Controlling Stagetimer via Companion for Stream Deck (Comprehensive Guide)

Companion, an open-source software, enhances your live video production experience by allowing you to control hardware and software, such as Stagetimer, using Elgato’s Stream Deck. This user guide will walk you through the process of setting up the Companion with the Stagetimer module and explain the functions available.

Please note, you’ll need a Stagetimer account with a Pro or Premium plan to access the API, a prerequisite for Companion integration.

Prefer a video?

Matthew Hand describes how to use Stagetimer with Bitfocus Companion (26 min)

Using Bitfocus Companion with Stagetimer.io

“We honestly consider Stagetimer.io the best and easiest clock to use for event production. This amazing production tool combined with Bitfocus Companion makes for a great live solution. In this video, Matt shows how to set up Stagetimer.io with their API in Bitfocus Companion. You will need at least the Pro subscription to do this.”

Getting Started

The first step is to acquire an Elgato Stream Deck, a budget-friendly keypad equipped with programmable LCD buttons. You can purchase it here.

Elgato Stream Deck
Download and launch the Companion app.
In the GUI, add the “stagetimer.io: Stagetimer API” connection.

Adding the Stagetimer API connection in the Companion app
The Companion module can control one Stagetimer room. Open the desired room to get its Room ID and API key.

Retrieving the Room ID and API key

API key location
Input the Room ID and API key into the Stagetimer connection on the Companion app. Click “Save” and ensure the status turns into a green checkmark, confirming successful setup.

Stagetimer connection status check

Note: The Companion module can also be used with the Stagetimer offline version. In this scenario, you need to adjust the API URL to connect with your offline version (explained later).
Now, let’s add a button. Switch to the “Buttons” tab in Companion, navigate to “Presets” → “Stagetimer API” → “Transport”, and drag and drop the “Start/Stop” button onto one of the available Stream Deck fields. The new button should appear on your Stream Deck, ready to control your Stagetimer!

Adding the “Start/Stop” button

The “Start/Stop” button visible on the Stream Deck
Feel free to add any other buttons based on your requirements and kickstart your event!

Using the Companion Module with the Offline Version

You’re not limited to using the Stagetimer Companion module with the web version of Stagetimer. The module also works seamlessly with the offline version of Stagetimer.

The offline version is available here: https://stagetimer.io/offline-version/

Note: You need a paid Stagetimer account to use the API with the offline version. All paid plans include an offline license key.

Follow the steps below to set it up:

Start by launching the Stagetimer offline version. Ensure it’s running on an IP address that is accessible from the Companion app. If both applications are on the same computer, 127.0.0.1 should work perfectly. If they’re on separate systems, you might need to run it on your wireless or wired network IP.
Next, navigate to the room and click on “Menu” → “API”. This will display the room ID, API Key, and API URL. These are the details you’ll need for the Companion module configuration.

API details found under “Menu” -> “API” in the offline version
Finally, copy these details and paste them into the Companion module configuration. In the Companion app, this configuration section is also referred to as “Connections”. If the status turns green after clicking “Save”, that means you’re all set!

Update Companion module configuration

Congratulations, you’re now ready to control your Stagetimer offline version using the Companion module!

Control Multiple Rooms in Companion

For scenarios where you need to control multiple Stagetimer rooms simultaneously, Companion allows you to set up multiple connections. Here’s how:

In the Connections tab, locate your existing Stagetimer connection.
Change the label of your first Stagetimer connection to something distinctive (e.g., stagetimer-1). This helps differentiate between multiple rooms.

Change the label of your first Stagetimer connection
Click the “Add connection” button and search for “stagetimer” to add another Stagetimer API module.
Configure the second connection with:
- A unique label (e.g., stagetimer-2)
- The Room ID for your second room
- The corresponding API key
Setting up multiple Stagetimer connections
Once both connections are set up, you can add buttons for either room to your Stream Deck. The presets section will now show options for both connections.

Presets for multiple rooms
When setting up button text, you can use variables specific to each connection by referencing the connection label:
- For room 1: $(stagetimer-1:currentTimerName)
- For room 2: $(stagetimer-2:currentTimerName)
Configuring buttons for multiple rooms

This setup allows you to control multiple Stagetimer rooms from a single Stream Deck device, perfect for complex event setups or managing multiple stages.

Reference

The Stagetimer module provides numerous presets, actions, variables, and feedbacks. You can inspect the preset buttons as examples to see how to use these elements to create your own custom buttons.

Presets

Transport presets

Button	Name	Description
	Start/Stop	Toggle the timer between start and stop, the button turns red when the timer is started.
	Start	Start the timer, the button turns red when the timer is started.
	Stop	Stop or pause the timer, the button turns red when the timer is paused.
	Previous	Resets the timer or selects the previous timer if it already is reset. Has an option to autostart the previous timer.
	Next	Selects the next timer. Has an option to autostart the next timer.
	+5min	Add 5 minutes to the current timer.
	+1min	Add 1 minute to the current timer.
	+30s	Add 30 seconds to the current timer.
	-5min	Subtract 5 minutes from the current timer.
	-1min	Subtract 1 minute from the current timer.
	-30s	Subtract 30 seconds from the current timer.

