This article details how to use the Menu Board app in Enplug. The Menu Board app allows you to create and display menu boards featuring your products and information.

Accessing Menu Board

• Select the Menu Board application from the Apps dropdown in the Enplug dashboard.

Adding Items To The Product Library

 

• After opening the Menu Board, click Product Library.
  
  
• From here, you can add new product items and view previously added items.

Importing Products In Bulk

To import products in bulk:

1. Click Import Products to import in bulk to the Product Library using CSV format.
2. Use this CSV template to format your product items accordingly.
3. Click Upload Spreadsheet.
4. Click on Add New File and upload your spreadsheet.
   • If your spreadsheet is successfully uploaded, you’ll receive a notice confirming the upload.
   • If there’s an error in the spreadsheet upload, you will be able to download a .csv file to review the error logs.

 

Notes:

• Commas can't be used in any fields. This will create and error and the import will not be successful.
• Additional fields can be added by using the ProductFields column covered below.
• Don't make any changes or additions to the column headers as this won't result in a new field.
• Not following the format of the template will create an error in uploading. 

 

Template Fields:

• Tags: This is for any item menu tags.
  Example: tag1-tag2-tag3

Note: Multiple tags must be separated by dashes.

• ProductId: This is for the product identification code.
• Enabled: Type TRUE in this field to enable the product, FALSE to disable the product.
• Name: This is for the product name.
• Description: This is a description of the product.
• Category: This is for the category of the product.
• SubCategory: If applicable, this is for the product's subcategory.
• Calories: This is for the calories in the product.
• Price: This is for the price of the product.
• Currency: Type USD, CAD, or MXN in this field to match the desired currency.
• Tax: This is for the product's tax amount.
• DisplayTotal: Type TRUE in this field to display the total with tax, FALSE to display only the price.
• RegionName: If applicable, this is for the region name.
• GlutenFree: Type TRUE in this field to check the item as Gluten Free, FALSE to leave unchecked.
• Vegetarian: Type TRUE in this field to check the item as Vegetarian, FALSE to leave unchecked.
• Egg: Type TRUE in this field to check the item as containing egg, FALSE to leave unchecked.
• Vegan: Type TRUE in this field to check the item as Vegan, FALSE to leave unchecked.
• SoyFree: Type TRUE in this field to check the item as containing soy, FALSE to leave unchecked.
• Dairy: Type TRUE in this field to check the item as containing dairy, FALSE to leave unchecked.
• Notes: This is for any additional product notes.
• ProductFields: This is for any additional fields.
  Example: name:name1_value:value1;name:name2_value:value2 would create these fields:
  
• ProductAttributes: This is for any additional attributes.
  Example: name:name1_value:TRUE;name:name2_value:FALSE would create these attributes:
  

Note: Any fields entered into ProductFields or ProductAttributes must be separated by semicolons.

 

Common Error Logs

Current line doesn't have expected number of columns: {line}

• This means that the number of headers are different from values of line. It can also indicate that a comma was used in a field.
• Delete any extra columns or commas and re-upload.
  
  

Name must not be empty :{line}

• Property Name is null or empty.
  
  

Missing product account ID, product name or product details, Error processing item: {line}

• Some required properties are null or empty (ProductId, Name, Price, etc.).
  
  

Error processing item: {line} --> Error: {Message}

• Error in processing the values of the line (possible wrong format, parsing, etc.). Error details will be described in the message.
  
  

Error processing file: {Message}

• Error in processing the file. Error details will be described in the message.
  
  

A write operation resulted in an error. WriteError: { Category : "Uncategorized", Code : 2, Message : "" }

• Error in processing ProductFields and/or ProductAttributes. This could indicate incorrect formatting.

Note: If you’re having trouble uploading additional fields or attributes when editing your file in Excel, make sure it's saved in the CSV UTF-8 format pictured below.

 

Adding Single Products

 

1. Click Add New Product to add a single new product item.
2. On the New Product page, you'll fill in the details of your product.
   • All of the fields are optional and any non-applicable fields can be left blank.
3. Click Save to add the item to your Product Library.

Product Fields:

• Product ID: This is for the product identification code.
• Product Name: This is for the product name.
• Description: This is a description of the product.
• Category: This is for the category of the product.
• Sub-category: This is for the product's subcategory.
• Region: This is for the region the product is available in. Regions must be configured in order to use this field.
• Currency: Type USD, CAD, or MXN in this field to match the desired currency.
• Tax: This is for the product's tax amount.
• Price: This is for the price of the product.
• Display Price / Tax: If selected, this will display the total with tax.
• Calories: This is for the calories in the product.
• Add New Field: This allows for additional fields to be added. In the screenshot above, Side Dishes has been added.
• Add Image: You may upload or choose a stock image for the product.
• Attributes: This is for any applicable attributes.
• Add Attribute: This allows for additional attributes to be added. In the screenshot above, House Special has been added.
• Usage: This will show which menus are using the particular product item.
• Notes: This allows notes to be entered for the product item.

 

Creating Menu Boards

1. After saving a product item, click Back to Menus to go to the Menu Board page.
2. Click on Add New Menu to create a menu board or select a template from the Templates tab.

• This will take you to the Menu Board canvas.

• Use the Menu Bar Tools to create your menu:

Menu Bar Tools — Top

• New Menu: Enter a name for your menu board.
• - Zoom Out: Zooms out of the canvas view.
• 100%:  Allows for numerical entry of zoom percentage.
• + Zoom In: Zooms into the canvas view.
• Add Products (notebook icon): Use to import products from the Product Library.
• Add Image (folder icon): Use to add a photo to the canvas.
• Add Video (media icon): Use to add a video to the canvas.
• Add Text (text icon): Use to add a text box to the canvas.
• Add Shape (shape icon): Use to add a selected shape to the canvas.
• Undo (left arrow): This undoes the most recent action.
• Redo (right arrow): This redoes the most recent action.
• Force Refresh Product Data (refresh icon): This refreshes product data from the Product Library.

