Windows OS: Kiosk Simulator Installation

Installation (TL;DR version)

HootBoard Kiosk Simulator for Windows is the easiest and quickest way to test out or setup The HootBoard experience on a Windows based device. The two step process is as follows.

Step 1. Download the latest version of the simulator from this link. 

Step 2. Unzip the downloaded  file & click on HootBoardScreens.exe. Required HD Screen dimensions (1920x1280px). Ideally set your screen display to portrait. 

Step 3. Enter Screen ID. Enter one of the provided demo screen ids OR a live screen id from your account. 

Please refer to the screenshots in this section for a  detailed walkthrough of steps using screenshots.

Detailed Walkthrough with Screenshots

Step 1. Download the Kiosk Simulator. 

Step 2. Extract the contents of the Zipped file.

Step 3. The extracted contents should now look like this. Double click on the HootBoardScreens.exe file to open the Kiosk Simulator.

Step 4. You might see a warning message from Windows Defender. You can ignore this.

Step 5. Click on more info and you should see a Run Anyway button.

Step 6. The kiosk simulator will now run and present you with the screen below. You can enter the screen ID that you have with you in the box.

Step 7. Once the screen ID is entered in the box, you should see the screen load with content from the HootBoard associated with the screen ID.

Switching Screen IDs or Resetting Kiosk Simulator

If you want to try out a different screen on the kiosk simulator or If you’re looking to reset the simulator. Follow the simple keyboard shortcut to bring up the screen shown below.

Make sure you have a keyboard connected to the device and just press CTRL + SHIFT + R 

This action will take you to the HBS Control panel, select Reset Kiosk and press continue.

After a successful reset, you should see the screen shown below. Where you can again enter another screen ID

Once you enter another screen ID, you should see the screen load up with the relevant content.

Changing the default Kiosk Timeout

By default the kiosk will time out and end the active session, if there has been no activity for 60 seconds. This timeout can be changed to a custom value from the HBS Control panel.

As mentioned earlier, to get to the HBS Control Panel, press CTRL + SHIFT + R and you can select the Kiosk timeout option from the sidebar, It’ll present you with the following screen. Set a timeout of your liking and hit save.

Hiding the Default Virtual Keyboard

The kiosk has a built-in virtual touchscreen keyboard, but there are some circumstances where you might prefer to have the Operating System’s touchscreen keyboard, which offers some additional features. In such a scenario, you can easily go in and disable the Kiosk’s virtual keyboard from the HBS Control Panel. 

Press CTRL + SHIFT + R and from the menu, select the Virtual keyboard option, and enable hiding of the keyboard as shown below.

 

Finding the application version and build information

This information is available in the HBS Control panel. Press CTRL + SHIFT + R to get to the HBS Control panel and from the side bar, select the version option. You’ll be able to view all the relevant details as shown below.

 

Notes.

1. Make sure the screen has a resolution of 1920x1080 ( FULL HD) for an ideal experience. 
2. If you’re on Windows 10, we recommend turning on tablet mode.
3. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out at [e-mail]