Opening New SiteKiosk Browser Windows from a Start Screen HTML Widget

The new Chrome-based SiteKiosk Start Screen allows you to select from a number of different element types to create your personal Start Screen design. One of these elements is an HTML Widget that can be used to freely create a part of the Start Screen with all the options HTML allows you to use. Your design may include links that you want to open in a new SiteKiosk Browser window. This can easily achieved with a single line of code.

The line you need to use to open links is:

parent.siteKiosk.system.windows.skLegacy.browserWindow.create(0, 0, 0, 0, link);

Note that the first four parameters of the create method are for internal use only und should be left at 0. The link parameter accepts a string in the form of http://www.your-comp.com/.

The following is a complete example that shows a 2 button list in a div-element. The buttons open links in new SiteKiosk browser windows.

<script type="text/javascript">
	function OpenTheLink(link) {
		parent.siteKiosk.system.windows.skLegacy.browserWindow.create(0, 0, 0, 0, link);
	}
</script>
<div style="background-color:white;height:100%;padding:10px;font-family:Arial;">
	A list of links that will open in a new browser window:<p />
	<button onclick="OpenTheLink('http://www.provisio.com/')">www.provisio.com</button><p />
	<button onclick="OpenTheLink('https://www.siteremote.net/')">www.siteremote.net</button>
</div>

To try out the code please go to the editor of the SiteKiosk Start Screen and select for example the empty Template 3. Next select to add a new HTML Widget.

 

Edit the widget and add the code from above.

Save your changes and start SiteKiosk. When you click the buttons the assigned link will open in a new SiteKiosk browser window.

Troubleshooting Guidelines for Using External Applications with SiteKiosk Windows

Under most circumstances you should be able to run external applications from within SiteKiosk just fine. Nonetheless there can be applications which do not run without making adjustments first. The following hints and tips should help you to pinpoint the most common problems that prevent an application from running as desired.

These guidelines apply to executable files (.exe) as well as to batch files (.bat or .cmd). When using a batch file, please also refer to this FAQ article about autostarting .bat or .cmd files, that includes some general usage rules for batch files. If you are generally interested in automatically starting your application when using SiteKiosk, please have a look at this FAQ.

When configuring an application or batch file always make sure that the path to the file is correct. If possible the application should be installed under a default application path like Program Files or Program Files (x86). Batch files should also be place in a common path like C:\Users\Public\Documents. It is not recommended to place either of the files on the desktop of any user, you might run into access problems otherwise, when using another user later on.

Your first troubleshooting step should always be to start SiteKiosk in "Run once" mode. Doing so will help to rule out whether user access rights or user dependent settings are a limiting factor, that come into play if you use the "Autostart" option that will use the restricted SiteKiosk user.

If the application or batch doesn't start in "Run once" mode, the most likely reason is the Windows & Dialogs managment of SiteKiosk. In that case you see a "For security reasons this action is not allowed" message on the screen and the application window will be blocked. This will also result in a helpful notification in the SiteKiosk log (…\SiteKiosk\Logfiles).
That notification will have the following format:

[SiteKiosk] Notification: According to the windows monitoring rule(Title:'xxxxxx' Class:'xxxx') the window (Title:'xxxxxxxx' Class:'xxxxxxxxx') will be closed

Based on that notification you should create a new allow entry in the configuration of SiteKiosk at Access/Security --> Block system critical windows & dialog boxes --> Settings with the corresponding title and class.
Further information about creating such an entry can be found here
http://www.provisio.com/helpconsole/SiteKiosk%20Help/en-US/default.htm?windows___dialoge.htm
and here
http://www.provisio.com/helpconsole/SiteKiosk%20Help/en-US/default.htm?handling_of_windows.htm

If your application or batch file works in "Run once" mode but doesn’t work in "Auto Start" mode you most likely have to adjust program access and/or directory access rights. These can for example include read AND write access to the corresponding directories of your application or batch file.

