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--- wiki:tabulum [2022/07/21 12:09] – [Configuration instructions] restless
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-====== Tabulum ======
-The spiritual successor to KioskWatch.  Serves as the (**Cr** Edge-based) client for web kiosks and web-based tracking boards.
-\\
-{| style="margin-left: 20px;"
-|-
-! style="text-align:right;" | __Application name__: || Tabulum
-|-
-! style="text-align:right;" | __Current version__: || 1.5
-|-
-! style="text-align:right;" | __Platform__: || Windows executable
-|-
-! style="text-align:right;" | __Use__: || Client for web kiosks and web-based tracking boards.
-|-
-! style="border-bottom: 1px solid #999;" | ||
-|-
-! | ||
-|-
-! style="text-align:right;" | __App owner__: || [[:user:mibowers1|Michael Bowers]]
-|-
-! style="text-align:right;" | __App owner team__: || [[:teams:clmgmt:home|Client Management]]
-|-
-! style="text-align:right;" | __Primary area__: || Kiosks and tracking boards
-|-
-! style="border-bottom: 1px solid #999;" | ||
-|-
-! | ||
-|-
-! style="text-align:right;" | __Developer__: || [[:user:mibowers1|Michael Bowers]]
-|-
-! style="text-align:right;" | __Website for this software__: || You're looking at it.
-|-
-! style="text-align:right;" | __Support link for this software__: || Ditto.
-|-
-! style="border-bottom: 1px solid #999;" | ||
-|-
-! | ||
-|-
-! style="text-align:right;" | __Path to package__: || [[\\imagecast\msi$\T\Tabulum]]
-|-
-! style="text-align:right;" | __Packager__: || [[:user:mibowers1|Michael Bowers]]
-|-
-! style="border-bottom: 1px solid #999;" | ||
-|}
-==== Information about Tabulum ====
-In the Before Times™ (as I like to call them), we used [[.:kioskwatch|KioskWatch]], which handled web-based kiosks and tracking boards by automating Internet Explorer.  However, since IE has been end-of-lifed we had to have a new solution.
-After experimenting endlessly with controlling Chrome or Edge with the DevTools protocol, automation with Selenium 3 and 4, and interacting with debug configurations of the browser I ended up writing an application that embeds [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/webview2/|Microsoft Edge WebView2]] and controls that as a single full-screen browser that can be kept on-task and even allow for some automation.
-== IE Mode is available, right?  And favorites?  And extensions? ==
-No.  IE Mode is not [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/webview2/concepts/browser-features|supported in MS Edge WebView2]].  Neither are favorites, or extensions, or a few other features.
-== Only kiosks and tracking boards are supported ==
-Since these are meant for kiosks and tracking boards only a //single// browser window is supported.  If a page calls for a second page to open then it is intercepted and opened in the current browser window.
-If a page opens two windows at once... well... that's not suitable for kiosks or tracking boards.  The result is open to radical interpretation.
-== Why is there no screenshot on this page? ==
-There is no screenshot because, well, don't you know what a web page looks like?  Imagine it full-screen.  Well, that's Tabulum in a nutshell.
-== What's with the name? ==
-//Tabulum// is Latin for tablet, table, or a collection of ordered figures.  Since that sounds pretty much like what a kiosk or a tracking board is, I decided to run with it.  The only regret is that it's pretty close to "Tableau".
-== Development information ==
-Tabulum was written with [[https://www.lazarus-ide.org|Lazarus 2.2.2]] and compiled with [[https://www.freepascal.org/|Free Pascal 3.2.2]].  The WebView2 components for Lazarus are [[https://www.briskbard.com/index.php?lang=en&pageid=webview|an open source package]] available for Delphi and Lazarus.
-I picked Lazarus because I didn't have time to go through the motions of getting a new version of Delphi that had WebView2 components available because the time was short until this was being deployed, so I went with something I could write code in and not have to wait on purchase orders.
-==== Configuration instructions ====
-First, note that Tabulum is compiled for 64-bit Windows //only// and only functions on Windows 10 or newer.  The former is to encourage people to stop using 32-bit images and the latter is because of requirements for WebView2 components.
-== Configuration file ===
-==== Testing instructions ====
-Tabulum is pretty straightforward.  To test that Tabulum is working properly, configure it to load your favorite internal site and make sure it's an allowed site as per the configuration.  If it loads when you start Tabulum, everything must be good!
-==== Installation summary ====
-Installation of the app requires that MS Edge WebView2 components are installed from Microsoft.
-Manual installation is not really necessary; there's a handy package that installs the files.
-^ Tabulum.exe  | The application itself.  |
-^ WebView2Loader.dll  | The wrapper that loads the WebView2 components and initializes the objects.  |
-^ EventMessages.dll  | The Windows Event Log messages content.  |
-^ EventCategories.dll  | The Windows Event Log categories.  |
-^ Tabulum.ini  | The configuration file, described above.  |
-Place all these in a single directory, configure the program as above and run it.  If properly configured, it should work fine.  The user profile directory is made automagically.
-==== Previous versions ====
-This is the first public release of Tabulum.