Configure Schedule Board (Multi-Rooms) Card with Microsoft Office 365

This article provides the instructions to create a Schedule Board card in the Appspace console, and configure it with Microsoft Office 365 calendar provider settings.

The Schedule Board card is designed for viewing the schedule of multiple meeting spaces on larger displays placed in common areas. When the Schedule Board card is configured and displayed on a TV at a huddle space or lobby area, the following features will be available to you:

• Multiple Room information: room name and status indicating if the room is available, offline, or occupied is displayed.
• Meeting information: details of current meeting and upcoming meetings for the day.
• Booking functions:
  • Book now – ability to book 30 minutes, 1 hour, or 1.5 hours from the current time, based on room availability.
  • Book in advance – book future time slots (on the same day only) or up to 3 days in advance, based on room availability.
  • Check in – option to check in to a meeting from 10 minutes before until 10 minutes after the start of the meeting.
  • Extend meeting – extend current meeting by 30 minutes, 1 hour, or 1.5 hours.
  • End meeting – end current meeting, and make the room available.

In order to use the room booking and scheduling service with our Schedule Board card, you must do the following:

1. Create a Office 365 booking account, add resources, and delegate access, with Office 365 Administrator credentials.
2. Create Schedule Board card in the Appspace console.
3. Configure Simple Wayfinding.
4. Create a playlist channel and add the Schedule Board card.
5. Assign the playlist channel to a registered device installed with the Appspace App.
6. Book a room directly on the Appspace App or via your email calendar.

What’s in this article:

Prerequisites

• • Ensure your device is compatible. Refer to Compatible Appspace Cards.
  • Account Owner, Publisher, or Editor (author) role in Appspace to to create and configure the Schedule Board card.
  • An Office 365 Administrator role to configure Office 365 booking accounts.
  • It is recommended that the device clock is set to automatically retrieve time from a Network Time Protocol (NTP) server with the correct time zone, in order for it to sync correctly with the calendar provider.
    Appspace Cloud servers retrieve time from a NTP server by default. If an Appspace on-prem server is used, configure the on-prem server to retrieve time from an NTP server with the correct time zone.
  • If using an Appspace on-prem deployment, configure the on-prem server and network to allow constant access to https://*.cloud.appspace.com and its subdomains, to ensure each device is able to attain new authorization tokens from the calendar provider on a regular basis via Appspace API services.

Create Booking Account and Configure Resources

Please select one of the following options and follow the instructions:

• Create a booking account with global administrator privileges. An account with this access can book any available room in the organization. Configure Microsoft Office 365 Room Booking Service with Global Administrator Privileges.
• Create a booking account with user privileges. An account with this access can book only rooms that have been delegated to it. Configure Microsoft Office 365 Room Booking Service with User Privileges.

Create Schedule Board Card

To create and configure the Schedule Board card, please follow the instructions below:

1. In the Appspace console, navigate to Library from the Appspace menu,
   Or click + QUICK ACTION from the Appspace menu bar, and proceed to step 3 below.
2. Select the desired folder in the Library folder tree, and click the + ADD button.
3. Select Create Card, and select Schedule Board from the Filter by template dropdown menu.
4. Click the desired Schedule Board card theme.
5. You may authenticate the card now by clicking the Connect button for Office 365, and proceed to step 6 below.
   If you would like to authenticate later, click the Preview card in demo mode link in the preview window, and proceed to step 10 to configure the booking options and styling of the Schedule Board card.
   
   Note

   The demo mode on cards, allows users to experience the design and functionality of the card, prior to configuring the calendar provider. This includes displaying various booking statuses, and performing bookings on the card itself.
   
6. Select the authentication type depending on your booking account.
   
7. Enter in your booking account credentials (created earlier) to authenticate the Schedule Board card.
   Note

   Please contact your Office 365 Administrator for credentials. Some large organizations may have one account for each room.
8. Once authentication is successful, select the rooms to be displayed on the board, and click Verify.
   