If necessary, you can use the System Security Wizard to adjust this and other rights for the SiteKiosk user (Customized-->Folder access):
http://www.provisio.com/helpconsole/SiteKiosk%20Help/en-US/default.htm?advanced.htm

You may also have to explicitely allow the executable you want to use if it is on a block list for the SiteKiosk user:
http://www.provisio.com/helpconsole/SiteKiosk%20Help/en-US/default.htm?access_rights1.htm

If all of the above has been taken care of and your application/batch works in "Run once" mode but still not in "Autostart" mode, you may try starting SiteKiosk automatically without shell replacement ("Customized" starting mode):
http://www.provisio.com/helpconsole/SiteKiosk%20Help/en-US/default.htm?select_starting_mode.htm
Some applications, especially older ones, won’t work properly when the default Windows shell (explorer.exe) is not present, which is the case when using "Autostart".

As a final note, please be aware that shortcuts (.lnk extensions) and Windows 8 apps will not work as external applications under SiteKiosk. Windows 8 (Modern UI) apps do not provide a way that enables another application like SiteKiosk to control them properly, therefore they cannot be managed by SiteKiosk.

Starting the SiteKiosk File Manager from the Start Screen

This time we are going to have a look at how to start the SiteKiosk File Manager directly from the SiteKiosk Start Screen.

First we need to create a local html file that takes care of the task of opening the File Manager. The code for that file can look like this:

<html>
    <script type='text/JScript'>
        //Initializes the SiteKiosk Object Model
		window.external.InitScriptInterface();
		
		//Checks the prerequisites for opening the File Manger
        function OpenMediaWindow()
        {
            try
            {
                //Initializes the payment features of SiteKiosk
				var lk_SiteCash = SiteKiosk.Plugins("SiteCash");
                
				//Checks if payment is in use and handles the opening of the File Manager accordingly
				if (lk_SiteCash == null || lk_SiteCash == undefined || lk_SiteCash.Enabled && !lk_SiteCash.PayApplications || lk_SiteCash.Enabled && lk_SiteCash.AccessStatus || lk_SiteCash.Enabled && lk_SiteCash.CurrentBalance > 0.0 || lk_SiteCash.Enabled && lk_SiteCash.ApplicationPrice == 0.0 || lk_SiteCash.Enabled && lk_SiteCash.AccessStatus || !lk_SiteCash.Enabled)
                {
                    OpenIntWindow();
                }
                else
                {
                    //Payment is active and inpayment is required
					SiteKiosk.Plugins("SiteCash").ShowPaymentInfoDialog(0, "", false);
                }
            }
            catch (e)
            {
                OpenIntWindow();
            }
        }
		
		//Opens the actual File Manager
        function OpenIntWindow()
        {
            //Defines the available Window styles for the File Manager window
			var WS_OVERLAPPED = 0x00000000;
            var WS_MAXIMIZEBOX = 0x00010000;
            var WS_MINIMIZEBOX = 0x00020000;
            var WS_THICKFRAME = 0x00040000;
            var WS_SYSMENU = 0x00080000;
            var WS_BORDER = 0x00800000;
            var WS_CAPTION = 0x00C00000;
            var WS_MAXIMIZE = 0x01000000;
            var WS_MINIMIZE = 0x20000000;
            var WS_POPUP = 0x80000000;
            var WS_OVERLAPPEDWINDOW = WS_OVERLAPPED | WS_CAPTION | WS_SYSMENU | WS_THICKFRAME | WS_MINIMIZEBOX | WS_MAXIMIZEBOX;
            var WS_EX_TOOLWINDOW = 0x00000080;
			
			//Creates the File Manager window and assigns its settings
            var mediabox = SiteKiosk.SiteKioskUI.CreateHTMLDialog();
            mediabox.URL = SiteKiosk.SiteKioskDirectory + "skins\\public\\Media\\FileManager\\Selector.html";
            mediabox.Styles = 13565952;
            mediabox.Icon = SiteKiosk.SiteKioskDirectory + "skins\\public\\Media\\FileManager\\Img\\Icons\\fms_ico.ico";
            mediabox.Width = screen.width > 800 ? 1024 : 800;
            mediabox.Height = screen.height > 600 ? 700 : 550;
            mediabox.ExStyles = 0;
            mediabox.Border = true;
            mediabox.Type = "FileManagerDlg";
            mediabox.TopMostWindow = true;
            mediabox.CloseOnInput = false;
            mediabox.Parent = SiteKiosk.WindowList.MainWindow.SiteKioskWindow.Window;
            mediabox.ShowDialog();
			
