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Using Apps

Learn how to browse, install, and use ready-made app templates in your digital signage displays.

Overview​

The Apps marketplace provides a collection of pre-configured applications and widgets that can be added directly to your screens and playlists. Think of Apps as ready-made templates that eliminate the need to manually configure common content types like news feeds, social media displays, weather widgets, and more.

Instead of creating custom content or embedding URLs manually, you can simply browse the Apps marketplace, install the app you need, and add it to your content rotation.

Apps Marketplace

Accessing the Apps Marketplace​

  1. Log in to your Castit account
  2. Click Apps in the left sidebar navigation
  3. Browse the Apps marketplace with all available applications

App Categories​

Apps are organized into convenient categories for easy browsing:

  • ALL APPS: View every available application
  • YOUR FAVORITES: Quick access to apps you've marked as favorites
  • NEWS: News sources and feeds (CNN, NOS, German News, etc.)
  • OTHER: Miscellaneous apps and utilities
  • SOCIAL MEDIA: Social media integrations (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.)
  • UPDATED: Recently updated applications
  • NEW: Newly added applications

Browsing and Filtering Apps​

Category Filters​

Click any category button at the top to filter the app list:

  • Select NEWS to see only news-related apps
  • Select SOCIAL MEDIA to see social media integrations
  • Select NEW to discover recently added apps

Use the search bar at the top right to quickly find specific apps by name.

Sorting and Display​

Sort by: Choose how apps are ordered:

  • Name: Alphabetical order (default)
  • Other sorting options may be available

Show: Filter apps by installation status:

  • All: Display all apps regardless of installation status

View Mode: Toggle between grid view (default) and list view using the icons in the top right.

Types of Apps Available​

News and Information​

Display live news feeds and information sources:

  • CNN News: Get the latest news from CNN
  • Nu.nl News: View Nu.nl news on your screen
  • German News: Show the latest news from Germany with De Spiegel
  • NOS News: A general news app with news from NOS news
  • NOS Soccer, NOS Tennis: Sports-specific news feeds
  • Nu Business, Nu Sport, Nu Tech, Nu Video: Category-specific Nu.nl channels
  • NieuwsBlad: Nieuwsblad Berdische nieuws applicatie
  • Voorne-Putten.nl News: Keep up to date with news from the Voorne-Putten region

Social Media​

Integrate your social media presence:

  • Facebook: Show pictures, friends and all of your Facebook content
  • LinkedIn: Inform your visitors about your company and impress with your content
  • Flickr: Show your own photos on your own tv channel

Content Embeds​

Embed external content:

  • Youtube embedd: This application lets you embedd a Youtube video in your screen
  • Website embed into playlist: Play any website with this application, you can play the url of a website embed in your screen
  • Website to slide: You want to display a whole page from a website? You can do that with this app

Widgets and Utilities​

Add functional widgets to your displays:

  • Big Clock: Show the current time on your screen, as well as the day and date
  • Image of the week: Display a different photo every week with the photo of the week app
  • Quote of the Day: Showcase the funniest (English or German) quotes of the day
  • iCalendar: All calendar items from the whole week on your screen
  • RSS Ticker/Tape: Display ticker tape on your channel

Design and Creation Tools​

  • Canva: To simplify content creation and design you can use Canva to create stunning designs

Business Tools​

Professional business applications:

  • PowerPoint Viewer: Our PowerPoint application transforms presentations effortlessly into engaging digital signage content
  • PDF Viewer: The PDF Viewer app turns static documents into dynamic, informative content
  • Power BI: Castit Digital Signage PowerBI integration - Cast your Power BI dashboards effortlessly
  • Outlook Calendar: This application seamlessly integrates your Outlook Calendar with Castit

Weather Apps​

Display weather information:

  • Weather Forecast: View local weather on your desktop
  • Weather forecast application: Weather forecast application. This app shows the weather for the next days
  • Rain/viewer.com weather radar: The ultimate Weather Radar for your displays for accurate, real-time weather updates
  • Windy.com weather radar: Extraordinary tool for weather forecast visualization

Specialized Apps​

  • NL Train Information: View Dutch train departure times in your train station
  • Dropbox: Our application simplifies file management by seamlessly integrating Dropbox
  • Streaming app: Now you can put live stream directly to Castit!
  • Real estate agents: Place your houses offer easy to your screen with the ERA Makelaardij Immotool integration
  • Talent Gezocht! top vacancies: The best job vacancies from the Rotterdam port with Talent Gezocht
  • WindowSight: WindowSight's vision is to make outdoor visual art more engaging and accessible

Installing Apps​

Installing an App takes only a few clicks.

