Scheduler

The Scheduler triggers automatic playback actions at specific times of day or on a recurring schedule — useful for permanent installations, digital signage, and automated broadcast playout.

The Scheduler view features a visual timeline with real-time updates: progress bars show elapsed time on running schedules, countdown timers show when the next event fires, and colour-coded status indicators (blue = pending, orange = imminent ≤ 30 min, green = executed, red = overdue) give immediate situational awareness. A calendar view is also available for a monthly overview of all scheduled events.

Accessing the Scheduler

Switch to the 📅 Schedule tab in the Control View (/control), or open it from the Sub-header in the Main Editor.

Scheduled Events

Each scheduled event has:

Property	Description
Name	Label for the event
Trigger	Time of day (HH:MM:SS)
Days	Which days of the week the event fires
Action	What to do (see below)
Enabled	Toggle the event without deleting it

Actions

Action	Description
Cue	Fire a specific cue on a composition in the current project
PJLink Projector	Send a PJLink command (power on/off, mute video, …) to one configured projector
All Projectors	Send a PJLink command to every configured projector at once
Custom Control	Trigger or set the value of any item you've pinned to the Custom Controls panel — this is how to schedule things like starting/stopping/pausing a composition, or any other project value (e.g. a blackout toggle), since there is no dedicated "play project" or "fade to black" action
System	Shut down or restart the Exaplay machine

There is no standalone "load a .vpp file" action — the Scheduler operates within the currently loaded project. To switch projects on a timer, use the OS Task Scheduler to launch exaplay3.exe -f <project>.vpp instead.

Example: Digital Signage Loop

• Pin a "Start" and "Stop" control for the Morning_Loop composition (and, if you want a blackout, a control for that too) to the Custom Controls panel, then schedule:
• 08:00 Mon–Fri → Custom Control: Start Morning_Loop
• 18:00 Mon–Fri → Custom Control: Blackout (or Cue: Fade to Black if you've built one into the composition)
• 09:00 Sat–Sun → Custom Control: Start Weekend_Loop
• 22:00 Sat–Sun → Custom Control: Stop Weekend_Loop

Scheduler and Auto-Heal

Scheduled events persist across restarts. If the system crashes and Auto-Heal restores it, the Scheduler resumes normally and fires the next pending event at the correct time.

Visual Timeline Features

Live Clock

The Scheduler view shows a live current date/time display, updated every second.

Countdown Timers

For imminent schedules (within 30 minutes), a countdown timer shows exactly how long until the event fires — e.g. 15m 23s.

Status Colours

Colour	Meaning
🔵 Blue	Pending — scheduled for the future
🟠 Orange	Imminent — fires within 30 minutes (pulses to draw attention)
🟢 Green	Executed — already fired successfully
🔴 Red	Overdue — past the scheduled time but did not fire (engine was not running)

Quick Filters

Use the All / Pending / Executed filter buttons to show only the events you are interested in.

Calendar View

Switch between Timeline and Calendar using the toggle buttons in the Scheduler header. The calendar view displays a monthly grid with colour-coded cue chips on each day. Navigate between months with the ◀ / ▶ arrows, or jump back to the current month with the Today button. Your chosen view mode is remembered across sessions.

Timezone

The Scheduler uses the Windows system clock and timezone. Ensure the operating system clock is set correctly and synchronised (NTP recommended for time-critical installations).