			//Closes this window after the File Manger has been started
            window.close();
        }
    </script>
    <body onload="OpenMediaWindow();">
    <!-- Body is empty as this window is only used to open the File Manager //-->
	</body>
</html>

Just copy and paste the code to an editor and save it as for example as openfilemanager.html. Now place the file in the html subfolder of your SiteKiosk installation folder.

Next it's time to open the SiteKiosk configuration and under Start Page & Browser select the Start Screen. Click on Customize and open the Start Screen editor. Select one of the three templates and create a new web link element. Edit the element to your liking (icon, color, caption, etc.) and link to the newly created file.

The following example of the result used Template 3 with just a single link element to open the File Manager.

Using the Windows Screen Saver to Show Digital Signage Content

Some of our customers have asked us, if they can use the Digital Signage solution that is part of SiteRemote without starting the SiteKiosk application on the client. Instead of SiteKiosk they had the Windows screen saver in mind. A scenario for this would be that a company wants to show non-critical internal information on the desktops of their employees, e.g. information about social events.

The simple answer is: yes, that is possible. Just install SiteKiosk Windows on the client PC and register it with your SiteRemote team. The SiteKiosk installation is required as it contains the Digital Signage and remote management elements required to place and monitor the content on the client PC. Note that you need a SiteRemote license but as long as you don't want to secure the PC by starting the SiteKiosk browser and only use Digital Signage for the Window screen saver you do not need a SiteKiosk license.

On the client computer you need to open the Windows screen saver management and select SiteCaster from the dropdown menu of available screen savers. Set the screen saver time to the desired value.

Under your SiteRemote team you can create the Digital Signage content as usual and then assign it to the registered clients. Every time the Windows screensaver starts, it will display your Digital Signage files.

Note that you can mix these client PCs with others on which you are using SiteKiosk to protect the computer, so you can effortlessly manage both from your SiteRemote team.

Using the System Team to Create System Job Templates on a SiteRemote Server

While using a SiteRemote team, either on www.siteremote.net or on your own SiteRemote Server, you may have noticed that you will see different types of job templates under the SiteKiosk -> Jobs tab. There are system and team job templates. By default only system job templates are available, team job templates are created by a user of a team and will be added to the list of available system templates.

The existing system templates cover a number of useful tasks and are the same for every team on a SiteRemote Server. They are included in the SiteRemote Server installer.

If you run your own SiteRemote Server with a Business Edition license, that allows you to create multiple teams, you can create system job templates yourself. This makes it easy to assign often used  job templates not only to one but all teams on your SiteRemote Server, without the hassle of creating the same job separately for each team.

Customers with a Personal Edition license can only use one other team besides the System Team, therefore it does not make sense for them to create system job templates.

System job templates are part of the System Team. To log in to the System Team on your SiteRemote Server go to the SiteRemote Server Administration website and select the Teams tab. First in the list on that page with an ID of 0 is the System Team. Under the Users column click on the Show link and on the following page use Impersonate for the SystemUser to enter the System Team.

After the log-in to the System Team go to the SiteKiosk -> Jobs tab and create a new job template. That process is the same as if you would create a new job template under a normal team and is described in the SiteRemote documentation here. After the template has been created and saved under the System Team it will automatically show up under all other teams on the same server as a new sytem job template.

Please note that creating a system job template is the only reason you should ever be required to login to the System Team. The System Team should not be used for any other purposes. It is required for general background tasks that are automatically conducted by the SiteRemote Server itself.

If you are a customer who is utilizing our SiteRemote Dedicated Server option you can contact PROVISIO so we can create a new system job template for you.

