Interface Basics

The Preseria desktop app lets you download and launch files belonging to Presentations (PowerPoints, Keynotes, PDFs, Videos, etc.). Below we cover the layout and different views of the application.

Startup Screen¶

Upon launching the app, you're prompted to choose a mode:

Technician Mode (Windows and macOS): The simplest mode. Lets you download and sync presentation files for sessions.
Presenter Mode (Windows only): The more comprehensive mode, integrating with PowerPoint and Adobe Reader for seamless presentation switching.
Start Button: Launches the selected mode. To change mode, quit and re-launch the application.

The two modes Technician Mode and Presenter Mode and their differences are explained in detail in their own sections.

The login screen is used for authenticating with the Preseria server. Either the cloud version or a local Preseria server at the event venue.

Server: Preseria API endpoint (by default the cloud version is selected - https://api.preseria.com). Click the padlock icon to change the server API if you're running a local server.
Subdomain: Your event's preseria site subdomain (e.g., demo for demo.preseria.com). For custom domains, use the database name.
Username / Password: Organizer/Admin account login credentials with at least READ ACCESS for your conference.
Save user: Remembers login info after exiting the application.
Login / Offline mode: Choose to log in or work without server access. In Offline Mode you only get access to locally stored files since your last sync with the server. Files are stored in your "Preseria folder", by default located at C:\Users\{user}\Documents\Preseria (Windows) or /Users/{user}/Documents/Preseria (macOS))

Once you're logged in you'll see the Main Menu with the following buttons:

Conferences: Show Conferences available for the logged in User.
Day Conferences: Show Day Conferences available for the logged in User.
Offline Sessions: View sessions previously downloaded.
Settings: Customize app behavior.
Back to session: Resume the active session. Enabled if you jump to the menu from an active session.
Logout: Return to the login screen.

Settings Screen¶

The Settings Screen lets you customize how the app behaves during use.

12-hour clock: Toggle AM/PM format.
Only fetch upcoming conferences: Hides conferences with end dates in the past.
Auto-jump between presentations: Advances to the first file in the next presentation after the last item in the previous presentation.
Presenter View: Opens PowerPoints in Presenter View if enabled.
Download Slide Thumbnails: Downloads generated slide thumbnail. Useful if you don't enable PowerPoints in Presenter view or want thumbnails for PDFs (uses more bandwidth).
Loading spinner: Adds a visual cue on the presentation screen for when the next presentation is being opened.
Storage Options:
Change directory / Set default: Choose where files are stored.
Delete All Local Files: Removes downloaded content (requires restart).

Some of the settings are explained in more detail below:

Jump between presentations automatically¶

When presenting, pressing the keys PgDn or will advance a presentation. If "Jump between presentations automatically" is enabled, the Preseria Desktop app will automatically jump from the file in the previous presentation to the first file in the next presentation.

If the previous file is a slideshow, it will jump from its last slide to the first slide in the next file (given that it also is a slideshow). While switching between files, the desktop app will show the background image selected for the Conference or Session.

Open PowerPoints in Presenter View¶

By default, the desktop app will open PowerPoints in fullscreen on the secondary screen (projector), while showing the controls on the primary screen (laptop). When "Open PowerPoints in Presenter View" is enabled, the primary screen will show PowerPoint's own Presenter View instead of the Preseria controls (which will be hidden behind the Presenter View) when displaying PowerPoints.

When PowerPoint's Presenter View is on top, and you want to bring the Preseria user interface back to the foreground, simply press Esc. Doing that will NOT stop the PowerPoint slideshow (which is what ESC usually does to PowerPoints), but instead bring the Preseria user interface to the front, letting you select the next presentation in line or perform another action. If you want to resume the slideshow, just click the PowerPoint icon in the taskbar, which will trigger the activation of the PowerPoint Presenter View window and bring it to front.

Download Slide Thumbnails¶

Thumbnails for PowerPoint and PDF presentations are automatically generated by Preseria server-side. Downloading these thumbnails will let you see small previews of the upcoming slides in the bottom slide-scroller of Preseria's "Presenter Mode".

Show loading spinner on secondary screen¶

When processing the command of closing or opening a file, which may take a few seconds depending on the computer hardware and/or the complexity / size of the presentation file, Preseria will show a small white loading spinner in the bottom right on the secondary / projector screen.

The loading spinner is both visible to the audience and the presenter and is meant as an indicator that the desktop app is "working" to open a file and that the presenter has to wait a few seconds before being able to start clicking through his/her slides. If you inform the presenters having slow-loading presentation of this feature, they will know when their presentation is loading, when it's ready and when they can start clicking their clicker's "next"-button to advance.

Conferences / Day Conferences Screen¶

Displays all upcoming Conferences / Day Conferences that the logged-in user has at least read access to.

Title: Name of the conference.
Starts / Ends: Dates of the event.
Location: Venue name.
Sessions: Number of speaker sessions.
Open Conference Button: Opens the selected conference and shows its speaker sessions.

Session Screen (within a Conference)¶

Shows all sessions within the selected conference.

Filter Location/Date: Narrow the list by room and/or date.
Session List Table:
- Title: Name of the session.
- Date / Time: When it starts and ends.
- Location: Room or hall.
- Pr.: Number of presentations.
- Status: Whether content has been downloaded. Can be "not downloaded", "update available" or "synchronized".
Start Session: Begins the session in presentation view and downloads files if the status is either "not downloaded" or "update available".

Once you've clicked "Start Session" the app will depending on your previous selection either go into the Technician Mode or the Presenter Mode