Using variables (time, date & live data)
Variables let a board show live values, the current time, a date, a countdown, the weather, or data from your own source, flipping and updating on their own.
Where you'd normally type fixed text, you can drop in a variable that Split-Flap TV keeps up to date for you. Some variables are built in (time, date, countdown). Others pull from live sources on the higher plans (weather, news, or any JSON/XML feed you connect). The board flips the new value into place whenever it changes.
Syntax & shortcodes
Type these into a board's text and they flip in the live value. The #...# markers tell Split-Flap TV what to fetch.
Current time, 24-hour
#TM01#Uses the time zone set on the TV device. #TM02# gives AM/PM instead.
Time in a specific time zone
#TMTZ02#Eastern Standard Time#Add a time-zone ID as the parameter to show another location's time. #TMTZ01# is 24-hour, #TMTZ02# is AM/PM. Time-zone IDs are in the reference below.
Current date
#DT01#dd/mm/yyyy. #DT01# to #DT06# give the other date formats; #DTTZ01# to #DTTZ06# do the same for a specific time zone.
Device ID / assigned time zone
#DEVICEID#Flips this board's device ID onto the screen, handy when identifying screens. #TIMEZONE# shows the device's assigned time zone.
Counter (time since a past date)
#CNT#A#20220528:0000#Counts up from a past date, e.g. days since the last incident. Format #CNT#{Code}#{Date}#, date as YYYYMMDD:HHMM (24-hour). Codes in the reference below.
Countdown (time to a future date)
#CDN#A#20240101:0000#Counts down to a future date, e.g. to New Year or a launch. Format #CDN#{Code}#{Date}#, same YYYYMMDD:HHMM format.
Random quote
#QUO#360#Shows a random quote from ~50,000, refreshed every 360 minutes (6 hours). Refresh times are based on midnight UTC.
Random quote from chosen categories
#QUO#360#motivation,business#Limit to certain categories (comma separated), or start the first with a minus to EXCLUDE, e.g. #QUO#360#-death,government#. Categories are in the reference below.
Reference
Time shortcodes
| Short code | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| #TM01# | Current time in 24 hours format hh:mm | 14:52 |
| #TM02# | Current time in US format (AM/PM) hh:mm AM/PM | 11:37 AM |
Date shortcodes
| Short code | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| #DT01# | Current date in dd/mm/yyyy format | 26/06/2022 |
| #DT02# | Current date in mm/dd/yyyy format | 06/26/2022 |
| #DT03# | Current date in dd/mm/yy format | 26/06/22 |
| #DT04# | Current date in mm/dd/yy format | 06/26/22 |
| #DT05# | Current date in full format (day month) | Sunday, 26 June, 2022 |
| #DT06# | Current date in full format (month day) | Sunday, June 26, 2022 |
Time shortcodes for a specific time zone
| Short code | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| #TMTZ01#{TZID}# | Time at that time zone in 24 hours format hh:mm | 14:52 |
| #TMTZ02#{TZID}# | Time at that time zone in US format (AM/PM) hh:mm AM/PM | 11:37 AM |
Date shortcodes for a specific time zone
| Short code | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| #DTTZ01#{TZID}# | Date at that time zone in dd/mm/yyyy format | 26/06/2022 |
| #DTTZ02#{TZID}# | Date at that time zone in mm/dd/yyyy format | 06/26/2022 |
| #DTTZ03#{TZID}# | Date at that time zone in dd/mm/yy format | 26/06/22 |
| #DTTZ04#{TZID}# | Date at that time zone in mm/dd/yy format | 06/26/22 |
| #DTTZ05#{TZID}# | Date at that time zone in full format (day month) | Sunday, 26 June, 2022 |
| #DTTZ06#{TZID}# | Date at that time zone in full format (month day) | Sunday, June 26, 2022 |
Other shortcodes
| Short code | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| #DEVICEID# | Device ID of this Split-Flap TV board | 91829Y23OSD98Y98400 |
| #TIMEZONE# | Assigned time zone | Romance Standard Time |