Different Ways to Create SiteKiosk Windows and Android Logfile Entries

SiteKiosk logfiles are text files that contain runtime information about SiteKiosk. The logs are stored on the SiteKiosk client by default. If a SiteKiosk client is registered with a SiteRemote Server the log information is also transferred to the server, where it is used for the remote monitoring and management features of SiteRemote. This applies to SiteKiosk Windows (information can be found here) as well as SiteKiosk Android (the logs are under SiteKiosk\Logs on the sdcard of the device).

Besides containing information about SiteKiosk the logs can also be used to include entries from a website or an external application. This way you could for example generate a custom alert on a SiteRemote Server.

There are different ways to create SiteKiosk log entries from an external source, depending on the client, Windows or Android, and the type of the external source, either html code running in the SiteKiosk browser or another application.

In html code you can use the SiteKiosk Object Model, which is available in a Windows version and one for Android (the Android documentation is not publicly available yet but a preliminary version can be obtained by contacting PROVISIO support).

Note that all html examples require that the pages using the code are allowed to use the SiteKiosk Object Model. In the SiteKiosk Windows configuration you can configure this option under Access/Security -> URLs with Script Permission. In SiteKiosk Android you will find the option under Application -> Browser -> Script Permission (if you use another application option the path will vary).

Our first example demonstrates how to write a log message from a web page running in SiteKiosk Android:

<html>
<head>
	<title></title>
	<script src="sitekiosk.min.js"></script>
</head>
	<body>
		<input id="id_write" type="button" value="Write SiteKiosk Android Log Entry" />
	</body>
	<script type="text/javascript">
		siteKiosk.ready(function (){
			document.getElementById("id_write").onclick = function () {writeLog();};
			
			function writeLog(){
				var lk_logfile = siteKiosk.log;
				lk_logfile.log(20,"TEST",0,"A test log message.");
			}
		}());
	</script>
</html>

The sitekiosk.min.js script file that is referenced in the above example can be obtained from PROVISIO support. If you are using SiteKiosk Android 2.4.118 you do not need the external script anymore, instead you can reference the internal script file that is included in the installation:

<script type="text/javascript" src="sk:///siteKiosk/siteKiosk.js"></script>

With the release of SiteKiosk Android 2.5 you have a third option to access the SiteKiosk Object Model, that does not require to link a script file at all:

<script>
	//method to initialize the SK Object Model as of SKA 2.5
	(new Function(_siteKiosk.getSiteKioskObjectModelCode()))();
</script>

The log method that is used to create the log entry has four parameters. The first is the log level, possible values are 0 (verbose), 10 (debug), 20 (info), 30 (warning) and 40 (error). Mostly you will work with either 10, 20 or 30. The second parameter is the facility that triggered the log message. For most log entries this is usually SiteKiosk. If you generate your own log entries you should use your own facility name, you can choose whatever name you want for it (though you should stick to a standard character set ;-)). The next parameter is the log type, you should either use 0, which stands for a generic log message, or choose one above 9000 as the rest is already used by SiteKiosk for internal log messages. The final parameter is the text string of the actual log entry.

The example for SiteKiosk Windows (see below for a script example for the new SiteKiosk Chrome Fullscreen Browser) is similar to the Android example with slight variations due to differences in the two SiteKiosk Object Model versions:

<html>
	<SCRIPT TYPE="text/javascript">
		window.external.InitScriptInterface();
		function WriteToLog()
		{
			SiteKiosk.Logfile.Write(9001,20,"TEST","A test log message.");
		}
	</SCRIPT>
	<body>
		<input type="button" value="WriteToLog" onclick="WriteToLog()">
	</body>
</html>

The method used here is named Write and expects the same parameters as the Android log method, allthough in a different order. Further information can be found here.