9. Once the rooms have been verified, click Finish.
10. Select a View option from the drop-down menu to display the room information, and events available to the users:
    • Current meetings
    • Room schedule
    • Current meetings & room schedule
11. Enable the Display options that will be displayed to the users on the schedule board.
    • Interactivity enabled
    • Logo enabled
    • Header enabled
    • 24-hour clock
    • Check in enabled
    • Show meeting name
    • Show organizer’s name
    • Show clock
    • Show in 15 minutes time block
      
      
      
      
      Important

      If the Schedule Board card detects that the service provider has restricted viewing access to a meeting room/resource, it will automatically disable the interactivity and booking options for that room on the board (Appspace App). However, meeting information will still be displayed.
12. You may further customize the Schedule Board card, with the following options:
    • Rooms location (see Configure Simple Wayfinding below)
    • Logo
    • Logo position
    • Header title
    • Header background color or image
    • Header mask color
    • Available color
    • Occupied color
    • Check in color
    • Table text color
    • Table color
    • Table border color
    • Background color or media
    • Background mask color
      Note

      You may set an image or a video as the background media.
13. The preview pane displays the card. Click the Card Configuration icon to change the displayed rooms, or to log out from the card.
    
    
    
14. Note

    The booking status of the meeting room is only a preview, and is not indicative of the real status in this preview. If the card is in demo mode, clicking the Gear icon will display the Authenticate Account option, which will allow you to authenticate the card with your desired calendar provider.
    
    
15. Click Next.

16. Enter in the card Title, and click Save.

    Optionally, you may enter in details for the Article, Caption, Content Tags, and add a Custom Thumbnail for the card.
    Important

    Please leave the Expires on field blank. Do NOT enter an expiry date.
    

Configure Simple Wayfinding

1. In the Schedule Board card, click the Rooms location import data button.
2. You may populate the table using one of the following methods:
   • Manually enter the data.
   • Copy and paste data from an external table.
   • Import data from an Excel spreadsheet (.xlsx).
3. First enter in all the schedule board device locations in the first row, starting from the third column onwards of the table.
4. Proceed to enter in the Resource id of the resource (meeting room in Microsoft Office 365) in the first column (of row 2 and below), followed by the meeting room name in the second column.
   Note

   The Resource id is email alias obtained from the Microsoft Office 365 Calendar Resources page for each physical meeting room configured; refer to the B. Configure resources (meeting rooms) in Office 365.
5. Finally, enter in the directions of the schedule board device in relative to the resource (meeting rooms) in the third column (and onwards).
   .
   Example:
   
   
   The following directions are supported:
   • left
   • right
   • forward
   • forward-left
   • forward-right
   • backward
   • backward-left
   • backward-right
   • escalator-up
   • escalator-down
   • stairs-up
   • stairs-down
6. Once complete, save the card.
7. On the schedule board device displaying the Schedule Board card, ensure the following device property is added:

   Device Property	Value
   card.schedule.location	device location

   WordPress Tables PluginExample: card.schedule.location : lobby

   Click here for instructions to Add a device property. You will need Network Administrator or Account Owner privileges to add a property.

Create Playlist Channel and Add Schedule Board Card

1. Click the Quick Actions menu, and select Create Channel to create a playlist channel. Enter in the Playlist channel name.
2. Click ADD CONTENT, and select the Schedule Board card from the Library. Click Add once done.
3. Click the Apply button to save the settings.

Assign Playlist Channel to a Registered Device

1. Register your device (tablet) as per the Register a device article.
2. Go to the Appspace menu, and select Devices.
3. Select the name link of the device that will be used for the meeting room.
4. In the Device Information page, click the Settings tab, and select Admin assigns a single channel option from the Channel selection mode drop-down menu.
5. Navigate back to the Overview tab, and click the Select channel button, and select the playlist channel with the Schedule Board card, created earlier.
6. Click Save. The meeting room booking service can now be viewed on the app. 

Book Meeting Room via a Calendar or the Appspace App

For booking instructions, please see Booking Multiple Meeting Rooms.