Counter codes (#CNT#)
| Parameter | Meaning |
|---|---|
| A | Number of days since the date specified. |
| B | Number of hours since the date specified. |
| C | Number of minutes since the date specified. |
| D | Total number of hours since the date specified. |
| E | Total number of minutes since the date specified. |
Countdown codes (#CDN#)
| Parameter | Meaning |
|---|---|
| A | Number of days till the date specified. |
| B | Number of hours till the date specified. |
| C | Number of minutes till the date specified. |
| D | Total number of hours till the date specified. |
| E | Total number of minutes till the date specified. |
Quote categories118 rows, tap to open
| Category |
|---|
| ability |
| absence |
| acting |
| action |
| adversity |
| advice |
| age |
| alone |
| amazing |
| ambition |
| american |
| anger |
| animals |
| anniversary |
| architecture |
| art |
| attitude |
| avarice |
| beauty |
| best |
| birthday |
| boldness |
| bore |
| business |
| car |
| cats |
| change |
| character |
| communication |
| computers |
| cool |
| courage |
| cunning |
| dad |
| dating |
| death |
| decision |
| design |
| destiny |
| diet |
| doubt |
| dreams |
| education |
| environmental |
| equality |
| evil |
| experience |
| failure |
| faith |
| fame |
| family |
| famous |
| fear |
| finance |
| fitness |
| food |
| forgiveness |
| freedom |
| friendship |
| funny |
| future |
| gardening |
| god |
| good |
| government |
| graduation |
| great |
| happiness |
| health |
| history |
| home |
| honesty |
| hope |
| humility |
| humor |
| identity |
| imagination |
| individuality |
| inspiration |
| inspirational |
| intelligence |
| jealousy |
| journey |
| justice |
| kindness |
| knowledge |
| law |
| leadership |
| learning |
| legal |
| liberty |
| life |
| love |
| marriage |
| medical |
| men |
| mom |
| money |
| morning |
| movies |
| nature |
| others |
| progress |
| religion |
| risk |
| science |
| success |
| thoughts |
| time |
| travel |
| truth |
| understanding |
| virtue |
| war |
| wealth |
| wisdom |
| women |
| words |
Time zone IDs141 rows, tap to open
| Time zone ID | Display name |
|---|---|
| Dateline Standard Time | (UTC-12:00) International Date Line West |
| UTC-11 | (UTC-11:00) Coordinated Universal Time-11 |
| Aleutian Standard Time | (UTC-10:00) Aleutian Islands |
| Hawaiian Standard Time | (UTC-10:00) Hawaii |
| Marquesas Standard Time | (UTC-09:30) Marquesas Islands |
| Alaskan Standard Time | (UTC-09:00) Alaska |
| UTC-09 | (UTC-09:00) Coordinated Universal Time-09 |
| Pacific Standard Time (Mexico) | (UTC-08:00) Baja California |
| UTC-08 | (UTC-08:00) Coordinated Universal Time-08 |
| Pacific Standard Time | (UTC-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) |
| US Mountain Standard Time | (UTC-07:00) Arizona |
| Mountain Standard Time (Mexico) | (UTC-07:00) La Paz, Mazatlan |
| Mountain Standard Time | (UTC-07:00) Mountain Time (US & Canada) |
| Yukon Standard Time | (UTC-07:00) Yukon |
| Central America Standard Time | (UTC-06:00) Central America |
| Central Standard Time | (UTC-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada) |
| Easter Island Standard Time | (UTC-06:00) Easter Island |
| Central Standard Time (Mexico) | (UTC-06:00) Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey |
| Canada Central Standard Time | (UTC-06:00) Saskatchewan |
| SA Pacific Standard Time | (UTC-05:00) Bogota, Lima, Quito, Rio Branco |
| Eastern Standard Time (Mexico) | (UTC-05:00) Chetumal |
| Eastern Standard Time | (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada) |
| Haiti Standard Time | (UTC-05:00) Haiti |
| Cuba Standard Time | (UTC-05:00) Havana |
| US Eastern Standard Time | (UTC-05:00) Indiana (East) |