Next is a script example for the new SiteKiosk Chrome Fullscreen Browser (available since SiteKiosk 8.91). The Object Model for the Chrome-based SiteKiosk browser is still in the making, but you can already write log messages. As you may note, this script has a lot of similarities with the Android version:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
	<title></title>
	<script type="text/javascript" src="file://C:/Program Files (x86)/SiteKiosk/SiteKioskNG/assets/siteKiosk/sitekiosk.js"></script>
</head>
	<body>
		<input id="id_note" type="button" value="note" />
		<input id="id_warn" type="button" value="warn" />
		<input id="id_error" type="button" value="error" />
	</body>
	<script type="text/javascript">
		siteKiosk.ready(function (){
			 document.getElementById("id_note").onclick = function () {writeLog('note');};
			 document.getElementById("id_warn").onclick = function () {writeLog('warn');};
			 document.getElementById("id_error").onclick = function () {writeLog('error');};
			
			function writeLog(caseid){
				var lk_logfile = siteKiosk.log;
				
				switch(caseid){
					case "note":
						lk_logfile.info("TEST",0,"A test notification.");
						break;
					case "warn":
						lk_logfile.warn("TEST",0,"A test warning.");
						break;
					case "error":
						lk_logfile.error("TEST",0,"A test error.");
						break;
					default:
						break;
				}
			}
		}());
	</script>
</html>

There are three different methods, info for informational messages, warn for warning messages and error for error messages. They all accept three parameters. The first is a string for the facility that triggered the log message. For most log entries this is usually SiteKiosk. If you generate your own log entries you should use your own facility name, you can choose whatever name you want for it (though you should stick to a standard character set ;-)). The next parameter is the log type, you should either use 0, which stands for a generic log message, or choose one above 9000 as the rest is already used by SiteKiosk for internal log messages. The final parameter is the text string of the actual log entry.

The SiteKiosk Object Model can also be used from other applications to generate log messages, e.g. applications written in C#. SiteKiosk must run in order for the other application to write to the log files and both applications must run under the same user. A C# example that writes to the SiteKiosk logs has a few more lines than the html versions:

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Text;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
using SiteKioskRuntimeLib;

namespace SKControl
{
    class Program
    {
        [DllImport("ole32.dll", CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
        public static extern int CoGetClassObject(ref Guid rclsid, uint dwClsContext, IntPtr pServerInfo, ref Guid riid, out IntPtr ppv);

        public bool IsSiteKioskActive()
        {

            /*
                returns false, if SiteKiosk is not currently running
                returns true, if SiteKiosk is running
            */


            // initialize GUID's for classes and interfaces
            Guid lr_FactoryGuid = typeof(ISiteKioskFactory).GUID;
            Guid lr_FactoryClass = typeof(SiteKioskFactoryClass).GUID;
            Guid lr_SiteKioskGuid = typeof(ISiteKiosk).GUID;

            ISiteKiosk mk_pSiteKiosk;

            // try to get the ISiteKioskFactory interface of the instance
            // of SiteKioskFactoryClass
            IntPtr lk_FactoryPtr = new IntPtr();
            CoGetClassObject(ref lr_FactoryClass, 4, new IntPtr(), ref lr_FactoryGuid, out lk_FactoryPtr);
            if (lk_FactoryPtr == IntPtr.Zero)
                // SiteKiosk is not running
                return false;

            // convert the received IntPtr to the requested ISiteKioskFactory
            // interface
            ISiteKioskFactory lk_Factory = (ISiteKioskFactory)Marshal.GetObjectForIUnknown(lk_FactoryPtr);

            if (lk_Factory == null)
                return false;

            // call CreateSiteKiosk to get the ISiteKiosk interface of the
            // current instance of SiteKiosk
            IntPtr lk_SiteKioskPtr = new IntPtr();
            lk_Factory.CreateSiteKiosk(ref lr_SiteKioskGuid, out lk_SiteKioskPtr);

            if (lk_SiteKioskPtr == IntPtr.Zero)
                return false;

            // convert the received IntPtr to the requested
            // ISiteKioskFactory interface
            mk_pSiteKiosk = (ISiteKiosk)Marshal.GetObjectForIUnknown(lk_SiteKioskPtr);

            if (mk_pSiteKiosk == null)
                return false;

