AppKiosk Documentation

AppKiosk is a macOS application for creating, designing, and deploying interactive kiosk apps. Create multi-screen projects with drag-and-drop components, then deploy them as standalone bundles that run in the AppKiosk Player.

Getting Started

Opening the App

When you first launch AppKiosk, a welcome window appears with an overview of features. Click Get Started to dismiss it. You can create a new project via File → New or by opening an existing .kiosk project file.

Creating a New Project

A new project starts with a default screen named Menu. The Project Setup sheet may appear automatically for new projects, prompting you to name the project and configure initial settings. You can always access these settings later from the gear icon in the toolbar.

Interface Overview

The AppKiosk interface consists of several floating palettes and a main document window. Use the toolbar to show or hide the main panels.

Projects & Documents

AppKiosk uses a document-based workflow. Each project is saved as a .kiosk file with the content type com.xproline.appkiosk.project. Project data is stored in JSON format.

Project Structure

A project contains:

• Metadata — Name, version, description, author, creation and modification dates
• Screens — Individual screens with resolution, background, and components
• Components — Reusable component definitions (used by the library)
• Settings — Default resolution, grid, snap settings, deploy password
• Resources — References to images, videos, and other assets

Use File → Save or Cmd+S to save. Autosave is disabled by design to avoid creating version files.

Screens

Screens are the main building blocks of a kiosk project. Each screen has a resolution, background, and a set of placed components.

Adding & Managing Screens

Open the Screens palette (toolbar icon or Window → Screens). Click the + button to add a new screen. Screens are created with the project's default resolution and background. Double-click a screen name to open the Edit Screen dialog and rename it.

Screen Resolution

Supported resolutions include:

• XGA — 1024×768 (horizontal and portrait)
• HD 720p — 1280×720 / 720×1280
• Full HD 1080p — 1920×1080 / 1080×1920
• Custom — Minimum 1024×768

You can set a custom resolution in Project Settings. The canvas and document window size adjust to match the selected screen's resolution.

Screen Background

Each screen can have a solid color, gradient, or image background. Configure this in the Screen Edit dialog or via the Inspector when editing screen properties.

Components

Components are the visual and interactive elements you place on screens. Drag them from the Component Library onto the canvas.

Component Types

Editing Components

Click a component to select it. Use the Inspector to change properties. For text components (Title, Label, Button), you can also click to edit inline on the canvas. For Text Area, double-click to open the full editor. Press Delete or use the trash icon to remove the selected component.

Buttons & Navigation

Buttons can perform several actions:

• Navigation — Go to another screen (by ID or name)
• Alert — Show a custom alert dialog
• System — Trigger system actions (e.g. quit, print)
• Component — Control another component (play, stop, show, hide, focus, reset)

Configure the action in the Inspector when a button is selected.

Inspector

The Inspector palette shows properties for the currently selected component or screen. It updates automatically when you select a different component.

Property Groups

Properties are grouped by category:

• Layout — X, Y, width, height
• Text / Content — Text, font, size, color, alignment, bold, italic, underline
• Appearance — Background color, border, corner radius, opacity, rotation
• Actions — Button target screen, alert content, system action

Style Presets

When a component is selected, you can save its current style as a preset and apply presets to other components. Use the paintbrush and plus icons in the Inspector header.

Project Settings

Open Project Settings from the gear icon in the toolbar. Configure:

• Project Information — Name, version, description
• Deploy Password — Required password to exit kiosk mode in the Player
• Display Settings — Default resolution, custom resolutions
• Canvas — Grid visibility, snap to grid, grid size, guides

The deploy password is mandatory for deployment. It is used in the AppKiosk Player to restrict exit from fullscreen kiosk mode.

Preview & Deploy

Preview

Click the play icon in the toolbar to open a preview window. The preview runs your project in a separate window, simulating how it will look and behave in the AppKiosk Player. Button navigation and interactive elements work in preview mode.

Deploy

Click the hammer icon to open the Deploy dialog. Deployment:

1. Validates the project (name, password, screens, resources)
2. Creates a .bundle folder structure
3. Exports project data as AppKioskData.xml
4. Copies all referenced resources (images, videos) into the bundle

Choose a destination folder. The output is <ProjectName>.bundle. Place this bundle in the same folder as the AppKiosk Player app to run your kiosk.

AppKiosk Player

The AppKiosk Player is a separate macOS application that runs deployed kiosk projects. It looks for a .bundle file in the same folder as the Player app.

How It Works

On launch, the Player:

1. Scans the directory for .bundle files
2. Looks for AppKioskData.xml inside the bundle's Resources
3. Loads the project and enters fullscreen kiosk mode

If no bundle is found, the Player shows a message asking you to place a bundle in the same folder.

Exiting Kiosk Mode

To exit, press ESC, Cmd+Option+P, or Cmd+Q to open the password dialog. Enter the deploy password set in your project. A backup password (AdminAppKiosk) is also available for recovery.

Technical Reference

File Format

Projects are saved as JSON. The document type is com.xproline.appkiosk.project with extension .kiosk. Deployed bundles use XML (AppKioskData.xml) for compatibility with the Player.

Bundle Structure

<ProjectName>.bundle/
  Contents/
    Info.plist
    Resources/
      AppKioskData.xml
      (copied images, videos, etc.)

Screen Resolution Requirements

Minimum resolution is 1024×768. Custom resolutions must meet this requirement. Portrait and landscape modes are supported.

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Cmd+S — Save
• Cmd+Z — Undo
• Cmd+Shift+Z — Redo
• Delete — Delete selected component

Trial & Licensing

AppKiosk may offer a trial mode with limits on screens per project, components per screen, and deploy count. A full license removes these restrictions. License validation is performed via the xProline license server.