Stellarium

Restricting users in a visitor centre from changing config file

Asked by Rinne

We have three computers in a public visitor centre set up with stellarium. After looking online, we cannot find out how we can restrict visitors from changing all the defaults - which they do every day multiple times - and getting it to return on reboot or close of proram to the same default for location, etc. every time that we've set. It makes it hard for users to get something 'out' of using the program as when they'll open it it will have very strange settings and results in a lot of frustration for us with resetting everything.

Wondering whether anyone can help with a way to stop this? We cannot make the config files read only, sadly, as the program won't run with them read only. Essentially we're looking for a 'kiosk' version or ways to make it a kiosk version for public use.

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Alexander Wolf
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Alexander Wolf (alexwolf) said : 		#1

Please describe typical session of Stellarium usage. Are you using network?

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Rinne (korinnem) said : 		#2

No, we aren't. They are standalone computers that are not connected to any network or the internet.

Public will use stellarium to check out the night sky and see what is up currently in our part of the world (well, this is what we want them to be using it for). We would like to set up to a default location, default zoom, having the planets only showing, atmosphere off, western culture, ground showing on a particular background etc. and have any changes to the various defaults that we've sett be unsaveable. They can change it during their session, but on the program being closed it reverts back to the default we've set.

Please let me know if I'm still not providing enough information.

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Best Alexander Wolf (alexwolf) said : 		#3

I think you can implement a some mode similar "kiosk mode".

You need made a 2 step for it:
1) Please run Stellarium, change settings as you need and save it as default. Now you have a config.ini (C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Roaming\Stellarium\config.ini) file with required settings of planetarium. Please rename it to default_config.ini and put in the installation directory (C:\Program Files\Stellarium\data\default_config.ini).
2) Change properties of Stellarium's shortcut - add --restore-defaults key for restore default settings on every startup ("C:\Program Files\Stellarium\stellarium.exe" --restore-defaults) [Hint: http://www.stellarium.org/wiki/index.php/Advanced_Use#Command_Line_Options]

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Rinne (korinnem) said : 		#4

Thank you so much! Sorry for the delay in getting back to say this, but I needed to wait for some help from an IT person to get into the 'kiosk' design for the computer and add the restore defaults command.

It worked on 2 out of 3, and we think the 3rd needs Stellarium reinstalled as it is acting a bit buggy.

Thank you again.