            // write to the SiteKiosk log file
            ILogfile2 lk_SKLog = (ILogfile2)mk_pSiteKiosk.Logfile;
            lk_SKLog.Write(9001, 20, "TEST", "A test log message from an external application.");

            return true;
        }

        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            bool lb_ReturnValue = false; //false if SiteKiosk is not running, true if SiteKiosk is running; not used in this example
            
            Program lk_Prog = new Program();
            lb_ReturnValue = lk_Prog.IsSiteKioskActive();
        }
    }
}

As the C# example is basically using the SiteKiosk Windows Object Model the syntax of the Write method is the same as if you would use it in html code. Make sure to read the part about using the SiteKiosk Object Model in C# from the SiteKiosk Object Model documentation. Running the example code from within Visual Studio while SiteKiosk is running and the debug output window is enabled (SiteKiosk Windows configuration -> Logfiles -> Show output window) will give you something like this:

Note that you may need to build your C# application for an x86 target platform rather than any cpu, otherwise it may fail to detect SiteKiosk on a 64-bit system, because SiteKiosk runs as a 32-bit application.

Using the Blackboard to Transfer Machine Information from SiteRemote to SiteKiosk Windows

A team on the remote management solution SiteRemote enables you to manage your SiteKiosk machines by assigning them to folders and tags. You can also assign address information like the location of the machine or the responsible maintenance person. This information can also come in handy on the client machines. For example you may use it to display different content based on the location address or the assignment to a specific folder or tag. This also means, that whenever you change this information on the server you can directly make use of that change on the client.

Let's find out how to get the information from the SiteRemote server. We will use the SiteKiosk Object Model inside an HTML page running in the SiteKiosk Windows browser. The SiteKiosk Object Model provides the ReadBlackboardAsString method. We will use that method to get the name of the SiteRemote team the machine is registered to, the SiteRemote display name of the machine, the folder and tags the machine is associated to and the address information assigned to the machine. For our example the setup lools like this:

The ReadBlackboardAsString method accepts a string as parameter that specifies the requested information (see the Remarks part here for further information) as shown in this example excerpt:

//Get the name of the SiteRemote team the machine is registered with.
document.getElementById("teamname").innerHTML = SiteRemotePlugin.ReadBlackboardAsString('StC.TeamInfo.Name');
//Get the display name of the machine in the SiteRemote team it is registered with.
document.getElementById("machinename").innerHTML = SiteRemotePlugin.ReadBlackboardAsString('StC.MachineInfo.Name');
//Get the folders and tags the machine is part of.
document.getElementById("groupstags").innerHTML = SplitBlackBoardStrings(SiteRemotePlugin.ReadBlackboardAsString('StC.MachineInfo.LocationInTreeview'));
//Get address information for the machine, e.g. location, maintenance contact.
document.getElementById("supportinfo").innerHTML = SplitBlackBoardStrings(SiteRemotePlugin.ReadBlackboardAsString('StC.MachineInfo.SupportInfo'));

The method returns a string with the SiteRemote blackboard information. Be aware that the string is in JSON format. You can either handle it as a normal string, just like in the above example, which is why the information for the group/tag membership and the address information is processed in an additional method (see the full example code below to see the code of that method) that splits the string at every comma. You can also work with the string in JSON format, for which you may need to add additonal script, see the Examples part here for more information.

The full example code we can build around the reading of the SiteRemote blackboard looks like this:

<html>
	<head>
		<title>SiteKiosk Blackboard Example</title>
		
		<style type="text/css">
			div { color:black; font-style:arial; font-size:18px; }
			span { color:red; font-style:arial; font-size:24px; }
		</style>

		<script type="text/javascript">
			window.external.InitScriptInterface();
			
			SiteRemotePlugin = SiteKiosk.Plugins("SiteRemote");
			