| Turks And Caicos Standard Time | (UTC-05:00) Turks and Caicos |
| Paraguay Standard Time | (UTC-04:00) Asuncion |
| Atlantic Standard Time | (UTC-04:00) Atlantic Time (Canada) |
| Venezuela Standard Time | (UTC-04:00) Caracas |
| Central Brazilian Standard Time | (UTC-04:00) Cuiaba |
| SA Western Standard Time | (UTC-04:00) Georgetown, La Paz, Manaus, San Juan |
| Pacific SA Standard Time | (UTC-04:00) Santiago |
| Newfoundland Standard Time | (UTC-03:30) Newfoundland |
| Tocantins Standard Time | (UTC-03:00) Araguaina |
| E. South America Standard Time | (UTC-03:00) Brasilia |
| SA Eastern Standard Time | (UTC-03:00) Cayenne, Fortaleza |
| Argentina Standard Time | (UTC-03:00) City of Buenos Aires |
| Montevideo Standard Time | (UTC-03:00) Montevideo |
| Magallanes Standard Time | (UTC-03:00) Punta Arenas |
| Saint Pierre Standard Time | (UTC-03:00) Saint Pierre and Miquelon |
| Bahia Standard Time | (UTC-03:00) Salvador |
| UTC-02 | (UTC-02:00) Coordinated Universal Time-02 |
| Greenland Standard Time | (UTC-02:00) Greenland |
| Mid-Atlantic Standard Time | (UTC-02:00) Mid-Atlantic - Old |
| Azores Standard Time | (UTC-01:00) Azores |
| Cape Verde Standard Time | (UTC-01:00) Cabo Verde Is. |
| UTC | (UTC) Coordinated Universal Time |
| GMT Standard Time | (UTC+00:00) Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London |
| Greenwich Standard Time | (UTC+00:00) Monrovia, Reykjavik |
| Sao Tome Standard Time | (UTC+00:00) Sao Tome |
| Morocco Standard Time | (UTC+01:00) Casablanca |
| W. Europe Standard Time | (UTC+01:00) Amsterdam, Berlin, Bern, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna |
| Central Europe Standard Time | (UTC+01:00) Belgrade, Bratislava, Budapest, Ljubljana, Prague |
| Romance Standard Time | (UTC+01:00) Brussels, Copenhagen, Madrid, Paris |
| Central European Standard Time | (UTC+01:00) Sarajevo, Skopje, Warsaw, Zagreb |
| W. Central Africa Standard Time | (UTC+01:00) West Central Africa |
| GTB Standard Time | (UTC+02:00) Athens, Bucharest |
| Middle East Standard Time | (UTC+02:00) Beirut |
| Egypt Standard Time | (UTC+02:00) Cairo |
| E. Europe Standard Time | (UTC+02:00) Chisinau |
| West Bank Standard Time | (UTC+02:00) Gaza, Hebron |
| South Africa Standard Time | (UTC+02:00) Harare, Pretoria |
| FLE Standard Time | (UTC+02:00) Helsinki, Kyiv, Riga, Sofia, Tallinn, Vilnius |
| Israel Standard Time | (UTC+02:00) Jerusalem |
| South Sudan Standard Time | (UTC+02:00) Juba |
| Kaliningrad Standard Time | (UTC+02:00) Kaliningrad |
| Sudan Standard Time | (UTC+02:00) Khartoum |
| Libya Standard Time | (UTC+02:00) Tripoli |
| Namibia Standard Time | (UTC+02:00) Windhoek |
| Jordan Standard Time | (UTC+03:00) Amman |
| Arabic Standard Time | (UTC+03:00) Baghdad |
| Syria Standard Time | (UTC+03:00) Damascus |
| Turkey Standard Time | (UTC+03:00) Istanbul |
| Arab Standard Time | (UTC+03:00) Kuwait, Riyadh |
| Belarus Standard Time | (UTC+03:00) Minsk |
| Russian Standard Time | (UTC+03:00) Moscow, St. Petersburg |
| E. Africa Standard Time | (UTC+03:00) Nairobi |
| Volgograd Standard Time | (UTC+03:00) Volgograd |
| Iran Standard Time | (UTC+03:30) Tehran |
| Arabian Standard Time | (UTC+04:00) Abu Dhabi, Muscat |
| Astrakhan Standard Time | (UTC+04:00) Astrakhan, Ulyanovsk |
| Azerbaijan Standard Time | (UTC+04:00) Baku |
| Russia Time Zone 3 | (UTC+04:00) Izhevsk, Samara |
| Mauritius Standard Time | (UTC+04:00) Port Louis |
| Saratov Standard Time | (UTC+04:00) Saratov |
| Georgian Standard Time | (UTC+04:00) Tbilisi |
| Caucasus Standard Time | (UTC+04:00) Yerevan |
| Afghanistan Standard Time | (UTC+04:30) Kabul |
| West Asia Standard Time | (UTC+05:00) Ashgabat, Tashkent |
| Ekaterinburg Standard Time | (UTC+05:00) Ekaterinburg |
| Pakistan Standard Time | (UTC+05:00) Islamabad, Karachi |