  1. Navigate to Apps in the left sidebar of the Castit CMS
  2. Browse the available Apps in the Apps overview
  3. Hover over an App card to open the three-dot menu
  4. Select Install App

You can also install an App by clicking directly on the App card. A window will open showing the App description and last update information, where you can install the App immediately.

Once installed, the App card will update and show “1 INSTANCE”, confirming that the App has been successfully installed.

tip

Apps marked NOT INSTALLED must be installed before they can be configured or used in playlists and screens.

Using Apps in Your Content​

Once an app is installed, you can add it to your screens and playlists just like any other content:

Adding to a Screen​

  1. Navigate to Screens in the left sidebar
  2. Select or create a screen
  3. Click Plus button or drag and drop the app from the right sidebar
  4. Configure display duration and settings
  5. Save your screen

Adding to a Playlist​

  1. Navigate to Playlists in the left sidebar
  2. Create or edit a playlist
  3. Add the installed app as a playlist item
  4. Set duration and order
  5. Save your playlist
note

Apps function as dynamic content items - they update automatically with live data (news feeds, weather, social media) without requiring manual updates.

App Configuration​

After installing an App, you can configure it using App instances.

An App instance is a configured version of an App. Multiple instances allow you to display the same App with different settings.

For example, you can create:

  • one Weather App instance for London
  • another Weather App instance for Amsterdam

Opening an App​

To configure an App:

  1. Go to Apps in the Castit CMS
  2. Click the installed App
  3. Open an existing instance or click New App Instance

The App configuration page contains:

  • App card showing the App name and default duration (15 seconds)
  • Delete button to remove the App instance
  • New App Instance button to create another configuration

Configuration Layout​

All Apps follow the same layout:

Left side – Settings

Typical settings include:

  • App name
  • Duration in seconds
  • App-specific settings (URLs, accounts, locations, feeds, etc.)

Right side – Live Preview

The preview panel shows how the App will appear on your screen in real time.

Once you finish configuring the App, click Save changes to apply the settings.

note

Some Apps may require additional setup such as logging in to external services, entering API keys, or providing URLs.

Managing Installed Apps​

Your Favorites​

Mark frequently used apps as favorites:

  1. Click the favorite icon on an app card
  2. Access all your favorites quickly by selecting the YOUR FAVORITES category

Uninstalling Apps​

If you no longer need an app:

  1. Find the app in the marketplace
  2. Look for uninstall or remove option in the app details
  3. Confirm uninstallation
warning

Uninstalling an app may affect any screens or playlists currently using that app.

Benefits of Using Apps​

  • Time-Saving: Pre-configured templates eliminate manual setup
  • Professional: Designed specifically for digital signage display
  • Dynamic Content: Automatically updated with fresh information
  • Easy Integration: Simple installation and configuration process
  • Variety: Wide range of categories covering most common needs
  • Consistency: Standardized appearance across your displays

Best Practices​

  • Review before installing: Check app descriptions to ensure they meet your needs
  • Test first: Add new apps to a test screen before deploying to production
  • Update regularly: Check the UPDATED category for app improvements
  • Explore NEW apps: Regularly check for newly added applications
  • Use appropriate categories: Filter by category to quickly find relevant apps
  • Configure properly: Take time to set up API keys and preferences correctly
  • Monitor performance: Some apps require internet connectivity - ensure stable connections

Troubleshooting​

App Not Displaying​

  • Verify the app is installed
  • Check that the app has proper configuration (URLs, API keys)
  • Ensure internet connectivity if the app requires external data
  • Verify the player device supports the app requirements

App Shows Error​

  • Review configuration settings
  • Check API key validity (for authenticated apps)
  • Verify URL format (for web embed apps)
  • Contact support if the issue persists

Next Steps​