Activating an Emergency Override
The emergency override feature lets you immediately display an urgent message on all active slideshow players. It interrupts normal slide playback and shows your emergency message until the override is deactivated or expires. This article covers how to configure and activate an override.
When to Use Emergency Override
Use emergency overrides for situations that require immediate attention from everyone in the building:
- Weather alerts and evacuation notices.
- Security announcements.
- System outages or important operational messages.
- Store-wide announcements that cannot wait for the next playlist cycle.
Emergency overrides take the highest priority and override all scheduled playlists immediately.
Opening the Emergency Override Dialog
To open the Emergency Override dialog:
- Open the Slideshow Manager and go to the Dashboard tab.
- Click the Emergency Override button.
Alternatively, the Emergency Override button is available as a quick action on the Dashboard. This button is only visible if you have the MKT_EMERGENCY_OVERRIDE permission.
Configuring the Override
The Emergency Override dialog provides these fields:
Message Text
Enter the emergency message. This is the text that will display on all player screens. Keep the message clear, concise, and actionable. For example: "FIRE ALARM - Please evacuate the building immediately" or "System Maintenance - All registers offline until 2:00 PM".
Background Color
Click the background color panel to choose the background color for the emergency screen. The default is suitable for most emergencies. Use red for urgent safety alerts, yellow for warnings, or blue for informational messages.
Text Color
Click the text color panel to choose the text color. Ensure high contrast with the background color for readability.
Font Size
Set the font size for the emergency message. Larger sizes are more visible from a distance. The recommended range is 48-96 points depending on the viewing distance.
Scope
Choose the scope of the override:
- Current Location — The override affects only players at your current location.
- All Locations — The override affects players at every location. Use this for company-wide emergencies.
Expiration
Optionally set an expiration time. If enabled, the override automatically deactivates at the specified date and time. The default is one hour from now.
Setting an expiration is recommended — it prevents an override from displaying indefinitely if someone forgets to deactivate it.
Live Preview
As you type and adjust settings, the preview panel at the bottom of the dialog updates in real time to show what the emergency screen will look like. The preview uses a scaled-down version of the configured font size so you can see the overall layout.
Activating the Override
Click Activate to activate the override. A confirmation dialog asks you to confirm because the override immediately interrupts all active players.
Once activated:
- The override is saved to the database.
- The sync status is updated.
- All active players detect the override on their next poll (within 30 seconds) and switch to displaying the emergency message.
- The activation is logged to the activity log.
How Players Detect the Override
Players check for emergency overrides during their regular 30-second database poll. When an active override is found, the player immediately replaces the current slide content with the emergency message. The override takes effect on the next poll cycle — within 30 seconds at most.
What to Read Next
- Managing and Deactivating Emergency Overrides for deactivation methods.
- Slideshow Player Controls and Keyboard Shortcuts for manual player control during emergencies.