to this playlist will begin displaying the foreground ticker automatically.

Best Practices

• Contrast Matters: Use a dark background with light text (or vice versa) to ensure legibility.
  
  
• Keep Text Short and Clear: Scrolling messages should be concise to remain easy to read.
  
  
• Test Your Scrolling Speed: If the text moves too fast, viewers will miss critical information.
  
  
• Use RSS Only from Reliable Providers: To avoid formatting or reliability issues.

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