Requirements
- Photo Finale Kiosk (PFK) requires Windows 8.1 x64 or higher.
- Administrative rights are required to run the installer, but the user account used to run PF Kiosk does not need to be a local administrator.
- Computer must be connected to the internet.
Prerequisites
- The following four prerequisites must be installed, in the order shown, before running the installer:
Installation
- License: A license for the PF Kiosk software is being included with the current term of all kiosk existing support agreements and license subscriptions, as of Jan. 1st. If you pay a yearly fee, this is included. If you pay a subscription rate, this is included. If you are out of support, you will need to be back under a support contract in order to install.
- Kiosk ID: Your PF Kiosk ID will be the same as your APM ID for that machine and will continue with support and expiration under that ID, just as with any software update did under the old APM kiosk.
- Installation: Once you have the prerequisites installed, run the PF Kiosk installer.
- Activation: Your first time installing the new PF Kiosk will have the additional step of activating the license. Please enter the existing Kiosk ID and your Dealer Code to activate. Once the installer has finished running, the kiosk will reboot and you will be ready to take orders.
- Re-install: In the case where you are updating from an earlier or beta version of the new PF Kiosk, you do not need to delete the previous version. The installer will automatically overwrite any existing version of PFK, and will even take care of shutting down all of the apps first if you've forgotten.
What Gets Installed
- The home directory for the PFK software is c:\PF Kiosk\
- The software consists of five apps which are installed into separate subdirectories:
| Directory | App | Description |
|---|---|---|
| PF Kiosk | Photo Finale Kiosk.exe | The main kiosk app. |
| LPS | LocalPhotoService.exe | Provides support for local media files (media cards, USB, and CD/DVD). |
| pfRouter | pfRouter.exe | Provides support for order routing. |
| PrintServer | PrintServer.exe | Provides support for kiosk receipt printing. |
| TwainBridge | TwainBridge.exe | Utility for the forth-coming flatbed scanning functionality. |
- A shortcut to Photo Finale Kiosk.exe (PFK.exe) is installed in the root of the folder, as well as on the desktop.
- PFK.exe is the only app that needs to be launched. It takes care of launching its three helper apps, as well as monitoring and restarting them as needed.
- The new PFK installer will set the computer to prevent the old APM from running at startup.
Test Photos
- The installer includes an option to also install a small batch of test photos. This will allow you to easily demo the kiosk with photos loaded from the hard drive (by pressing a hidden button in the upper-right corner of the import page), without having to insert a media card or USB.
- Whether you choose to install the test photos or not, you can always place photos into this directory on your hard drive and PFK will automatically find them during a kiosk session: c:\PF Kiosk\Test Photos\
Touch Interaction
- If installing on a machine with a touchscreen, it is recommended that you enabled Windows Tablet mode to take full advantage of the touch screen and on-screen keyboard capabilities of the system.
- This setting can be enabled in Settings > System > Tablet mode.
Configuration
- All configuration for PFK is done centrally in myLab
- Dealers can upload their own banner slides for the kiosk intro page, or take advantage of our built-in designs.
- All other options are currently exposed through the "Advanced Configuration" tab, using a JSON object format, until we launch a dedicated configuration UI.
- There is a "default" set of settings which apply to your dealer as a whole, and then individual Kiosk IDs can override one or more of those settings as needed.
- Changes made in myLab will take effect the next time the software is launched. There is no cache-in period required. Note: some settings apply to the LPS or pfRouter apps, such as the "SourceFolders" for LPS. Those apps must also be quit & relaunched in order to take advantage of changes to any settings that apply to them.
Operations
Kiosk Usage
- When using the EasyLink Mobile Upload to import photos, in addition to scanning the QR code or sending an SMS to your mobile number, you can also click on the QR code and the link will be copied to your clipboard. You can then alt-tab to a browser window outside of PFK and paste the link in and proceed.
- After an order is placed, the kiosk will automatically reset after 12 seconds. Note: if you move your mouse this counter is reset.
Admin Functions
| Key Combo | Function |
|---|---|
| CTRL-SHIFT-L | Quit PF Kiosk |
| CTRL-SHIFT-M | Minimize PF Kiosk |
| CTRL-SHIFT-P | Navigate to the Platform Info page |
Accessing Admin menu
Get to the admin menu by clicking the hidden button near the top-left corner of the Intro page to access the kiosk's Admin page. The Admin PIN can be set in myLab.
From the Admin screen, an operator can:
- Launch the APM (if installed & licensed)
- Send logs to support
- Quit PF Kiosk
- Restart the computer
- Shutdown the computer
A second, lesser-privileged PIN code option can also be configured in myLab for store personnel use, which only gives access to:
- Send logs to support
- Restart the computer
- Shutdown the computer
Known Issues
None presently
Roadmap
The following features & functionality are already on our roadmap but feel free to offer input & suggestions:
- Flatbed Scanning
- Passport Workflow
- Ability to order CD / DVD / USB backup, separate from prints