| Qyzylorda Standard Time | (UTC+05:00) Qyzylorda |
| India Standard Time | (UTC+05:30) Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi |
| Sri Lanka Standard Time | (UTC+05:30) Sri Jayawardenepura |
| Nepal Standard Time | (UTC+05:45) Kathmandu |
| Central Asia Standard Time | (UTC+06:00) Astana |
| Bangladesh Standard Time | (UTC+06:00) Dhaka |
| Omsk Standard Time | (UTC+06:00) Omsk |
| Myanmar Standard Time | (UTC+06:30) Yangon (Rangoon) |
| SE Asia Standard Time | (UTC+07:00) Bangkok, Hanoi, Jakarta |
| Altai Standard Time | (UTC+07:00) Barnaul, Gorno-Altaysk |
| W. Mongolia Standard Time | (UTC+07:00) Hovd |
| North Asia Standard Time | (UTC+07:00) Krasnoyarsk |
| N. Central Asia Standard Time | (UTC+07:00) Novosibirsk |
| Tomsk Standard Time | (UTC+07:00) Tomsk |
| China Standard Time | (UTC+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi |
| North Asia East Standard Time | (UTC+08:00) Irkutsk |
| Singapore Standard Time | (UTC+08:00) Kuala Lumpur, Singapore |
| W. Australia Standard Time | (UTC+08:00) Perth |
| Taipei Standard Time | (UTC+08:00) Taipei |
| Ulaanbaatar Standard Time | (UTC+08:00) Ulaanbaatar |
| Aus Central W. Standard Time | (UTC+08:45) Eucla |
| Transbaikal Standard Time | (UTC+09:00) Chita |
| Tokyo Standard Time | (UTC+09:00) Osaka, Sapporo, Tokyo |
| North Korea Standard Time | (UTC+09:00) Pyongyang |
| Korea Standard Time | (UTC+09:00) Seoul |
| Yakutsk Standard Time | (UTC+09:00) Yakutsk |
| Cen. Australia Standard Time | (UTC+09:30) Adelaide |
| AUS Central Standard Time | (UTC+09:30) Darwin |
| E. Australia Standard Time | (UTC+10:00) Brisbane |
| AUS Eastern Standard Time | (UTC+10:00) Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney |
| West Pacific Standard Time | (UTC+10:00) Guam, Port Moresby |
| Tasmania Standard Time | (UTC+10:00) Hobart |
| Vladivostok Standard Time | (UTC+10:00) Vladivostok |
| Lord Howe Standard Time | (UTC+10:30) Lord Howe Island |
| Bougainville Standard Time | (UTC+11:00) Bougainville Island |
| Russia Time Zone 10 | (UTC+11:00) Chokurdakh |
| Magadan Standard Time | (UTC+11:00) Magadan |
| Norfolk Standard Time | (UTC+11:00) Norfolk Island |
| Sakhalin Standard Time | (UTC+11:00) Sakhalin |
| Central Pacific Standard Time | (UTC+11:00) Solomon Is., New Caledonia |
| Russia Time Zone 11 | (UTC+12:00) Anadyr, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky |
| New Zealand Standard Time | (UTC+12:00) Auckland, Wellington |
| UTC+12 | (UTC+12:00) Coordinated Universal Time+12 |
| Fiji Standard Time | (UTC+12:00) Fiji |
| Kamchatka Standard Time | (UTC+12:00) Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky - Old |
| Chatham Islands Standard Time | (UTC+12:45) Chatham Islands |
| UTC+13 | (UTC+13:00) Coordinated Universal Time+13 |
| Tonga Standard Time | (UTC+13:00) Nuku'alofa |
| Samoa Standard Time | (UTC+13:00) Samoa |
| Line Islands Standard Time | (UTC+14:00) Kiritimati Island |
Step by step
-
01
Edit a board
Open the board and place your cursor where you want the live value.
-
02
Insert a variable
Choose the variable type, time, date, countdown, weather, social, or custom data.
-
03
Configure it
Set its options, for example the countdown's target date, or a weather location.
-
04
Save
Save the board, the variable flips its live value into place and keeps it current.
§ Good to know
- ·Built-in variables like time, date and countdown are available on every plan.
- ·Live data variables (weather, news, JSON/XML) are on the Cockpit plan.
- ·You can also flip the device's own ID onto a board, handy when you're setting up or identifying which screen is which.
Keep reading
Live data
Connect live data (JSON / XML & API)
ContentAdd live weather
ContentScheduling & dayparting
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