Viewer presets

Button	Name	Description
	Time remaining	Shows a live countdown of the full current timer including wrap-up colors.
	Time remaining (hours)	Shows only the hours of the current timer including wrap-up colors.
	Time remaining (minutes)	Shows only the minutes of the current timer including wrap-up colors.
	Time remaining (seconds)	Shows only the seconds of the current timer including wrap-up colors.
	Wrap-up indicator	Indicates the current wrap-up state: “On time”, “Wrap up..”, “Wrap up!”, or “Over time!”
	Timer appearance	Defines how the timer is displayed. Read more: Timer Appearances
	Current timer	Shows the title of the current timer.
	Current speaker	Shows the speaker of the current timer.
	Timezone	Shows the timezone setting of the room.
	Flash 3 times	Triggers the timer to flash 3 times. Option to flash between 1 and 99 times.
	Stop flashing	Stops the timer from flashing.
	Toggle blackout mode	Toggles blackout mode on or off, hiding the timer.
	Toggle focus mode	Toggles focus mode on or off, emphasizing the message.

Timer presets

Button	Name	Description
	Reset	Reset to the first timer. Option to target any timer indicated by index (starting from 1) or timer ID.
	Start timer	Start the second timer. Option to target any timer indicated by index (starting from 1) or timer ID.
	Stop timer	Stop the second timer. Option to target any timer indicated by index (starting from 1) or timer ID.
	Create timer	Create a new timer. Options to configure the timer before it is created.

Message presets

Button	Name	Description
	Toggle message	Toggle a message. Option to target any message indicated by index (starting from 1) or message ID.
	Show message	Show a message. Option to target any message indicated by index (starting from 1) or message ID.
	Hide message	Hide a message. Option to target any message indicated by index (starting from 1) or message ID. Otherwise hides the active message.
	Create message	Create a new message. Options to configure the message before it is created.

Actions

Action	Description
Message: Hide	Hide a message in the room
Message: Show	Show a message in the room
Message: Toggle visibility	Show/hide a message in the room
Message: Create new message	Create a new message in the room
Timer: Reset	Reset a specific timer to the original duration
Timer: Start	Start or resume a specific timer in the room
Timer: Stop	Stop a specific timer in the room
Timer: Toggle playback	Toggle (start/stop) a specific timer in the room
Timer: Create new timer	Create a new timer in the room
Transport: Add time	Add an amount of time to the highlighted timer in the room
Transport: Next	Highlight the next timer in the list
Transport: Previous	Reset the highlighted timer in the room if it is running. If not running, highlight the previous timer in the list. Optionally, start the previous timer once it’s highlighted.
Transport: Start	Start or resume the highlighted timer in the room
Transport: Start/stop	Start/stop the highlighted timer in the room
Transport: Stop	Stop the highlighted timer in the room
Transport: Subtract time	Subtract an amount of time from the highlighted timer in the room
Utility: Get room	Get the status of the room
Utility: Get status	Get the playback status of the room
Utility: Test auth	Test connection and authentication
Viewer: Disable blackout mode	Disable blackout mode in the room
Viewer: Disable focus mode	Disable focus mode in the room
Viewer: Enable blackout mode	Enable blackout mode in the room
Viewer: Enable focus mode	Enable focus mode in the room
Viewer: Flash the screen	Flashes the screen in the room. Can be used to grab the attention of speakers.
Viewer: Stop flashing	Stops any flashing timers and messages on the screen.
Viewer: Toggle blackout mode	Toggle (enable/disable) blackout mode in the room
Viewer: Toggle focus mode	Toggle (enable/disable) focus mode in the room

Variables

Variable	Description
`$(stagetimer:currentTimerAppearance)`	Timer appearance (Docs)
`$(stagetimer:currentTimerDuration)`	Timer duration
`$(stagetimer:currentTimerDurationAsMs)`	Timer duration (ms)
`$(stagetimer:currentTimerId)`	Timer ID
`$(stagetimer:currentTimerName)`	Timer name
`$(stagetimer:currentTimerNotes)`	Timer notes
`$(stagetimer:currentTimerRemaining)`	Timer remaining time
`$(stagetimer:currentTimerRemainingAsMs)`	Timer remaining time (ms)
`$(stagetimer:currentTimerRemainingHours)`	Timer remaining time (hours)
`$(stagetimer:currentTimerRemainingMinutes)`	Timer remaining time (minutes)
`$(stagetimer:currentTimerRemainingSeconds)`	Timer remaining time (seconds)
`$(stagetimer:currentTimerSpeaker)`	Timer speaker
`$(stagetimer:roomId)`	Room ID
`$(stagetimer:roomName)`	Room name

Feedbacks

Blackout mode
Flashing
Focus mode
Message showing
Playback running
Playback stopped
Timer is over time
Timer is running and on time
Timer is showing red wrap-up warning
Timer is showing yellow wrap-up warning

Leverage Unavailable Module Functions with the Stagetimer API

Accessing the full spectrum of Stagetimer API commands through Companion is a breeze.

The Stagetimer API documentation lists all accessible commands. Many are readily available as actions or presets in the Stagetimer module. However, a few might be missing, like the “Delete message” function.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to utilize such functions:

Create a Generic Button in Companion

Start by adding a regular button in Companion and attach the “Run shell path” action to it.

Adding a regular button in Companion
Copy-Paste the curl Command from the Stagetimer API Documentation

Next, copy the curl command exactly as it appears from the Stagetimer API documentation and paste it into the “Path” field. Remember to replace placeholders with your Room ID and API Key in the command.

Pasting the curl command into the “Path” field in Companion
Customize the Command As Per Your Need

As an example, if you want the button to delete the top-most message in the room, each time it’s clicked, modify the command as follows:
```
curl "https://api.stagetimer.io/v1/delete_message?room_id=YOUR_ROOM_ID&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY&index=1"
```
Pro Tip: When you click the “API Documentation” button from the room’s API popup, then it will prefill all API commands with your room ID, API Key and it will use the correct API URL if you use the offline version.

And there you go! You’ve successfully expanded your Stagetimer module functions within Companion.