Get an important message onto the right screens.

Choose how the message should be triggered.

Use a manual alert when an authorized person needs to send a message. Use an automatic alert configuration when an RSS or Atom source should trigger a message according to rules your team has checked.

An ordinary Feed slide belongs in a playlist. An alert uses a separate workflow, a target audience, and its own clearing or expiration settings.

Agree who can trigger and clear alerts, which screens should receive them, and how you will test the setup. Signage delivery depends on active devices, network access, and the configuration. Include it in your wider communication plan rather than relying on it as your only emergency channel.

Send a manual alert

1. Open the alert controls

   Use Trigger Manual Alert from the dashboard, or open Admin, then Alerts, and choose Trigger Alert. Availability depends on your role and organization settings.

2. Prepare the message

   Choose a suitable preset or Create Custom Alert. For a custom message, enter an Alert Title and Alert Message. For a planned test, clearly identify it as a test.

3. Choose the audience

   Select the intended TV groups. Review their current members, especially if using a site or organization-wide selection. A group’s name alone does not confirm which screens it includes.

4. Set sound and expiration

   Review Audible Alert and any selected alert audio. Choose Show For Duration with a duration, or Until Manually Cleared. Review who can clear the alert.

5. Review before triggering

   Check the wording, target screens, audio, expiration, and clearing options. Choose Trigger Alert when the message is ready to send.

6. Check delivery

   Review Active Alerts and confirm the message on representative displays. A successful creation message in the management app does not confirm that every physical screen has received it.

Configure alerts from an RSS or Atom source

1. Add a configuration

   An administrator can open Admin → Alerts and choose Add Configuration. Enter an Alert Name and useful notes.

2. Add and test the source

   Under Alert Sources, choose Add Source. Enter its Source URL, select the correct Feed Type, and use Test Source to check access and format. This alert workflow supports RSS and Atom, not JSON feeds.

3. Configure the parsing and trigger

   Open Configure Source. Map the alert item, identifier, title, description, and date fields to the actual feed. Set the trigger field and value to match the conditions your organization intends to use.

4. Test the interpretation

   Use the source configuration’s test controls and review Parsing Results. Check both a matching item and a non-matching example. A reachable feed is not proof that its trigger rules are correct.

5. Choose audience and clearing behavior

   Select the TV groups, audio options, and expiration strategy. For automatic alerts, Remove When Not in Feed is also available. Review how this fits the source’s item retention and update behavior.

6. Save the complete configuration

   Save the source configuration, return to the alert form, and save or apply the full alert configuration. Review the saved settings and arrange a controlled end-to-end test.

Different feed providers use different XML structures. Ask UrbanLoop for help if you are unsure how to map a source or define its trigger. There is no single trigger value that works for every feed.

Decide how the alert ends.

Open Admin → Alerts or Manage Alerts to review active messages. Use the alert’s clear control and review the confirmation before clearing it for its target audience. Check that representative screens return to the expected content.

Give people the right controls.

Organization administrators manage automatic alert configurations and the organization’s Allow Curators to Trigger Manual Alerts setting. A curator’s ability to trigger an alert depends on that setting; the alert’s own clearing options determine who can clear it.

If a control is missing, have an administrator review the person’s role and the organization settings. Do not change someone’s access simply to make a test easier. For broader team setup, see organizations and sites.

Test the complete path before you need it.

• Coordinate a clearly labeled test with the people responsible for the space.
• Use a small, known group of test screens first.
• Check the actual text, audience, audio, and expiration or clearing behavior.
• For automatic alerts, check source access, matching rules, repeated items, and removal behavior.
• Confirm the display app is running and connected. Check more than one screen when rolling out to several locations.
• Record the test result and who owns ongoing source and device checks.

A remote screen capture helps check the rendered message. It cannot confirm speaker volume, physical screen power, or whether people in the room can see it.

When an alert does not behave as expected