Configuring Auto-Connect in Biamp Canvas
This article explains how to configure the Auto-Connect feature in Biamp Canvas. Auto-Connect allows you to configure Biamp Canvas software to automatically connect to a Canvas layout when the software is launched. It is a very useful feature for non-technical end users not wishing to go through the normal Connect to Network/System discovery process to connect to a Biamp Canvas user interface.
Auto-connect dialog
Begin by enabling Auto-connect features from the Tools→Options dialog.
Auto-Connect options
When to Auto-Connect
The Auto-Connect dialog provides two ways of achieving auto-connect.
- Auto-connect when -AC specified on command line is the default option. When this option is selected, Auto-Connect will only take place when the software is launched from a shortcut that contains the "-AC" argument in its command line. This allows for some control over when Auto-Connect is activated, since the software will not Auto-Connect if it is simply launched from the Windows Start Menu. See the "Create Shortcut" seciton below for instructions on generating a shortcut with "-AC" on its command line.
- "Auto-connect on launch" will activate Auto-Connect whenever Biamp Canvas software is launched, regardless of how it is launched.
The Auto-Connect Override Password is an optional password that can be required when an Auto-Connect Override is attempted. Auto-Connect can be overridden by holding down the Alt key while Biamp Canvas software is launching. If an override password is specified, it will be required before an override is allowed.
Create Shortcut
The Add Shortcut button provides an easy way to generate shortcuts to Biamp Canvas. There are three options for creating a shortcut:
- Add Auto-Connect Shortcut to the user's Startup Folder will cause Biamp Canvas to be launched automatically when the computer boots up.
- Add Auto-Connect Shortcut to the Windows "Run" Registry Key will also cause Biamp Canvas to be launched automatically when the computer boots up, but this method of launching Biamp Canvas cannot be bypassed (except by using the Auto-Connect Override, described above).
- Add Auto-Connect Shortcut to the Windows Desktop will generate a shortcut file on the Windows desktop. This shortcut file will already have the "-AC" argument included in its command line.
System Connection Settings
In order for Auto-Connect to connect to the correct system, you must provide the System ID of the desired system in the ID field of the Auto-Connect settings. The System ID number can be obtained from the "System Connect" dialog box, accessed when discovering devices in either Biamp Canvas or Tesira software.
If the system is secured, a Username can be provided in the Username field or left blank. For secured systems, Auto-Connect will always require the user to enter their password (and their username, if it is not specified here).
Use Local Control Surface
The Local Control Surface option allows you to Auto-Connect to a system using a Biamp Canvas file that is locally stored on your computer. The locally stored file can be different than the Biamp Canvas file that is stored on the Tesira system itself (and in fact, the Tesira system doesn't even need to have a Biamp Canvas file loaded to it when using this option).
This option is intended to provide an easy way for automatically launching a custom Biamp Canvas user interface for different users. The linked .bcv (Biamp Canvas file) needs to contain valid data (instance id tag, device ID, channel number, etc.) that matches the DSP configuration file loaded in the system, just like in the case of a normal Biamp Canvas file.
Other options
The Application Startup Mode determines how the Biamp Canvas layout will appear when it is launched. Full Screen means that it will take up the entire screen, with all menu bars, toolbars, and task bars hidden. Full Window means that menus and toolbars will be hidden, but Biamp Canvas will still be in its own resizable window and the Windows Task Bar will still be visible. Use Surface setting means that Auto-Connect will use the application startup mode that is set in the Surface properties of the Biamp Canvas file, rather than overriding those settings.
Disable Windows Application Task Switching allows you to disable task keys (Alt-Tab), the Windows Task Bar, and/or the Windows Task Manager (Ctrl-Alt-Delete). These can be useful when running Biamp Canvas on a public kiosk.
The System Disconnect Action and Connection Failure Action define what Biamp Canvas will do when the user disconnects from a system, or if Biamp Canvas fails to connect to a system. In the latter case, the Connection Failure Message can optionally be displayed to the user.