 

Menu Bar Tools — Right Side (Canvas Dropdown)

• Size: Choose Landscape, Portrait, or enter a custom ratio.
• Tags: Use to add any desired tags.
• Grid: Check this box to turn the canvas grid on/off.
• Products rotation time: Use to select the time interval between product rotations.

 

Menu Bar Tools — Right Side (Properties Dropdown)

When no items are selected on the canvas, the following options are available:

• Background: Use to select the background type and color(s).
  
  

When an item is selected on the canvas, the following options are available:

• Layer: Use to move an item's layer up or down.
• Rotate Product: When multiple products are added to your menu, you will use this to choose which products to rotate on-screen.

Notes:

• You can adjust the order of rotation by dragging-and-dropping.
• Only the first item in the list will be shown on the canvas, but the others will be viewable in Preview.
• Rotating products will follow the Products rotation time set in the Canvas dropdown.

When text is selected on the canvas, the following options are available:

• Font Family: Use to select font. (Contact support if you're wanting to use a custom font)
• Size: Use to adjust font size.
• Color: Use to select a color from the provided range or type in the hex code (#ffffff).
• Styles: Use to apply Bold or Italic formatting.

Note: Styles can be applied to multiple text elements simultaneously. Hold the shift key, click the desired text elements, and select the styling option.

• Paragraph: Use to align text to the left, center, or right.
• Align: Use to algin text within the bounding box to the top, middle, or bottom.
• Spacing:
  • : Use to adjust the amount of space between lines of text.
  • : Use to adjust the amount of space between letters.
  • : Use to adjust the space between words.
  • Capitalization: Select lowercase, UPPERCASE, or Start Case (Capitalizes Every Word).

When a list of products are selected on the canvas, following options are available:

• Linked Products: This displays a list of products that have been added

Note: Products can rearranged by dragging-and-dropping.

• Layout Flow:
  • This will display products in columns.
  • This will display products in rows.
• Spacing:
  
  • Use to adjust space between columns.
  •    Use to adjust space between rows.

 

Menu Bar Tools — Right Side (Layers Dropdown)

This dropdown will show all of the layers on the canvas. It's also where you can lock, duplicate, hide, or delete layers.

 

Using Templates

 

Saving a Template to My Menus

Under the Templates tab, you'll find all available templates for your account.

Note: If additional templates are desired, reach out to Spectrio Support for assistance.

• From Templates, you can preview and select a template for your menu board.

• To save your template in My Menus, make any desired updates, enter a template name, and click Save.

 

Editing a Saved Template

• Templates saved to My Menus can be edited.
• As seen in the example below, each template has placeholder products.
• To use the formatting of the template, replace the placeholder products (Classic Single in the example) with an item from your product library.

To do so:

1. Click Replace product (replace icon).
2. Select the replacement item from your Product Library.
3. The selected item will retain formatting while replacing the placeholder.

 

Troubleshooting

 

Importing a CSV file to the Product Library

To import a CSV file into your Product Library:

1. Click Import Products on the Product Library page.
2. From My Uploads, click Download Template. The template will then save to your downloads folder.
3. Locate the template in your Downloads folder.
4. Open with Excel. (If using Google Sheets, see instructions below)
5. Open the template and fill in product details.
6. Save the spreadsheet, confirming the format is CSV UTF-8.
7. From My Uploads, click Upload New file, then Upload Spreadsheet.
8. Select your saved spreadsheet. It will appear last in the list of My Uploads.
9. The items from your upload will now be available in the Product Library.

 

Importing a CSV file using Google Sheets

To import a CSV file using Google Sheets:

1.  Follow steps 1 and 2 from above, then locate the template in your Downloads folder.
2. Log into Google Drive. If you don't have an account, you can create one by clicking Create account.
3. Drag-and-drop the template file onto your Drive homepage. You'll see a confirmation message once it's been uploaded.
4. Open the uploaded file from the bottom-right corner.
5. Click Open with, then select Google Sheets.
6. Fill in product details.
7. When completed, open the File dropdown. Select Download, then Comma Separated Value (.csv).
8. The completed file will now be available in your Downloads folder.
9. Follow steps 7-9 from above to upload.

 

Adding Additional Fields Using the ProductFields Column

To add additional fields into a menu board using the ProductFields column:

Note: These steps apply to both Excel and Google Sheets.

1. Open the template and navigate to the O column, ProductFields.
2. Use the format below to add as many unique fields to your menu board as desired.

• Name1: The title of the field.
• Value1: The data to be shown in the field (text or number).
• Name2: The title of the next field.
• Value2: The data to be shown in the field (text or number).

Example: name:name1_value:value1;name:name2_value:value2 creates the following fields:

Example: name:Grande Price_value:5;name:Venti Price_value:6.25

Example: name:Grande Price_value:5;name:Venti Price_value:6.25;name:Grande Calories_value:50;name:Venti Calories_value:100

 

Formatting Pricing Data

When products are added as a list to a menu board, the formatting applied to the first item will apply to all items listed.

Using the example above, here's how to ensure elements don’t overlap:

• Size the bounding box around each element to fit the longest text (5, 10.99, etc.)
• Ensure the bounding box fits the width of 10.99.
• If character length varies by product, align to the left so each entry starts from the same point.

Example: 5 is aligned to the left and the bounding box will fit the width of 10.99.