# Programs

Bundle playlists, plan programs with a base program and program entries, read the weekly plan, set times off air, override — what runs when.

> **Type:** area
> **For:** Anyone who decides what runs on the displays and when.
> **Where in the portal:** **Playlists** and **Programs**

![The Programs page with the tile grid: one card for each program with a preview of the base program, name, number of program entries, and assignment, above it Create program and the search field](/docs/programs/bilder/9fd56be0-overview.png)

## Understand

Three pages that are worth reading before your first plan: what a playlist does, how a program is built, and who wins when entries overlap.

| Page | When you need it |
|---|---|
| [What is a playlist, and when do I not need one?](/docs/programs/about-playlists) | You have several pieces of content and wonder whether you need a playlist for them or whether the content can go straight onto the display. |
| [What is a program, and what does the base program do?](/docs/programs/about-programs) | You are planning times for the first time and want to know how the base program and program entries work together. |
| [Which program entry wins when entries overlap?](/docs/programs/about-priorities) | Two program entries apply at the same time, and you want to know beforehand which one wins on the display. |

## Playlists

A playlist strings scenes and media into a loop. It is created in **Playlists**, maintained by hand or from a source that fills itself.

| Page | When you need it |
|---|---|
| [Create a playlist](/docs/programs/create-playlist) | Several scenes and media should run one after another, and the first playlist has to be created. |
| [Sequence, duration, transitions, and test run](/docs/programs/playlist-sequence) | The order is not right yet, an image is shown too briefly, or you want to watch the run-through before saving. |
| [Automatic playlists from a folder, tags, or OneDrive](/docs/programs/automatic-playlists) | A rotation should maintain itself: whatever is in the folder or carries a tag runs along on its own. |
| [Manage playlists](/docs/programs/manage-playlists) | The collection is getting hard to keep track of, or the portal will not let you delete a playlist. |

## Programs

A program says what runs when: the base program for the normal case, program entries for the exceptions. Where it runs, you decide at the display.

| Page | When you need it |
|---|---|
| [Create a program and choose the base program](/docs/programs/create-program) | A display should run according to a plan, and the first program with its content for the normal case has to be created. |
| [Create, edit, pause, or delete a program entry](/docs/programs/create-program-entry) | Something other than usual should run at certain times, or an exception has to be changed or paused. |
| [Day windows, midnight, and time zones](/docs/programs/time-windows) | A window runs past midnight, applies all day, or your locations are in different time zones. |
| [Read the weekly plan](/docs/programs/read-weekly-plan) | You are looking at the weekly plan and want to know what the colors, the faded area, and the red line mean. |
| [Schedule time off air](/docs/programs/schedule-off-air) | The display should stay empty at certain times without anyone switching off the device. |
| [Manage programs: rename, delete, check assignments](/docs/programs/manage-programs) | You maintain several programs side by side and want to rename, tidy up, or see where a program runs. |

## Step in

For when the plan does not fit right now or works out differently than expected.

| Page | When you need it |
|---|---|
| [Show something else now (override)](/docs/programs/start-override) | Something should appear on a display right away, without you rebuilding the weekly plan. |
| [When a display does not play what the plan says](/docs/programs/troubleshooting) | The display plays something other than planned, a program entry does not take effect, or a message blocks saving. |