Documentation AEM as a Cloud Service User Guide

Enable AEM Screens for Your Demo Site

Last update: February 5, 2025

Topics:
Onboarding

CREATED FOR:

Admin
User
Developer

Learn the steps enabling the full AEM Screens as a Cloud Service experience on your demo site.

NOTE

AEM Screens Demo requires Screens Add-on to be added to Cloud Manager Program. Learn how with Adding Screens as an Add-on to a New Program in Cloud Manager how to add it.

The Story So Far

In the previous document of the AEM Reference Demos Add-on journey, Create Demo Site, you created a demo site based on the templates of the Reference Demo Add-on. You should now:

Understand how to access the AEM authoring environment.
Know how to create a site based on a template.
Understand the basics of navigating the site structure and editing a page.

Now that you have your own demo site to explore, and understand the tools to help you manage your demo sites, enable the full AEM Screens as a Cloud Service experience for your demo sites.

Objective

The AEM Reference Demos Add-on contains AEM Screens content for We.Cafe, a coffee shop business vertical. This document helps you understand how to execute the We.Cafe demo setup in the context of AEM Screens. After reading, you should:

Know the basics of AEM Screens.
Understand the We.Cafe demo content.
Know how to configure AEM Screens for We.Cafe.
- Know how to create a Screens project for We.Cafe.
- Be able to configure a simulated weather service using Google Sheets and APIs.
- Simulate dynamically changing Screens content based on your “weather service.”
- Install and use the screens player.

Understand Screens

AEM Screens as a Cloud Service is a digital signage solution that allows marketers to create and manage dynamic digital experiences at scale. With AEM Screens as a Cloud Service, you can create engaging and dynamic digital signage experiences intended to be consumed in public spaces.

TIP

For the full details of AEM Screens as a Cloud Service, see the Additional Resources section at the end of this document.

By installing the AEM Reference Demos Add-on, you automatically have We.Cafe content for AEM Screens available to you in your demo authoring environment. The steps described in the Deploy a Demo Screens Project help you enable the full AEM Screens experience by publishing that content and deploying to media players, and so on.

Understand the Demo Content

The We.Cafe coffee shop is composed of three shops in three locations in the US. All three shops have three similar experiences:

A menu board above the counter with two or three vertical panels
An entrance display facing the street with one horizontal or vertical panel inviting customers into the shop
A quick self-order kiosk booth to bypass the queue with one vertical tablet

NOTE

Only the entrance display can be tested in the current version of the demo. Other displays will follow in a future version.

The kiosk is not included in the current version of the demo. It will be included in a future version.

The New-York location is assumed to be in a smaller shop that does not have much space, and as such:

The menu board only has two vertical panels instead of three for San Francisco and San Jose
The entrance display is positioned vertically instead of horizontally

NOTE

If you decide to connect to Screens Cloud Service in the Connect Screens as a Cloud Service section, create the locations as folders under displays. See the Additional Resources section at the end of this document for more information on displays.

Cafe Layouts

The We.Cafe locations have the following layouts.

We.Cafe layouts

NOTE

Measurements for the screens are in inches.

Entrance

The entrance display is day-parted, and just changes the first image from morning to afternoon. On each pass of the sequence, it also advertises a different special coffee preparation, using a metered embedded sequence to play a different item each time.

The last image on the entrance channels is also targeted (that is, dynamically changed) based on outside temperature, which can be simulated as described in the Create Simulated Data Source section.

Deploy a Demo Screens Project

To use the demo content in the sandbox that you created in the Create Program step, a site must be created based on a template.

If you have not already created a We.Cafe demo site, simply follow the same steps as in the Create Demo Site section. When selecting the template, simply choose the We.Cafe Website Template.

We.Cafe template

After the wizard completes, you find the content deployed under Sites and you can navigate and explore as you would any other content.

We.Cafe content

Now that you have We.Cafe demo content, you have a choice about how you want to test AEM Screens:

If you only want to explore the content within the AEM Sites console, simply start exploring and discover more in the Additional Resources section; no more action is required.
If you want to experience the full dynamic features of AEM Screens, continue to the next section, Dynamically Change Screens Content.

Dynamically Change Screens Content

Just like AEM Sites, AEM Screens can change content dynamically based on context. The We.Cafe demo has channels configured to show different content depending on the current temperature. To simulate this experience, you must create your own simple weather service.

