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Files & Downloads

SiteKiosk's file manager provides limited as well as secure file operations. SiteKiosk's file manager is NOT identical to Microsoft's Windows Explorer (the file manager in Windows) and represents an independently developed solution.

The file manager allows users to download and save files under SiteKiosk in an environment that you set for them. You can also set up the file manager in such a way that the files the user downloaded will be deleted automatically from the system.
If they can be displayed in the browser, media files such as .gif, .jpg, .txt, etc. will also be displayed in the browser window when the download is complete.

If you have enabled the file manager, customers will be able to access the application in various ways:
  1. using the Start button in the browser taskbar
  2. pressing the Programs button
  3. via the download dialog box (if enabled)

1. File manager options
1.1 Access to paths/drives
The file manager basically limits a user's access to drives, paths, and folders. If you permitted Downloads, the file manager will automatically display the specified download folder. You can add additional folders and drives to which you want to grant your users access under SETTINGS. Please always add a backslash to the end of a drive or folder path.

There are cases in which you might want to give customers permission to use the removable storage media they brought along. For instance, your customers may want to store files they created or downloaded on a USB stick.

Removable storage media will be added automatically to the list of permitted drives provided these are generally allowed. This means that you will not have to allow them separately. To grant your users this kind of access, you will need to turn off the checkbox "Lock workstation when removable disk is attached" under Access.

Note:
If a removable storage medium is connected, it may take a few moments for the file manager to load/appear. You will not have to SPECIFICALLY add removable storage media to the list of allowed drives in the file manager settings!

1.2 Allow launch of executable files (.exe, .com, .bat, .cmd)
For security reasons, you may want to disable this option to prevent users from executing files they downloaded from the Internet. Even though this feature should not cause any problems if your users operate under the restricted user, you should be aware of the possible security risks associated with this function before turning on this option.

Please read this section on the execution and display of other file types.


2. Download options
You can also use the file manager to allow users to downloads files.

If using the Payment Module, you can also set up a charge for each individual download. You can define the necessary settings under the service rates of the Payment Module

Note:
The maximum number of simultaneous downloads is limited to three.

Please note that the download options for the Chrome engine can be found under Start Page & Browser and then by pressing Customize when a Chrome browser version is selected.



2.1 Download folder
Defines the storage location to which the files the user downloads will automatically be saved.

Note:
The default download folder is ..\Documents and Settings\All Users\[Shared] Documents\SiteKiosk. As a general rule, we recommend that you keep this folder for reasons of compatibility (user rights come to mind in this context).
2.2 Allow downloads from certain URLs only
Use the SETTINGS button to limit downloads to certain URLs on the Web.
2.3 Do not download files larger than X MB
Use this option to limit the size of the files users can download. The downloads of files whose size is transmitted from the beginning will be aborted before it commences if the file size exceeds the value you specified. Conversely, downloads of files whose size is not transmitted right away will progress until they hit the threshold value before they are aborted.


3.
Additional configuration options
The section below lists additional options that allow you to optimize file downloads within the file manager and customize the file manager to your individual requirements.
3.1 Linking downloads
Some file formats allow you to have the downloaded files displayed in the browser or open them in an application once the downloaded is complete. This means that you can configure SiteKiosk in such a way that, in addition to appearing in the file manager, a downloaded file will open immediately in, for instance, your favorite graphics editing application (e.g. MS Paint).

Any such changes will have to be made in the DownloadManager.xml file, which is stored in the SiteKiosk installation folder under XML.

Once you have initiated a download, you can specify the following download options for file extensions (the default extensions include: HTML, HTM, GIF, PNG, JPG, TXT, PDF, EXE, DLL):
You can also set the following options for file extensions, which will define how the files are supposed to be opened:
Some download commands will not be followed by a dialog box if the file type is linked to a specific program. This is the case, for instance, with Media Player 10. Read this note for additional information.
3.2 Opening Microsoft Office documents directly in the SiteKiosk browser
It is not recommended to open Office documents directly in the SiteKiosk browser. The ActiveX control and SiteKiosk's security features do not interact flawlessly. You should open office documents with the corresponding program instead.

