URL Query Parameters

You can control a number of aspects pf the editor as well as during playback using parameters embedded in the URL. These are formally known as search parameters, but are often referred to as query parameters. Such parameters follow the path in the URL used in a web browser, separated by a question mark:

http://pixi.guide/spot?mobile=Visitor

This shows a single parameter named mobile with the value Visitor added to a Blocks URL used for playback (as indicated by the spot path).

To add multiple parameters, append them separated by an ampersand:

http://pixi.guide/spot?mobile=Visitor&tags=t1,t2

This adds a tags parameter with the value t1,t2.

NOTE: Do not type spaces in a path. if you need to enter a space, type %20 instead of the space.

The following parameters can be added to a spot URL (as shown in the examples above).

• mobile specifies that this is a Visitor spot, with the value being the Spot path to a Visitor spot in Blocks. If this is at the top level, it's just the name of the Visitor spot. If the Visitor spot is in a group, indicate the full path including enclosing group names, with each level separated by a period.
• class applies a CSS class to the spot, where the value is the CSS class name. This can then be used to style some display spots differently. More about CSS styling here.
• tags applies specified tags; value is comma-separated list of tags.
• spot tells any active Locator to locate the spot specified by the value, which can be a Spot's Location ID, name or full path (with each level separated by a period).
• spot-id applies a user-defined Spot ID instead of the server-generated number or player MAC address or Serial number. Avoid using a simple number as the ID, as that may collide with Blocks' internal IDs. You can use an arbitrary text as ID.
• display adds a user-defined suffix to the spot's ID, letting you run multiple spots using the same browser without having the IDs conflict. Mainly for use from desktop/laptop computers when setting up multiple, concurrent display spots.
• param-Xxxx defines the initial value of Spot Parameter Xxxx to be the value supplied.

The following parameters can be added to an edit URL used to open the Blocks user interface. They are sometimes combined with an extended path, providing direct access to a particular block (or child block). To obtain such an extended path, first navigate in the Blocks editor into the desired block (or child block), then copy the URL from your web browser. The URL will look something like this:

http://pixi.guide/edit/index.ftl#/Display/BlockList/Information/Main

This opens the block named Main in the group named Information for editing. If you want to directly target a nested (child) block, those can be targeted either by index (order in a block list, with the first being numbered 0) or by their name. For example, assuming that the root block above is a Composition, which in its turn contains a Slideshow named "Slideshow", which then contains two slides named "Page1" and "Page2", you can navigate into Page2 of that nested Slideshow like this:

http://pixi.guide/edit/index.ftl#/Display/BlockList/Information/Main/Slideshow/Page2

The advantage of using child block names instead of their index is that the name is more reliable if child blocks are added or removed (e.g., a new slide is added at the beginning of the Slideshow in the example above).

IMPORTANT: Make sure to put query parameters before any # sign in the URL, as shown below.

The sandbox parameter confines users with a role below Manager to the specified block only, preventing such users from exiting to the editor's top level. This is useful when you want to provide a direct link into a block to be edited by a user, such as the location inside a block of a frequently edited text.

http://pixi.guide/edit/index.ftl?sandbox=block#/Display/BlockList/Information/Main/Slideshow/Page2

IMPORTANT: While this feature will prevent the user from accidentally clicking out of the designated block, this is not a security feature. The user can still access the top level of the editor, as well as other blocks, by modifying the URL in the browser.

The block-group parameter confines the user to the block group specified by the parameter's value (i.e., "Stephen" in the example shown below). The user will see and access all blocks in this group, but will not be able to switch to another group. This also prevents the user from moving blocks to another block group.

http://pixi.guide/edit/index.ftl?block-group=Stephen

IMPORTANT: This parameter prevents the user from accidentally leaving the designated group or creating blocks in other groups. Just like the sandbox parameter, this is not a security feature. By deliberately modifying the URL in the browser, a user can still access other groups.