Aloha button that calls an .exe 1

[SmoothMachine]

Hi, I'm new to this forum and I'm hoping somebody can help. I work for a gift card company, installing the redemption software on local merchants computers. Lately I've been running into all kinds of versions of Aloha POS systems. Working with my vendor, I've found out that in order to get my software to work with Aloha I need to program a button into Aloha that calls an .exe file. This opens up the gift card redemption software on top of the Aloha interface and when the transaction is done, it'll close automatically.

The problem is, I have no experience at all with Aloha and the company that supports these merchants is not helping me at all. The other problem is that I'm working with many different versions of Aloha here. I'm hoping that someone may have at least a general idea of what needs to be done so I can start somewhere. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

-Larry

 

[bigblok403]

If it's QuickService, you have to go to the panel editor in Aloha Manager and add a button called "Run Application"

If it's TableService, you have to add a file in the Aloha\DATA directory called TSButton.cfg. It's a little complicated, but I could give you direction if need be. An example of what's in this file is

1,1000,29,Windows\nStart,d:\StartButton.exe,0

This runs an .exe I made to bring up the windows start button.

 

[SmoothMachine]

Thank you! This is a great start.

I'm assuming that Aloha Manager is on the server side.

One thing I'm not sure about is now to access the Windows environment behind the Aloha interface in order to install my software. Would I have to remotely access the terminal from the server? And if so, does Aloha Manager have software that allows this? Or do most terminals (whether they're IBM or Radiant Systems or whatever) have some way to plug in a thumb drive directly or something like that?

Pardon my ignorance, but I'm really starting from scratch on this so again, any help is much appreciated. Thanks

 

[bigblok403]

Yes, Aloha Manager is on the server side. You can access the terminals through the server with something like VNC, or most of them do support flash drives

 

[SmoothMachine]

Thanks bigblok.

I got to visit a location today that had an Aloha setup and was able to "kick the tires" so-to-speak. I was hoping they would have the Quickservice version of Aloha running, which sounds much easier to implement. Unfortunately, they had Tableservice and after looking around for a bit, I realized that adding a button that calls an .exe wasn't going to be easy. Would you still be willing to give me some directions on pointing a button towards an .exe file?

I really appreciate your help. I don't want to sound pushy, but there be some way we can exchange emails so our correspondence can be quicker? Thanks again.

 

[bigblok403]

You can contact me at this site - The POS Forum

 

[IndexRobert]

SmoothMachine,

I would suggest installing the software, by simply hooking up a keyboard to the terminal and closing down the application. After installing the software, make sure you reregister IBER.EXE and IBERPS.EXE if you are using some kind of COM-interface.

To get the button working in tableservice, you're going to have to create the TSButton.cfg that BigBlok403 suggested. Make sure you know exactly where the client wants the button. If you're lucky the client has the Aloha documentation, search the pdf for info on creating the TSButton.cfg.

Otherwise, contact the reseller and ask for a document called: Radiant Knowledge Base Article # 6155 - Using TSButton cfg to Launch Apps from TableService.

Good luck.

 

[SmoothMachine]

Thanks guys,

I think I'm going to concentrate on trying to get a button working in Quickservice for now. Tableservice may be too much over my head without some close assistance.

One thing I was hoping you guys could answer: on an Aloha terminal there is a Windows environment running behind the Aloha interface. How do I minimize the interface to access the Windows environment?

Once I'm in the Windows environment, is there some sort of virtual keyboard to use with the touchscreen?

You guys have been a great help, thanks!

-Larry

 

[RosemarysBaby]

I can answer the easy part of your question about windows running behind the interface.
Yes, at least in Table Service. As posted earlier just plug in a keyboard. Hit the windows start on the KB and there you go, I do this all the time. Then just alt/tab between the programs.
Also, as a common troubleshooting step, it is common to hold the ctrl at bootup on a terminal so as to avoid loading "iber", the Aloha startup program. Sometimes it's useful to connect to the file server but not launch Aloha when doing certain maintenence. Good Luck.

 

[SmoothMachine]

Hey all,

Thanks to your help I was able to get a button for my application up and running on a Quickservice setup. I had to figure out a few things (like the panel editor) on the fly but I did manage to get it going.

About that panel editor. The merchant I was working with was using every single button except one, so I was lucky enough just to edit that button to call my .exe file. Should I run into a merchant with no unused buttons, how do I go about adding a button to an already full panel?

As always, any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!