SiteKiosk comes with a built-in Configuration Wizard that makes configuring the application as easy as can be. Simply launch the Configuration Wizard from you Windows Desktop by going to
All of your settings will be saved to a configuration file ending in
.skcfg. You can both
copy and
edit this configuration file. Edit or modifying the XML file is possible by through an external application whose code can be used to open and edit the XML file. The changes will take effect the next time SiteKiosk is launched.
Here is an extract from the XML file:
<sitekiosk-configuration
xmlns="urn:schemas-sitekiosk-com:configuration"
xmlns:dt="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:datatypes" version="8.0.0.0">
<global>
<splashscreen>true</splashscreen>
<useragent name="$(ComputerName)" enabled="true"/>
<searchengine enabled="true">
<protocol>http://</protocol>
<url>www.ask.com</url>
</searchengine>
<popup-blocking enabled="true"/>
<searchengine enabled="true">
<shutdown enabled="false" hour="18" minute="0" second="0"/>
<reboot enabled="false" hour="9" minute="13" second="0"/>
<scriptfile enabled="false"></scriptfile>
<max-browserwindows>5</max-browserwindows>
<shutdown-list/>
Since the structure of the file is more or less self-explanatory, we will not go into any further detail here.
Note:
Please pay attention to the directory in which you have installed SiteKiosk on the target computer when copying a configuration file to a different computer. Otherwise the relative paths might not match anymore, which may cause problems. As an alternative, you can use the $(SiteKioskPath) variable instead, which is described below.
In general, you can insert the following variables into the configuration and commentary fields on the configuration pages:
- $(SiteKioskPath)
Variable for your installation directory (e.g. c:/program files/sitekiosk). This is a valuable option if you want to use the same configuration on different machines.
- $(ComputerName)
Variable for the name assigned to your computer (see Control Panel). This option might be useful if you, for example, want to send certain information in an email while keeping the information separate for different computers.
Here are some general information on how to work with the SiteKiosk Configuration Wizard:
1. The Default Settings already provide excellent security. In most cases, all you will have to do is activate the functions rather than further configure them.
2. Each page of the Configuration Wizard contains links that you can press in order to receive help in connection with the step of the configuration process which you are currently completing.
3. If there is a "Close" button in the toolbar, you have not specified a PASSWORD in the configuration. In this case, users will be able to exit SiteKiosk simply pressing ESC.
4. If run into problems, turn on the
Debug output window under Log files. This will help you spot and analyze any potential
errors while SiteKiosk is running.
5. Changes to some of the settings require that you edit the .skcfg configuration file directly in an editor (e.g. Notepad). These include the protocols permitted SiteKiosk. Go to the section <schemes defaultallowed="false"> for a fairly complete list of all protocols available on the Internet. Example: <scheme name="telnet" desc="Reference to interactive sessions" allowed="true"/>, with TRUE indicating that this protocol is allowed. All changes are made at your own risk and should be tested before running the computer in normal operation.