Using the VidyoConnect for Desktop Whiteboard Feature

A whiteboard is an important collaboration tool that helps meeting participants visualize concepts and ideas. Starting with version 18.1.0, the VidyoConnect desktop application offers a whiteboard feature. This article explains how to use this feature. In addition, if you would like a Whiteboard Quick Reference Card that you can view and share, see the How Do I Whiteboard in a VidyoConnect Meeting? article. 

To use the whiteboard feature:

1. When you are in a video call, click the button on the toolbar at the bottom of the VidyoConnect window.
   The Whiteboard annotation window appears.
   
   
   
   If another participant in the call is already sharing a whiteboard, a message indicates that you cannot share until the currently shared whiteboard is closed. If this occurs, simply click the X button to close the Whiteboard annotation window.
   
   
2. Click Share.
   A blank whiteboard appears. You are now the owner of the whiteboard, which means that you can now accept or deny requests to annotate on this whiteboard.
   
   
   
   
3. Refer to the following table for the list of actions you can take using the whiteboard:
   
   
   

   Click this...	To do this...
   	Select an item on the whiteboard. You can then scale it, move it, or rotate it. If you want to copy or delete an item, you must select it using this button.
   	Add text to the whiteboard. The default text is 14 point regular. To change the default: Click  to make the text bold. Click  to make the text italics. Click  to strike through the text. Click  to change the font size.
   	Draw one of these types of lines: Click  to draw a curved line.  Click  to draw an arrow.  Click  to draw a straight line.
   	Draw one of these types of shapes: Click  to draw a square shape. Click  to draw a circular shape. Click  to draw a triangular shape.
   	Select the fill color of your shape. The default is no color.
   	Select the stroke color of your line or the border color of your shape. The default is black.
   	Undo the last action that you took. Continue clicking to keep undoing your last actions. The button is grayed out if there is nothing to undo.
   	Redo the last Undo action you took. Continue clicking to keep redoing your last Undo actions. The button is grayed out if there is nothing to redo.
   	Delete an item or items. Before you can delete, you must first select the item or items using the  button.
   	Copy an item. Before you can copy, you must first select the item using the  button.
   	Paste an item. Before you can paste, you must first copy an item using the  button.
   	Open the Pages panel on the left side of the whiteboard. This panel displays all the whiteboard pages from the current call, with the currently shared whiteboard highlighted. From the Pages panel, you can: Click  to add another whiteboard page. Click  to delete the highlighted whiteboard page. Click on the "Untitled" name below the whiteboard page, and then enter a name for the whiteboard. The name that appears at the bottom center of the actual whiteboard will update to match the name you enter on the Pages panel. Rearrange the order of the whiteboard pages by dragging and dropping.  Note that you can also open the Pages panel by clicking  on the left side of the whiteboard.
   	Undock the whiteboard from the VidyoConnect window. If you want to dock the whiteboard again, click  on the whiteboard window.
   	Zoom out on the whiteboard. The zoom percentage shown on the screen changes as you zoom in or out. You can zoom out to a maximum of 300% and zoom in to a minimum of 100%. Any user can zoom in, zoom out, or move the canvas without affecting the other participants' view.
   	Zoom in on the whiteboard. The zoom percentage shown on the screen changes as you zoom in or out. You can zoom out to a maximum of 300% and zoom in to a minimum of 100%. Any user can zoom in, zoom out, or move the canvas without affecting the other participants' view.
   	Move the canvas along with the objects drawn on it. This button is enabled only after you click . Any user can zoom in, zoom out, or move the canvas without affecting the other participants' view.
   	Request access to the currently shared whiteboard. This icon appears only when you are not the current owner of the whiteboard as shown here:                 For more information, see Step 4 below.

   
   
   
4. If a participant in the conference would like to make annotations on the whiteboard, they can request access from you, the owner, by clicking . When they do so, you will see a pop-up like this:
   
   
   
   Click Allow to allow the participant to annotate on the whiteboard or click Deny to prevent the participant from annotating on the whiteboard.
   
   • Allowing a participant to annotate on your whiteboard does not make them the owner.
   • Only one person can make annotations at a time.
   • As the owner, you will see an Allow/Deny pop-up for every request, and those pop-ups will remain on-screen until you click either Allow or Deny.
   • When you allow annotation, the name of the current annotator appears in a button  at the bottom-right of the annotation. You can click  to withdraw annotation access from that user so that you can annotate again or allow another participant to annotate.
   • While another participant is annotating, you can still zoom, move, save, or close the whiteboard.
   • WebRTC users cannot annotate or share whiteboards. However, they can still see the whiteboards and the annotations made by other participants.
5. Do one of the following when you are done annotating on the whiteboard: 
   • Click  if you want to save and download the whiteboard.
     The following pop-up appears:
     
     
     
     Enter the file name, select the format (JPG, PNG, or PDF), and then click Save to save the whiteboard file to the location displayed.
     
     
   • Click  if you don't want to save the whiteboard.
     The following pop-up appears:
     
     
     
     Click Close whiteboard to close the whiteboard without saving it.