Create Simulated Data Source

Because it is difficult to change the weather during a demo or while testing, temperature changes must be simulated. A weather service is simulated by storing a temperature value in a Google Sheet spreadsheet which AEM’s ContextHub calls to retrieve the temperature.

Create Google API Key

First, you must create a Google API key to facilitate the exchange of data.

Log on to a Google account.
Open up the Cloud Console using this link https://console.cloud.google.com.
Create a project by clicking the current project name in the top-left of the toolbar after the Google Cloud Platform label.
In the project selector dialog, click NEW PROJECT.
Give the project a name and click CREATE.
Make sure that your new project is selected and then using the hamburger menu in the dashboard of the Cloud Console, select APIs & Services.
In the left panel of the APIs & Services window, click Credentials at the top of the window, then click CREATE CREDENTIALS and API Key.
In the dialog box, copy your new API key and save for later use. Click CLOSE so you can exit the dialog box.

Enable Google Sheets API

To allow the exchange of Google Sheets data using your API key, you must enable the Google Sheets API.

Return to the Google Cloud Console at https://console.cloud.google.com for your project and then use the hamburger menu to select APIs & Services > Library.
In the API Library screen, scroll to find your search for Google Sheets API, then click it.
In the Google Sheets API window, click ENABLE.

Create Google Sheets Spreadsheet

Now you can create a Google Sheets spreadsheet to store your weather data.

Go to https://docs.google.com and create a Google Sheets spreadsheet.
Define the temperature by entering 32 in cell A2.
Share the document by clicking Share at the top-right of the window and under Get link, click Change.
Copy the link for the next step.
Locate the sheet ID.
- The sheet ID is the random string of characters in the sheet link that you copied after d/ and before /edit.
- For example:
  - If your URL is https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cNM7j1B52HgMdsjf8frCQrXpnypIb8NkJ98YcxqaEP30/edit#gid=0
  - The sheet ID is 1cNM7j1B52HgMdsjf8frCQrXpnypIb8NkJ98YcxqaEP30.
Copy the sheet ID for future use.

Test Your Weather Service

Now that you have created your data source as a Google Sheets spreadsheet and enable access via API, test it to ensure that your “weather service” is accessible.

Open a web browser.
Enter the following request, replacing the sheet ID and API key values that you saved previously.
https://sheets.googleapis.com/v4/spreadsheets/<yourSheetID>/values/Sheet1?key=<yourAPIKey>

If you receive JSON data similar to the following, you set it up properly.

{
  "range": "Sheet1!A1:Z1000",
  "majorDimension": "ROWS",
  "values": [
    [],
    [
      "32"
    ]
  ]
}

AEM Screens can use this same service to access the simulated weather data that is configured in the next step.

Configure ContextHub

AEM Screens can change content dynamically based on context. The We.Cafe demo has channels configured to show different content depending on the current temperature by using AEM’s ContextHub.

TIP

For the full details of ContextHub, see the Additional Resources section at the end of this document.

When the screen content is displayed, ContextHub calls your weather service to find the current temperature to determine what content to display.

For demo purposes, the values in the sheet can be changed. ContextHub recognizes this fact and the content adjusts in the channel according to the updated temperature.

On the AEMaaCS author instance, go to Global Navigation > Tools > Sites > ContextHub.
Select the configuration container that has the same name as what you gave the project when you created the Screens project from the We.Cafe Website Template.
Select Configuration > ContextHub Configuration > Google Sheets then click Next at the top right.
The configuration should already have pre-configured JSON data. There are two values that must be changed:
1. Replace [your Google Sheets id] with the sheet ID that you saved previously.
2. Replace [your Google API Key] with the API key that you saved previously.
Click Save.

Now you can change the temperature value in your Google Sheet spreadsheet and ContextHub updates Screens dynamically as it “sees the weather change.”

Test Dynamic Data

Now that AEM Screens and ContextHub are connected to your weather service, you can test it to see how screens can update content dynamically.

Access your sandbox author instance.
Navigate to the sites console via Global Navigation > Sites and select the following page Screens > <project-name> > Channels > Entrance Morning (Portrait).
Click Edit in the toolbar or type the shortcut key e so you can edit the page.
In the editor, you can see the content. One image is highlighted in blue with a targeting icon in the corner.
Change the temperature that you entered in your spreadsheet from 32 to 70 and watch the content change.