			//First check if the machine is registered with SiteRemote.
			if (SiteRemotePlugin.IsRegistered){
				//Registered. Trigger the initial blackboard request. Note: the first request will most likely come back empty.
				ReadSiteRemoteBlackboard();
			}
			else{
				//Not registered. Show message on screen.
				document.getElementById("registered").stlye.display = "none";
				document.getElementById("notregistered").stlye.display = "inline";
			}
			
			function ReadSiteRemoteBlackboard(){
				try{
					//Get the name of the SiteRemote team the machine is registered with.
					document.getElementById("teamname").innerHTML = SiteRemotePlugin.ReadBlackboardAsString('StC.TeamInfo.Name');
					//Get the display name of the machine in the SiteRemote team it is registered with.
					document.getElementById("machinename").innerHTML = SiteRemotePlugin.ReadBlackboardAsString('StC.MachineInfo.Name');
					//Get the folders and tags the machine is part of.
					document.getElementById("groupstags").innerHTML = SplitBlackBoardStrings(SiteRemotePlugin.ReadBlackboardAsString('StC.MachineInfo.LocationInTreeview'));
					//Get address information for the machine, e.g. location, maintenance contact.
					document.getElementById("supportinfo").innerHTML = SplitBlackBoardStrings(SiteRemotePlugin.ReadBlackboardAsString('StC.MachineInfo.SupportInfo'));
				}catch(e){
					//Blackboard information is not yet available, try again in 10 seconds.
					window.setTimeout("ReadSiteRemoteBlackboard()", 10000);
				}
			}
			
			function SplitBlackBoardStrings(blackboardstring){
				//Split the Blackboard string for better readability.
				var blackboardstringelements = blackboardstring.split(",");
				var composedelements = "";
				
				for (var i = 0; i < blackboardstringelements.length; i++){
					composedelements += blackboardstringelements[i] + "<br />";
				}
				
				return composedelements;
			}
		</script>
	</head>
	<body>
		<div id="registered" style="display:inline;">
			This machine is part of the SiteRemote Team <span id="teamname">[Information not yet available. Please wait.]</span> and 
			its display name on the SiteRemote server is <span id="machinename">[Information not yet available. Please wait.]</span>.
			<br /><br />
			The machine is assigned to the following groups and tags:
			<br />
			<span id="groupstags">[Information not yet available. Please wait.]</span>
			<br /><br />
			These addresses are available for the machine:
			<br />
			<span id="supportinfo">[Information not yet available. Please wait.]</span>
		</div>
		<div id="notregistered" style="display:none;">
			This machine is not registered with SiteRemote!
		</div>
	</body>
</html>

If you save the example code as an HTML page and place it in the html subfolder of your SiteKiosk installation and then configure SiteKiosk to use it as a start page you will get output similar to this:

Note that of course this requires that you register your SiteKiosk Windows client with a SiteRemote server and assign tags and address information to it. As you can see above the address information may include empty fields, if those values have not been provided when creating the address information. You can sort through those with standard Javascript string handling procedures.

For further reading you may want to have a look at the AttachBlackboardListener and DetachBlackboardListener methods, that will enable you to automatically and continously listen for changes to blackboard information on the SiteRemote server, so that the client can immediately react to those changes.

How to Use SiteRemote to License Your SiteKiosk Android Devices

Of course you can always apply your SiteKiosk Android license to each of your devices manually by using the configuration editor. But to spare you some repetitive work or even the trip to the device, you can easily use the Job feature of SiteRemote to remotely apply a license to your SiteKiosk Android devices. This can be a device that is previously not licensed or one that you want to change the license on.

Note that you need the SiteKiosk Android version you can get from our website and not the SiteKiosk Android Lite version from the Google Play Store.

First you have to login to your SiteRemote team. Then you select the SiteKiosk tab and choose Jobs from the submenu. On the next page you choose to create a new job. Make sure to use "SiteKiosk Android" as the client type and "Execute Script" as the action type. Choose the other options to your liking and then click on the Add button next to "Execute Script". Now add the following code lines as the script:

siteKiosk.license.registerLicense("AAAAA-BBBBB-CCCCC", function (data) {
    siteKiosk.siteRemote.scriptJob.finish(0, JSON.stringify(data));
});

Of course you need to replace AAAAA-BBBBB-CCCCC with the actual license code you received from PROVISIO. Make sure to enable the checkbox "Script requires SiteKiosk Object", otherwise the job will return an error.

