Invite players

Players join a room with its 6-digit PIN. They need no app and, in local mode, no account: a browser, the PIN and a nickname. This page covers how you hand out the PIN and what players see.

Hand out the invitation

In the lobby, the invitation fills the centre of the console. Once the quiz has started, choose the PIN at the top of the console to open it again. It shows:

• the QR code to join, which opens the room directly;
• under Invite players, the address to type and the 6-digit PIN;
• Share: sends the direct link alone, its PIN in it, through the device’s share sheet, or copies it to the clipboard (“Link copied to the clipboard.”). Over plain http on a local network, where the browser offers neither, it shows the address to copy: “Copy this address and send it: …”;
• the Invitation address (below).

Projection window, at the end of the console’s second row, opens the big screen. In the lobby it shows the QR code, the PIN and “Join at” followed by the address to type.

The direct link has the form https://your-instance/join/123456: it opens the room with the PIN already filled in.

The invitation address

The QR code, the link and the “Join at” line all point at the Invitation address. It must be an address the players’ phones can reach. Choose it in the lobby, before the quiz starts (it is fixed once the game begins):

• the instance’s address: the invitation address set for the whole instance, by whoever runs it or by an administrator from the phone test of Health. Every lobby starts from it; use it whenever it is offered.
• this page: the address in your browser’s address bar.
• the network addresses detected for the computer running QuizDock, on a local instance: pick the one of the network the players are on.
• Other address…: type one, such as http://192.168.1.20:8080, then Apply.

Why this address? explains the choice in the console. It ends with a link to Test the addresses from a phone, and set the instance’s for administrators, and says who sets it for everyone else. The usual trap is localhost or 127.0.0.1: they only work on the computer itself, so a phone scanning that QR code gets nowhere. On a local instance, players must be on the same Wi-Fi or network as the computer, and its firewall must let the port through.

If the console finds no local address (common when QuizDock runs in Docker Desktop), type it yourself. Whoever runs your instance can make it appear in the list; see Networking.

When the instance is served over HTTPS and you pick an http:// local address, phones show a warning. A public address with a certificate avoids it.

What players do

1. Open the address on the big screen, or scan the QR code.
2. On Join a room, type the PIN, 6 digits (“Type the PIN shown on the big screen”). It is checked as soon as the 6th digit is in.
3. Pick a Nickname, 2 to 20 characters, and an avatar (Random avatar draws another).
4. Under Where are you playing from?, keep In the room, or choose Remote when they cannot see the big screen. See Remote participants.
5. Choose Join the room, then I’m ready in the lobby.

The console lists the players as they arrive, in its Players tab, and the lobby counts who is ready. A ready player’s avatar is ringed green, on the console and on the projection; a remote player’s carries a wifi badge.

In OIDC mode with Accounts required, players sign in with the identity provider first (“Sign in to take part”); the PIN then opens the room. With Open access, the PIN and a nickname are enough.

A player’s phone remembers them: if the connection drops or the page reloads, they come back to the same seat and score. The nickname is also remembered for the next room.

Questions

Do players need to install an app?

No. A current browser is enough. Phones in the room show the question’s text, a small picture and the answer tiles; the question in full is on the big screen.

Can two players use the same nickname?

No. “This nickname is already taken in this room.” The second player picks another.

Can I stop new players from joining?

Yes. Close the room to new participants in the console. Players already in can still come back after a lost connection.

A player cannot reach the room. What should I check?

The invitation address first: is it localhost, or on another network than the phones? Then the PIN, and whether the room is closed to newcomers. See Troubleshooting.