Based on the temperature changing from a freezing 32°F (0°C) to a comfortable 70°F (21°C), the featured image changed from a warming cup of tea to a cool iced coffee.

IMPORTANT

Only use the described Google Sheets solution for demo purposes. Adobe does not support using Google Sheets for production environments.

Connect Screens as a Cloud Service

If you would like to also set up a real digital signage experience, including a player that runs on a digital signage device or on your computer, follow the next steps.

Alternatively you can preview the demo simply in the Channel Editor on AEMaaCS.

TIP

For the full details of the Channel Editor, see the Additional Resources section at the end of this document.

Configure AEM Screens as a Cloud Service

First, you must publish your Screens demo content to AEM Screens as a Cloud Service and configure the service.

Publish the content of your demo screens project.
Navigate to Screens as a Cloud Service at https://experience.adobe.com/screens and log in.
In the top-right of the screen, ensure that you are in the correct organization.
Near the upper-left corner, click the Edit Settings icon, shaped like a gear.
Provide the URLs of AEMaaCS author and publish instances where you created your demo site and click Save.
Once connected to your demo instances, Screens pulls in your channel content. Click Channels in the left panel so you can see your published channels. It may take a moment for the information to populate. You can click the blue Sync button at the top-right of the screen to update the information.
Click Displays in the left panel. You have not yet created any for your demo. You can simulate the locations of We.Cafe by creating folders for each. Click Create at the top-right of the screen and select Folder.
In the dialog box, provide a folder name such as San Jose and click Create.
Open the folder by clicking it and then click Create at the top-right and select Display.
Provide a display name and click Create.
After the display is created, click the display’s name to open the display details screen. The display must be assigned a channel that was synched from your demo site. Click Assign channel at the top-right of the screen.
In the dialog, select the channel and click Assign.

You can repeat these steps for your additional locations and displays. Following completion, you have linked your demo site with AEM Screens and have completed the necessary configuration.

You can preview the demo simply in the Channel Editor on AEMaaCS.

Using Screens Player

To view the content as on an actual screen, you can download the player and set it up locally. AEM Screens as a Cloud Service delivers the content to your player

Generate a Registration Code

First, you must create a registration code to securely connect a player to AEM Screens as a Cloud Service.

Navigate to Screens as a Cloud Service at https://experience.adobe.com/screens and log in.
In the top-right of the screen, ensure that you are in the correct organization.
In the left panel, click Player Management > Registration Codes and then click Create code at the top-right of the screen.

Registration codes

Enter a name for the code and click Create.
Once the code is created, it appears in the list. Click to copy the code.

Install and Configure Player

Download the player for your platform from https://download.macromedia.com/screens/ and install it.
Run the player, then switch to the Configuration tab.
Scroll to the bottom, then click and confirm both Reset to Factory and Change to Cloud Mode options.
The player automatically changes to the Player Registration tab. Enter the code that you generated previously and click Register.
Switch to the System Information tab to confirm that the player has been registered.

Assign Player to a Display

Navigate to Screens as a Cloud Service at https://experience.adobe.com/screens and log in.
In the top-right of the screen, ensure that you are in the correct organization.
In the left panel, click Player Management > Players and you see the player that you previously installed and registered.
Click the player name so you can open its details. Click Assign to display in the top-right of the screen.
In the dialog box, select the display that you created previously and then click Select.

Playback!

Once you have assigned a display to a player, AEM Screens as a Cloud Service delivers the content to your player where it is visible.

Entrance portrait

Entrance landscape

What’s Next

Now that you have completed this part of the AEM Reference Demo Add-on journey you should:

Know the basics of AEM Screens.
Understand the We.Cafe demo content.
Know how to configure AEM Screens for We.Cafe.

You are now ready to explore the capabilities of AEM Screens using your own demo sites. Continue to the next section of the journey, Manage Your Demo Sites, where you learn about the tools available to help you manage your demo sites and how to remove them.

You can also check out some of the additional resources available in the Additional Resources section to learn more about the features you saw in this journey.

Additional Resources

ContextHub documentation - Learn how ContextHub can be used to personalize content based on user context beyond weather conditions.
Using API Keys - Google Documentation - A handy reference for details about using Google’s API keys.
Displays - Learn more about what a display is in AEM Screens and what it can do.
Download Player - Learn how to access the Screens Player and how to install.
Register Player - Learn how to set up and register a player with your AEM Screens project.
Assigning Player to a Display - Configure a player to display your content.

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