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Touch Screen Configuration: Kiosk mode + virtual keyboard setup
Installing Kiosk Mode in a Panel PC for industrial automation applications and On-Board keyboard
Introduction
On the following post you will see how to configure the Industrial Shields Panel PCs, implementing an internal keyboard and configuring it in order to work in kiosk mode. In some cases an onboard keyboard is not installed by default and you have to set it as it is very useful to take advantage of the industrial touch screen. The Kiosk software is a system and user interface software designed to enclose the system in a way that avoids user interaction and activities on the device outside the scope of execution of the software. It is very useful when you want to implement a configuration that should not be changed.
Requeriments
Internet Connection
On-board Keyboard Installation
The first step is to open the Panel PC terminal in order to execute the installation command. To open the terminal press Ctrl+Alt+T or just click the terminal option on the upper left corner. Once opened, type the following command in order to install the keyboard:
> sudo apt-get install matchbox-keyboard
Once you have entered the command you will have to enter the Root password. By default the password is always raspberry.
Note: you will not see how password being typed but the characters will be entered.
In order to apply all the changes, reboot the system with the following command:
> sudo reboot
After the command has been executed, if an error has occurs, the keyboard must be added on the accessories bar. In order to select it, open the Raspbian menu and click on its option. If the keyboard option is not displayed, then you would have to add it on the preferences and activate the Keyboard option.
If there is not any internet connection available, do not hesitate to contact our technical support department.
Menu → Accessories → Keyboard
Menu → Preferences → Main Menu Editor and select the checkbox option on Accessories.
Configuration of the Kiosk mode
The kiosk mode lets you open an application interface when opening the Panel PC. In order to activate it, you will have to modify an internal file.
First of all, you will need to open the Raspbian terminal using Ctrl+Alt+T. Once the terminal is open, follow the steps below:
1. Locate the auto-start file to configure the startup of the Operating System; you can access it by entering the following path in the terminal:
> sudo nano /home/pi/.config/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart
Note: In the latest versions of Raspbian this file does not exist by default. Create it using the touch command followed by auto-star function.
After the command is executed, a file will be opened in the current terminal. Any previous content must be deleted.
If you do not find the previous path, the file could be located in the following one:
> sudo nano /etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart
@chromium-browser --kiosk --app=[app path]
Note: In the application path, choose the one that you want to be used. In order to Save the file in the Nano editor, type Ctrl+X and then Y(yes)
Example:
@chromium-browser --kiosk --app=http://127.0.0.1:8000
3. Finally reboot the Panel PC (Raspbian). Once restarted, the applied changes will be displayed.
Note: Once you are in the Kiosk mode, if you want to return to normal desktop mode, you have to press ctrl+alt+F1, search the autostart file previously modified, edit it commenting the added line, save it and reboot the system.
