> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.pickcel.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How to schedule and publish content on digital signage screens

> Learn the ways to publish content on Pickcel digital signage: Quickplay for an instant override, Basic Schedule for a fixed time window, and Advanced Schedule for a recurring content calendar.

<Info>
  Console looks different? You may be on the earlier workflow, see [the v4 overview](/schedule-and-publish/publish-overview).
</Info>

The **Publish** module controls what plays on your screens and when. Click **Publish** in the left navigation to open it. The page has two tabs, **Schedules** and **Quickplay**, and two buttons in the top-right corner, **+ Quickplay** and **+ Schedule**, which are the two ways to send content to a screen.

<CardGroup cols={1}>
  <Card title="Quickplay" icon="bolt" href="/schedule-and-publish/v5/quick-play" horizontal>
    Push a single composition live immediately for a set duration. Overrides whatever is scheduled and hands playback back when the duration ends.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Schedule" icon="calendar" href="/schedule-and-publish/v5/schedule" horizontal>
    Run one or more compositions between a start date/time and an end date/time.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Advanced Schedule" icon="calendar-days" href="/schedule-and-publish/v5/advanced-scheduler" horizontal>
    Build a content calendar with day sequences, time slots, and day-of-week rules. You switch to it from inside the Schedule flow.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Note>
  Advanced Schedule is not a separate button. Start a **Schedule**, then switch to it from the **Advanced Options** card on the Configure Schedule page.
</Note>

***

## Which publish type should I use?

<div className="publish-comparison-table">
  |                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |         Quickplay        |        Schedule        |      Advanced Schedule      |
  | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :----------------------: | :--------------------: | :-------------------------: |
  | **Starts**                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |        Immediately       |      On a set date     |        On a set date        |
  | **Compositions**                                                                                                                                                                                                             |            One           |        Multiple        |   Multiple (per time slot)  |
  | **Time control**                                                                                                                                                                                                             | Duration (minutes/hours) |  One start–end window  | Multiple time slots per day |
  | <Tooltip tip="Limit a date range so content only plays on chosen days of the week, for example Mon–Fri only. Set with the REPEAT ON toggles when you assign a day sequence to the calendar.">**Day-of-week rules**</Tooltip> |            No            |           No           |             Yes             |
  | <Tooltip tip="Assign different programmes to different dates on a calendar, including one-off dates such as a public holiday.">**Per-date control**</Tooltip>                                                                |            No            |           No           |             Yes             |
  | <Tooltip tip="Quickplay takes priority over whatever is scheduled on a screen and releases it when the duration ends. Schedules replace each other instead of stacking.">**Overrides the active schedule**</Tooltip>         |            Yes           |           No           |              No             |
  | **Screens required to save**                                                                                                                                                                                                 |            Yes           |           No           |              No             |
  | **Best for**                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |   Urgent announcements   | Campaigns & promotions | Recurring weekly programmes |
</div>

***

## The three steps, and the review

Quickplay and Schedule both run through the same wizard, shown as a progress bar at the top of the page:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Configure">
    Set the duration (Quickplay) or the date and time window (Schedule).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select Content">
    Pick the composition or compositions to play.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select Screens">
    Choose which screens get the content.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Whichever type you choose, the last click opens a **Review & publish** dialog that summarises the name, type, date range, time slot, compositions, and screens. Nothing goes live until you click **Publish** there. Use **Back to edit** if something looks wrong.

<Tip>
  Every publish is given an automatic name, such as `Sch - 17-Aug-2026 21:17` or `Play - 17-Aug-2026 21:36`. Rename it by clicking the name at the top of the wizard, or in the **Name** field of the **Review & publish** dialog. A descriptive name makes the list much easier to manage later.
</Tip>

***

## Reading the Schedules list

The **Schedules** tab lists every schedule with its **Status**, **Type**, **Start Date**, **End Date**, and **Screens Assigned**.

| What you see            | What it means                                                       |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Active**              | The schedule is inside its date and time window now                 |
| **Upcoming**            | The schedule is saved and starts on a future date                   |
| **Basic Schedule**      | Created with a single start–end window                              |
| **Advanced Schedule**   | Created with day sequences and a calendar                           |
| **Screens Assigned: 0** | Saved, but not showing anywhere yet, assign screens to make it play |

Use the **Active** and **Upcoming** chips to filter the list. Schedules whose end date has passed are hidden until you tick **Show expired schedules**.

<Info>
  A schedule with no screens is still listed as Active or Upcoming, it simply has nothing to play on. Add screens from the row's **⋯** menu using **Assign Screens**.
</Info>

***

## Managing a schedule after it is published

Click the **⋯** menu at the end of any row in the **Schedules** tab:

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="View Details" icon="circle-info">
    Opens the schedule's own page with **Info**, **Content**, and **Screens** tabs, plus details such as who created it, when it was last modified, and its schedule ID.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Edit" icon="pen-to-square">
    Reopens the wizard with everything filled in, so you can change dates, content, or screens. Republish to apply the changes.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Assign Screens" icon="tv">
    Jumps straight to screen selection, useful for a schedule you saved with **Skip for now**.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Duplicate" icon="copy">
    Creates a copy you can adjust, rather than rebuilding a similar schedule from scratch.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Delete" icon="trash">
    Removes the schedule from every assigned screen. This cannot be undone.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

The **Quickplay** tab has a shorter menu, **View Details** and **Delete**, because a Quickplay is a one-off push rather than something you edit.

***

## Where the default composition lives

The **default composition** is what a screen falls back to when no schedule and no Quickplay is running. It is set per screen, not in the Publish module:

1. Go to **Screen** and click the screen you want.
2. Open the **Content** tab.
3. Under **Default Composition**, click **Change**.

The same tab also shows the screen's **Active Schedule** and anything currently playing under **Play Now**.

***

## Related

* [Quickplay](/schedule-and-publish/v5/quick-play), push one composition live right now
* [Schedule](/schedule-and-publish/v5/schedule), run content between a start and end date
* [Advanced Schedule](/schedule-and-publish/v5/advanced-scheduler), build a recurring content calendar