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Touch Display App Module

The Touch Display App module on Aida Controller provides a dedicated wall-tablet interface for rooms and façades. Operators configure locations, tablets, and branding under Modules → Touch Display App. Each tablet opens a simple kiosk at /app — Lights, Shades, and automation status for one room at a time — without the full controller admin chrome.

Overview​

This module provides:

  • Locations — named display scopes (for example “Conference A”) with facility targets, access control, optional brand, and optional background image
  • Wall tablet UI — large Lights and Shades controls plus System / Circadian / Solaris status at a glance
  • Client mapping — tablets identified by network address so the homepage can be simply https://<controller>/app
  • Auto-registration — unknown tablets appear in the Clients list on first visit
  • Branding — built-in Aida, Somfy, and Cisco looks, plus custom logos and colors
  • Kiosk defaults — wake lock, idle clock, location lock, and related tablet policies

:::note Admin vs tablet Configure everything under Modules → Touch Display App (/modules/app). Tablets run the kiosk at /app. Do not use the tablet URL for day-to-day controller administration. :::

How it works​

PieceRole
LocationOne room or façade on the display — what can be controlled and how to unlock
TargetsFacility zones, clusters, and/or devices that belong to that location
ClientA physical tablet (IP, and MAC when the controller can see it) assigned to a location
KioskThe full-screen tablet UI at /app

Prerequisites​

Before enabling Touch Display App, ensure you have:

  • Aida Controller 2.0 installed and reachable on the building LAN
  • Facility zones, clusters, and/or devices commissioned for the rooms you want on the wall
  • Circadian and/or Solaris enabled if you want those status rows on the tablet (optional)
  • Network path from each wall tablet to the controller (same LAN or correct reverse-proxy headers)
  • Operator access to edit modules

Setup process​

Step 1: Enable the module​

  1. Open the controller UI and go to Modules.
  2. Open Touch Display App.
  3. Toggle the module Enabled.
  4. Use Open App anytime to preview the kiosk in a new tab.

Step 2: Create locations​

On the Locations tab, create one location per room or display:

  1. Click New location.
  2. Enter a Name (shown centered on the tablet header).
  3. Confirm or edit the Slug (used in the URL, for example /app?location=conference-a).
  4. Choose a Brand or leave Default to use the kiosk default brand.
  5. Select Access:
    • Open — anyone with the URL can use the display
    • PIN — numeric PIN before the home screen
    • Login — controller sign-in required
  6. Optionally upload a Background image (full-bleed behind the UI).
  7. Under Targets, select zones, then clusters, then devices as needed. Selecting zones narrows the cluster and device lists to match facility membership.
  8. Save.

:::tip Targets tip Include at least one light-capable target for the Lights tile, and shade-capable targets for Shades. Tiles appear only when matching devices exist for that location. :::

Location list shows brand, whether a background is set, access mode, and target counts. Use Open, Copy URL, Edit, or Delete per row.

Step 3: Point tablets at the controller​

On each wall tablet (or phone used for testing):

  1. Set the browser homepage (or kiosk browser start URL) to:

    https://<controller-host>/app

  2. Open the page once. The tablet auto-registers under Clients (named like Tablet 192.168.x.x).

  3. If the tablet already has a location in the URL or picks one from the list, that location is stored for the next visit.

Step 4: Assign clients​

On the Clients tab:

  1. Find the auto-registered tablet (or Add client manually with name, IP, and optional MAC).
  2. Set Location to the room this tablet should open.
  3. Rename the client if helpful (inline edit).
  4. Use Location picker to allow or deny changing rooms from the tablet (pencil control). New clients inherit the kiosk default for this setting.

After assignment, opening bare /app on that tablet redirects to its location automatically.

:::note Network matching The controller matches tablets by IP, and by MAC when it can learn the address from the local network. Prefer a stable tablet IP (DHCP reservation) or the same LAN segment as the controller. Wrong proxy / NAT headers can break IP matching. :::

Step 5: Configure brands (optional)​

On the Brands tab:

  • Built-in Aida, Somfy, and Cisco themes are always available.
  • Create a custom brand with name, colors, and optional logo.
  • Edit or delete custom brands later from the same page.

Assign a brand on each location, or set the site-wide default under Kiosk.

Step 6: Set kiosk defaults​

On the Kiosk tab, review site-wide tablet behavior:

SettingWhat it does
Default brandUsed when a location has no brand override
Lock locationHides the location change control on all tablets
Prefer client over localStorageBare /app always follows the Clients assignment first
Allow location pickerDefault for new clients; also used when no location is known yet
Idle timeoutAfter N minutes of no touch, show a dim ambient clock (0 = off)
Wake lock defaultPrefer keeping the screen awake (browser support varies)
Connection bannerWarn when the tablet cannot reach the controller
Allow sign-outShow sign-out when the location uses Login access

Save defaults when finished.

Using the tablet​

Home screen​

┌────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  [Brand]           Conference A    [✎]    │
│                                            │
│      [ Lights ]          [ Shades ]        │
│                                            │
│  System · Circadian · Glare · Harvest      │
└────────────────────────────────────────────┘
  • Lights / Shades — open a control sheet (dim, color temperature, RGBW, shade position). Use Set to apply.
  • Status — System always; Circadian / Solaris Glare / Harvest only when that module is enabled and its scope overlaps this location. Labels match Automation (Running, Stopped, Paused (timed), Paused (off)).
  • Clear override — on a paused automation row, tap X to clear the manual override for targets in this location.
  • Pencil — change location when allowed for this tablet (and location is not locked).
  • Idle clock — after the idle timeout, the home UI is replaced by a dim clock; touch anywhere to wake.

Opening a specific room​

Share or bookmark:

https://<controller-host>/app?location=<slug>

Optional brand override: &brand=somfy (or another brand slug).

Day-to-day operations​

TaskWhere
Add or edit a room displayModules → Touch Display App → Locations
See which tablets are onlineClients — Last seen updates while the tablet is on the home screen
Rename a tabletClients — edit the name field
Reassign a tablet to another roomClients — change Location
Prevent room switching on a tabletUncheck Location picker for that client (or enable Lock location globally)
Change look and feelBrands + location brand / kiosk default brand
Preview the UIOpen App on the module page

Monitoring and troubleshooting​

Common issues​

Tablet shows “Choose a location” every time

  • Assign a Location on the Clients row for that tablet’s IP.
  • Confirm Prefer client over localStorage and that the client is enabled.

Lights or Shades tile missing

  • Edit the location Targets so light or shade devices are included (directly or via zone/cluster membership).
  • Confirm those devices are online and categorized correctly in Facility / Devices.

Circadian or Solaris rows missing

  • Enable the corresponding module and feature.
  • Ensure that module’s scope overlaps this location’s targets.

Wrong room on a tablet

  • Check the Clients location assignment and any bookmark with ?location=.
  • If Location picker is on, someone may have selected another room on the device.

Tablet does not appear under Clients

  • Open /app once from that device on the building network.
  • Confirm the module is enabled and the tablet can reach the controller.

PIN or login not working

  • PIN — re-save the location PIN if it was never set.
  • Login — sign in with a controller user; then return to /app?location=….

Idle clock never appears

  • Set Idle timeout above zero on the Kiosk tab and leave the home screen untouched for that many minutes.

Status labels​

LabelMeaning
RunningAutomation is active for this location’s scope
StoppedModule/feature off or not applicable
Paused (timed)Manual override with auto-resume
Paused (off)Latched override until cleared or lights return