# Sequence, duration, transitions, and test run

At the end, your manual playlist has the order you want, a duration and a transition for each item — and you have watched it once from start to finish in the test run.

> **Type:** guide
> **For:** Anyone who puts together or rebuilds a manual playlist.
> **Prerequisite:** The permission to edit playlists — by default, the roles **Owner** and **Manager** have it. In addition, a manual playlist as well as scenes and fully processed media in the library.
> **Where in the portal:** **Playlists** › open a playlist › **Sequence** section

## Steps

The playlist is built from top to bottom: the header with **Test run**, **Discard**, and **Save**, then **Playlist name** and **Description**, the **Defaults**, **Where does the content come from?**, the **Sequence**, and finally the **Library**.

![An open manual playlist from top to bottom: the header with Test run, Discard, and Save (1), the collapsed defaults with their summary (2), the sequence with a card for each item including duration field and transition (3), and below it the library with the tabs All media, Images, Videos, and Scenes (4)](/docs/programs/bilder/2a7aa0dc-playlist-sequence-and-library.png)

*1 Header with Test run, Discard, and Save · 2 Collapsed defaults · 3 Sequence · 4 Library*

### Add and arrange items

1. In the **Library**, choose the tab **All media**, **Images**, **Videos**, or **Scenes**. For media, the folder tree narrows the selection, and for scenes the search does. Only what has finished processing is offered.
2. A click appends the item to the end of the sequence, and dragging drops it at a specific place. The library stays open, so you add several in a row. A curated sequence takes no more than 100 items.
3. Drag a card by its handle to its new position. The header shows the number of items and the **Total** duration of one run.
4. The actions on the card view an item or remove it.

### Set the duration for each item

5. In the card's duration field, enter seconds or use the **−** and **+** buttons. The allowed range is 1 to 86,400 seconds.
6. If you leave the field empty, a placeholder appears such as **10 s (default)**, and for a video **0:06 — natural length**.

| Item | Duration field empty | Duration entered |
|---|---|---|
| **Scene** | The duration from the defaults | The duration entered |
| **Image** | The duration from the defaults | The duration entered |
| **Video** | Its natural length | The duration entered. If the video ends earlier, its last frame stays up. |

### Choose the transition and how media is shown

7. For each card, choose the transition: **Default**, **None**, **Fade**, or **Slide**. The transition on an item overrides the default transition in the **Defaults**.
8. For media, choose how it is shown: **Fill (crop)** cuts off the edges, and **Fit (letterbox)** shows the whole picture.

### Defaults, name, and description

9. Expand the **Defaults**: **Default duration per item (seconds)**, **Default transition**, **Transition duration (milliseconds)** from 0 to 60,000, and for **Slide** the **Slide direction**: left, right, up, or down. Collapsed, the row summarizes both, for example **10 s per item · Fade**.
10. If needed, change the **Playlist name** (1 to 200 characters) and the **Description** (at most 2,000 characters) — an internal note that does not appear on the display.

### Test run and save

11. Click **Test run**. The playlist runs in full screen in a new window, with the real durations and transitions, and scenes with sample data. At the bottom it says **Item 3 of 12**. **Previous item** and **Next item** jump item by item, and **Close** or Esc ends the run.
12. Click **Save**. That saves the sequence, durations, transitions, defaults, name, and description in one go. The portal reports **Playlist saved**. **Discard** restores the last saved state.

## Check the result

- The sequence shows the cards in the new order. The **Total** duration in the header matches the sum.
- In the list under **Playlists**, **Extent** and **Changed** are correct.
- If the playlist is scheduled, the new sequence runs on the assigned displays.

## If something goes wrong

| Symptom | Meaning | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| A media item is missing in the **Library** | It has not finished processing yet | Wait until its status in the media library is **Ready**. |
| **Mixed orientations in this sequence** | The playlist mixes landscape and portrait, and the other orientation runs with black bars | Separate the formats into two playlists or adjust the scenes, see [Configure a scene: format, layout and slots, transitions](/docs/content/configure-scene). |
| **Never published — will be skipped on the display** | The scene is a draft | Publish the scene. |
| A scene carries **blocked, not included in your package** | The scene lies outside your package | Choose a different scene or extend the package. |
| **Please enter between 1 and 86400 seconds.** or **Please enter 0 to 60000 milliseconds.** | The duration or the transition duration is outside the limits | 1 second to 24 hours per item, at most 60 seconds of transition. |
| **Save failed** | The change was not accepted | Check the fields marked in red and **Save** again. |

## Related

- [Configure a scene: format, layout and slots, transitions](/docs/content/configure-scene)
- [Manage playlists](/docs/programs/manage-playlists)
- [Assign a program to a display](/docs/displays/assign-program)