Display a video as a Help item

Most of your users don't really read long-form text anymore.

We realize that's an ironic sentence to begin a support article with. But this is real life, and right now you are probably already starting to skim for bold print. 😊   If your goal is to engage your audience with a process or tutorial that is more than a few lines - you might need something multi-media (like a video) or something interactive (like a walkthrough). If you have a lot of tutorials to post or even a few that have complex requirements - videos are an easier way to get something posted quickly. There are at least 3 ways you can post a video as a help item.

In all of these ways, the VisualSP system does not store / host your video. You maintain control of its storage and permissions in whatever system you have available. VisualSP posts the video and metadata to your users when and where they need it.

Post a direct link to an mp4 file

1. Click the Add item button in the VisualSP panel, and choose the Video File  template.
2. Enter a Title and paste in the URL for the mp4 file you wish to post.

   NOTE: If you are posting a video stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, do not use the 'Copy link' feature. This does not provide a direct URL to the file. Instead, open the file properties (or details) pane and scroll to the bottom to find the 'Path' property

3. Use the Preview button to make sure that the video displays without a security warning.

   NOTE: If you do receive a security error in the preview dialog, the 'Load behavior' tab provides an option to open in a new window which resolves this problem

4. Enter other metadata, as you would for any help item.

Post a video from Microsoft Stream (or similar streaming platform)

1. Click the Add item button in the VisualSP panel, and choose the Video - Microsoft Stream template.
2. Enter a Title.
3. In another browser tab open the video in Stream, and click Share > Embed code.

   

4. Click the Copy embed code button at the bottom of the screen.
5. Paste the embed code into the Custom EMBED or OBJECT tag blank in the help item editor from step 2.

   

6. Use the Preview button to make sure that the video displays without a security warning.

   NOTE: If you do receive a security error in the preview dialog, the 'Load behavior' tab provides an option to open in a new window which resolves this problem.

7. Enter other metadata, as you would for any help item.

Post a video from YouTube

1. Click the Add item button in the VisualSP panel, and choose the Video - YouTube template.
2. Enter a Title.
3. In another browser tab open the video in YouTube, click the Share button and copy the URL provided.
4. Paste that URL into the YouTube URL blank.
5. Use the Preview button to make sure that the video displays without a security warning.

   NOTE: If you do receive a security error in the preview dialog, the 'Load behavior' tab provides an option to open in a new window which resolves this problem.

6. Enter other metadata, as you would for any help item.