A very quick solution is to create an HTML page with buttons for navigation. You are able to create a wide variety of buttons on the HTML page. In this example, we will just create two types of buttons:

• Buttons for switching between the XProtect Smart Client's views

  Required HTML syntax:

<input type="button" value=" Buttontext" onclick="SCS.Views.SelectView('Viewstatus.Groupname.Viewname');">

Where Viewstatus indicates whether the view is shared or private (if the HTML page is to be distributed to several users, the view must be shared).

Example from a real button:

<input type="button" value="Go to Shared Group1 View2" onclick="SCS.Views.SelectView('Shared.Group1.View2');">

This button would allow users to go to a view called View2 in a shared group called Group1.

• Buttons for switching between tabs: Live and Playback

  Bear in mind that, depending on their user rights, some users may not be able to access all tabs.

  Required HTML syntax:

  Live tab: <input type="button" value="Buttontext" onclick="SCS.Application.ShowLive();">

  Playback tab: <input type="button" value="Buttontext" onclick="SCS.Application.ShowPlayback();">

Tip: For advanced users it is possible to create many other types of buttons using the approximately 100 different function calls available for the XProtect Smart Client. See Scripting for more information.

In the following we have created two shared groups in the XProtect Smart Client . We have called them Group1 and Group2. Each group contains two views, called View1 and View2.

We have also created an HTML page with buttons allowing users to switch between our four different views as well as between two of the XProtect Smart Client 's tabs, Live and Playback. When viewed in a browser, our HTML page looks like this:

HTML page with buttons for navigating between views and tabs

We have saved the HTML page locally, in this case on the user's C: drive. When the HTML page is to be used for navigation, saving the HTML page locally is necessary because of security features in Internet Explorer.

When saving the HTML page locally, save it at a location to which an unambiguous path can be defined, for example in a folder on the user's C: drive (example: C:\ myfolder\file.htm). Saving the HTML page on the user's desktop or in the user's My Documents folder will not work properly due to the way Windows constructs the path to such locations.

We then imported the HTML page into the required XProtect Smart Client views. When importing the HTML page, we made sure to select Enable HTML scripting in the HTML page's Properties in setup mode.

Selecting Enable HTML scripting ensures that the scripting required for the buttons to work is automatically inserted in the HTML page.

You can also create an HTML page with more advanced content, for example, an image map allowing users to switch between views.

In the following example we have kept the two groups and two views from the previous example. Instead of using buttons, we have created an HTML page with an image of a floor plan, and created an image map based on the floor plan. Viewed in a browser, our HTML page looks like this:

HTML page with image map for navigating between views

For this example, we divided the floor plan into four colored zones, and defined an image map area for each zone. Users can click a zone to go to the view displaying cameras from that zone.

For instance, the red zone on our image map mirrors the Go to Shared Group2 View2 button from the previous example. If you click the red zone, you will go to View2 in Group2.

Importing a navigation HTML page into a view is in principle no different from importing any other type of HTML page into a view in the XProtect Smart Client . The two important things to remember are:

• The HTML page should be stored locally on the user's PC
• You should make sure HTML scripting is enabled on the HTML page when importing it

To import the HTML page:

1. In setup mode, in the System Overview pane, drag the HTML Page item to the required position in the required view.
2. In the Open URL window, specify the HTML page.
3. Select the position in the view, and in the Properties pane, select Enable HTML scripting.

   Selecting Enable HTML scripting ensures that the scripting required for your buttons or other navigation features to work is automatically inserted in the HTML page.

4. Depending on the navigation features you have included on your HTML page, you may often want to import the HTML page into several views in order for the navigation to fully work.

Surveillance system administrators wanting to create and distribute navigation HTML pages to XProtect Smart Client users, do the following:

1. Create the required HTML page. The navigation controls in the HTML page must match the views users see in the XProtect Smart Client. For example, in order for a button leading to View1 to work, a view called View1 must exist in users' XProtect Smart Clients. If you intend to distribute the HTML page to a group of users, the views in which the HTML page will be used should be placed in shared groups.
2. Save the HTML page locally on each computer on which it will be used. When saving the HTML page locally, save it at a location to which an unambiguous path can be defined, for example in a folder on the user's C: drive (example: C:\ myfolder\file.htm). Saving the HTML page on the user's desktop or in the user's My Documents folder will not work properly due to the way Windows constructs the path to such locations.
3. Import the HTML page into the XProtect Smart Client views in which it will be used. Having imported the HTML page, select its position in the view, go to the Setup tab's Properties pane, and verify that Enable HTML Scripting is selected.
4. Test that the navigation controls on the imported HTML page work as intended.
5. Enjoy simple and intuitive XProtect Smart Client navigation, tailored to meet your organization's needs.

If your HTML navigation page does not work as intended, consider the following:

• Have you used the correct syntax in your HTML?
• Have you selected Enable HTML Scripting after importing the HTML page?
• Does the intended audience have the rights to required benefit from the HTML navigation page? Bear in mind that depending on their user rights, some users may not have access to certain cameras, views, features or tabs in their XProtect Smart Client.