In order for the client to use the license, SiteKiosk needs to be restarted. You can do this for example as a second job step by choosing the "SiteKiosk Command" option under action type and then select the Restart.

Finally assign the job to one or more devices you want to apply your SiteKiosk Android license to.

How to Create a Chromium-based Fullscreen Browser in SiteKiosk 8.9

In SiteKiosk 8.9 we introduced a Chromium-based browser engine for rendering content. In that version of SiteKiosk the engine is limited to the Start Screen start page skin. Full Chromium browser engine support is planed for SiteKiosk 9.0 coming in 2015, therefore the follwing instructions only apply to SiteKiosk 8.9.

Using Chromium will enhance the browser experience which is evident in the new Start Screen start page skin. With a few lines of code you can convert the Start Screen into a fullscreen browser to for example make use of the enhanced touch screen features for you own web page. This can be useful for an information or self-service kiosk terminal where no browser toolbar is required. Here are the required steps:

1) Install SiteKiosk 8.9.
2) Start the configuration editor and switch to the Start Page & Browser options.
3) Choose the new Start Screen and press the Customize button.
4) Open the configuration editor of the Start Screen from the next dialog.
5) Choose Template 3 in the dropdown at the top of the editor.
6) Click on the Settings button in the toolbar of the editor.
7) Switch to the Background page and select HTML instead of the default Video selection.
Add the following HTML code:

<script>
window.top.document.location = "http://www.google.de/";
</script>

The URL can of course be replaced by whatever you prefer. You may change the background color if you like at the top of the Background options page. Accept the changes by pressing the OK button.
8) Save the settings in the Start Screen editor.
9) Save the SiteKiosk configuration.
10) Start SiteKiosk.

Now your website is displayed in fullscreen mode in the new Chromium-based browser engine of SiteKiosk 8.9.

Please note the there are a number of limitations as the current use of the Chromium engine in SiteKiosk 8.9 is only intended for the Start Screen. For example there are no error pages if you surf to a non-existent page, you will then see just a blank page. So make sure you test this customization thoroughly in case you actually plan to deploy it.

How to Manually Map the File Manager Folder of SiteRemote in Your Windows Explorer

The File Manager of SiteRemote is also accessible via WebDAV. Usually you just need to download a JavaScript from the SiteRemote File Manager web page and then execute the script locally to map the file manager folder of your SiteRemote Team as a WebDav Network Drive into the Windows Explorer.

But if for any reason it is not possible to use the JavaScript option you can proceed as follows to manually map the file manager folder of SiteRemote in your Windows Explorer.

Please note: One reason you need to manually map the file manager folder is when you installed your SiteRemote server into a virtual directory of a web page. In that case the Javascript file you can download from the File Manager web page of your SiteRemote team cannot create the WebDAV mapping for you.

The following example demonstrates the manual mapping procedure under Windows 8, it is very similar on other Windows operating systems:

1. Open the Windows Explorer and press the button “Map network drive”.


2. Choose a drive letter that is not in use and add https://www.siteremote.net/TeamRoot (replace www.siteremote.net with the URL of any other SiteRemote server if you are not using the service provided by PROVISIO) to the input field “Folder”. Enable the checkbox “Connect using different credentials”.
If you want that the folder also will be reconnected after a Windows Reboot you can activate the checkbox “Reconnect at logon”.


3. After pressing the “Finish” button you will be prompted for a login.

4. Then you need to enter the user name and password of your SiteRemote user.
Optionally enable the checkbox “Remember my credentials” (e.g. if you also enabled “Reconnect at logon” before).


5. Finally the folder will be accessible through the Windows Explorer and you can use it like any other (Network) drive.

 

In case you want to disconnect the folder just right click on it in the Windows Explorer and choose “Disconnect” from the context menu.