If Microsoft Office or a so-called Office Viewer is installed and you want to open office documents in one of them, you must both allow downloads and and activate the File Manager or modify the file "DownloadManager.xml" in the XML folder of the SiteKiosk installation directory (see Linking downloads) above. You also should add office as an external application.

If you still want to directly open Microsoft Office documents in the SiteKiosk browser you can use the Program Patcher. SiteKiosk versions 7.x or later will use the so-called Program Patcher to write the corresponding entries to the Windows registry.
Program Patcher sets certain Registry values that will be applied when SiteKiosk is launched or closed and is configured in such a way that Office documents open directly in the SiteKiosk browser when SiteKiosk is running (provided Microsoft Office is installed).
If you wish to use or adjust these values, edit the “Patcher.xml“ file stored in the directory "…\SiteKiosk\SystemSecurity." Remove the comments from the parts that refer to opening office files in the browser.

Note:
Once you use the Program Patcher, all settings you defined in the "DownloadManager.xml" file with regard to the corresponding file extension will be disregarded, as the ActiveX plugin will take priority.
In this case, the handling of office files will be defined by the settings found in the registry.
3.3 Disabling Download Manager and allow normal IE download dialog box
SiteKiosk also features an option that lets you disable the download manager for certain pages. SiteKiosk will then display the regular IE download dialog box instead (open/save as). For security reasons, we do recommend that you use this option only connection with the limited SiteKiosk user to ensure that your system will be properly protected. The adjustments necessary to use this feature will, however, have to be made directly in the SiteKiosk configuration file.

Open this file in an editor and replace the following entry <msdownloaddlg-urls/> with:

<msdownloaddlg-urls>
      <url>http://aWebPage.com/*</url>
</msdownloaddlg-urls>

The line containing the URL represents the URL you want to approve. If you need a more general setting, you can also use wildcard characters.
If you are unable to open this URL or experience problems with other sites, you can use the SiteKiosk log files to figure out which URLs are giving you problems.
Open the SiteKiosk Configuration Wizard and make sure log files are enabled. We also recommend turning on the debug output window. When you start SiteKiosk now, you will be able to view the log entries in a separate window. Try the download again and use the log entries to find the URL that is giving you trouble.
3.4 Viewing and executing different file types (.gif, .jpg, .mpg, etc.)
Other file types, like .gif, .jpg, .png, .mpg, .wav, .avi, .txt, .xml, etc., can be executed directly from within the file manager. Users will now be able to download and view images, music files, texts, and videos.

Important note:
If Microsoft Office and/or OpenOffice are installed, the associated files (doc,xls,ppt,pps,rtf,sxw,odt,dot,ods,sxc,odp,sxi,ott,stw,otp,sti) will open in these applications automatically. This means that, for instance, .doc files would open in Wordpad if Office is not installed. In this case, you should add the application to the list of external applications in the SiteKiosk configuration.
If you do not want this link to be made automatically, open the file ..\SiteKiosk\Skins\Public\Media\FileManager\XML\Config.xml in an editor and remove this line: <extension types="doc,xls,ppt,pps,rtf,sxw,odt,dot,ods,sxc,odp,sxi,ott,stw,otp,sti" useregistry="true" />.


Important note:
In some cases, it may be required that a file type not be linked to a specific application in order to allow the file manager to handle them properly
. You will then have to remove the link between this specific file type and the corresponding application in the settings of that application.
3.5 Linking and executing file types using third-party applications
If you insert the following paragraph (replace the application specified with the one you need) into the file SiteKiosk\Skins\Public\Media\FileManager\XML\Config.xml, located in SiteKiosk’s installation folder, you will be able to open files in the application you specified directly from within the file manager:

<extension types = "zip">
      <onload>
            var WshShell = new ActiveXObject("WScript.Shell");
            WshShell.Exec("C:\\Program Files\\WinZip\\winzip32.exe \"{1}\"");
      </onload>
</extension>

Note that the path to respective application (here, WinZip) has to match your system. The entry MUST be inserted before the entry

<extension types = "*">

Proceed in the same way when specifying other file types, i.e. always set the path to the program that is supposed to open the extension. Take care not to specify file extensions twice as the file manager will otherwise only consider the first entry that matches.


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