Views (configuration)

In setup mode, you can create views and specify which cameras or other types of content should be included in each view. To organize your views, you must create at least one view group. This is often done by your system administrator.

Your ability to edit views and groups depends on your user rights. If you can create the view or group, you can also edit it.

Views and view groups (explained)

The way video is displayed in XProtect Smart Client is called a view. XProtect Smart Client can handle an unrestricted number of views, allowing you to switch between video from various groups of cameras. Views can hold between one and hundred cameras, but can also contain other types of content, for example images and text.

Views must be contained inside view groups that help you organize your views.

Views are available on the Live and Playback tabs. Views can be private or shared:

  • Private views can only be accessed by the user who created them. To make the view private, create it inside the Private folder
  • Shared views allow multiple operators to share the same views. Depending on your XProtect VMS system:
    • There may be a default folder for shared views named Shared or Default group
    • Shared views can be shared by all operators, or access to selected shared views can be given to certain operators. Typically, only a few people in an organization can create and edit shared views, for example the system administrators

Not all users may have access to all cameras on the XProtect VMS system. Some of the features you include in your shared view may not be supported in earlier versions of XProtect Smart Client. Always make sure that the users you want to share with have the necessary rights and are running the same XProtect Smart Client version as yourself.

Your user settings, including information about your views, are stored centrally on the XProtect VMS server, so you can use your views on any computer that has XProtect Smart Client installed.

What can views contain?

In setup mode in the System overview pane, you can see the elements that you can add to your views:

What can views contain in XProtect Smart Client?

Item Description

Alarms

Allows you to show a list of alarms or an alarm preview. Both elements are also available on the Alarm Manager tab.

Access Monitor

Access monitor - with XProtect® Access installed, you can show access monitors in your views, for example for a specific door.

Cameras

Allows you to show video feed from a live camera or play back video. The cameras appear under the site name, which is defined by your system administrator.

Carousels

Allows you to shift between cameras at a pace that you define.

Hotspots

Allows you to show whatever camera is in focus in a high resolution or frame rate.

HTML pages

Allows you to show a webpage, for example an online news channel.

Images

Allows you to show an image, for example if you want to distribute a picture of a suspect.

LPR

With XProtect® LPR installed, you can add LPR cameras to views.

Maps

Allows you to show a floor plan or a geographical area.

Matrix

Allows you to show a Matrix position. See also Matrix (explained).

Smart maps

Allows you to navigate your cameras on a geographical map of the world based on one of these online map services:

  • Bing Maps
  • Google Maps
  • Milestone Map Service
  • OpenStreetMap

Smart Wall controls

If XProtect Smart Wall has been configured by your system administrator, Smart Wall controls allow you to push cameras and other types of content to your video walls.

Text

Allows you to show text, for example if you want to provide instructions for other operators.

Transact

 

If XProtect Transact has been installed in your system, you can add point-of-sales systems together with cameras.

Create view groups

Your XProtect Smart Client may be preconfigured to display view groups that you can add your views to. However, you can create your own view groups to help you organize your views.

Steps:

  1. In setup mode, in the Views pane, select the Private or Shared top-level folder you want to add a group to.
  2. Click Create new group:

    A new group is created named New group.

  3. Select and click the New group to overwrite the name.
  4. You can now create views within this group.

Create views

To view or play back video in XProtect Smart Client, first you must create a view, where you add the cameras you need.

Steps:

  1. In the right corner, click Setup to enter setup mode.
  2. In the Views pane, select the group you want to add the view to.
  3. Click to create a new view.
  4. Select a layout. The layouts are grouped according to their aspect ratioClosedHeight/width relationship of an image., and according to whether they are optimized for regular content or content in portrait mode (where the height is greater than the width).

    View layouts in XProtect Smart Client.

  5. Enter a name for the view by overwriting the default New View name.
  6. Click Setup again to exit setup mode. Your changes are saved.

Copy, rename, or delete views or groups

If you have a view and you want to reuse it, you can copy it. You can also copy a group of views or a private view to a shared view.

Steps:

  1. In setup mode, in the navigation pane, select the view.
  2. Click Copy, or press CTRL+C.

  3. Browse to where you want to paste the view and select Paste, or press CTRL+V.

    Alternatively, you can select and drag the view to another folder.

  4. The copied view is by default named the same as the original followed by (2). To change the name, right-click and select Rename.

  5. To delete a view, right-click and select Delete.

Add cameras and other elements to views

You can add different types of elements to your views, for example cameras. See also What can views contain?

Steps:

  1. Open the view that you want to modify.
  2. Click Setup to enter setup mode.
  3. In the System overview pane, drag the required element into a view item.

    What can views contain in XProtect Smart Client?

  4. Fill out any additional information about the element.
  5. Click Setup again to exit setup mode. Your changes are saved.

For detailed information, see Adding content to views (in detail).

Assign shortcut numbers to views

You can assign shortcut numbers to views to let users select views using standard keyboard shortcuts (see Keyboard shortcuts (overview)).

  1. Click Setup to enter setup mode.
  2. In the Views pane, select the view you want to assign a shortcut to.
  3. In the Shortcut field, specify a shortcut number, and then press ENTER. The shortcut number appears in parentheses in front of the view name.
  4. Repeat as necessary for other views.
  5. Click Setup again to exit setup mode. Your changes are saved.

Adding content to views (in detail)

As described in Add cameras and other elements to views, you can add cameras and other types of elements to your views. This section provides more detailed how-tos: