Need Help with Chrome OS Google App (Kiosk Mode - "Invalid Application")

[jeremyNAFCPL]

Hello all, so this is the first time I've created Google Apps and, while I get the general idea and principles involved, I'm having extreme difficulty with one very critical aspect: creating a Google App I can add as a "kiosk application".

A little backstory, this is part of a larger project I'm working on, which is replacing all of our card catalog (we call them "PACs") systems with Chrome Boxes. I decided on Chrome Boxes because they are cheap, fast, and don't require a lot of user intervention (unlike the systems we have now (running Windows 7), which are very frustrating to work with). Right now I've decided to treat each one as a single install, in the future I might go for a "managed" environment for them but that'll be a future endeavor.

I've watched videos, read tutorials, and researched other questions individuals working with Google Apps have posted and I cannot figure out what I'm doing wrong. I'll be honest, I'm not a programmer, nor do I pretend to be one. But at face value this did not seem like it would the lesson in frustration that it's become. I've done quite a bit of programming in my college days, and from what I saw before purchasing a test Chrome Box that creating a Google Kiosk App wouldn't be a difficult task.

So, here is my Manifest.json file for one of my apps (the URLs have been changed to protect the innocent):

{

"name": "Kiosk App",

"version": "1.1.3",

"manifest_version": 2,

"description": "My Kiosk App",

"app": {

"urls": [

"http://xyz.com"

],

"launch":{

"web_url": "http://xyz.com/anotherpage"

}

},

"icons": {

"128": "NAFC_PAC_Big.png",

"96": "NAFC_PAC_Small.png"

},

"kiosk_enabled": true

}

This file is inside a folder with five png files (NAFC_PAC_Big, NAFC_PAC_Small, Screenshot, Small_tile, logo). So, 6 files total. I zip them up, and "publish" them on the Google Developer Dashboard. No issues with uploading, no warnings about problems. I publish it as unlisted since it's for internal use only. After 15 minutes or so the app is published, I can open the link on my test Chrome Box and install the app, no issue.

However, the app does NOT show up under chrome://extensions, and if I enable Developer Mode, then click the "Manage kiosk applications" button, if I put the app's unique ID or the entire URL in the "Add kiosk application" field and click "Add" I always get the very vague and frustrating "[unique ID] Invalid Application".

Why is it invalid? I've seen several individuals with apps similar to mine that have resolved their problems with adding the '"kiosk_enabled": true' line or publishing their app as public or unlisted instead of private. That line of code has been there since version 1.0 of my app and I'm publishing the app as unlisted and I still get this error.

Basically, we have one and only one web page that allowed to be used on these specific computers, and that is our Library's online catalog. I'm wanting an app that can be run in single app kiosk mode so it can be launched without logging in. I'm hoping this can be accomplished simply by opening Google Chrome in full screen and not allowing uses to deviate from the specified website. That's what I'm trying to accomplish.

As I said, I'm not a programmer, and this is the first Google App I've ever written, so I'm not sure if I'm missing something. Any help is greatly appreciated, thank you!

[Ken Rockot]

The only way I can see for that error to be displayed is if the app ID entered isn't a valid ID - specifically that it isn't exactly 32 lowercase letters between 'a' and 'p' inclusive. Webstore URLs should work too, but in diagnosing this it would be easier to stick to app ID. Are you sure you're not missing letters?

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[jeremyNAFCPL]

Hi Ken, I'm confident that I'm not missing any letters, I'm copying and pasting the app ID into the "Add kiosk application" field from the apps download link. I've tried pasting the complete URL into the field as well with identical results ("Invalid Application"). I've tried uninstalling the app, then copying and pasting the URL into the field, thinking I could install and add it at the same time, again, "Invalid Application". :(

I'm wondering if it has anything to do with the fact that my app isn't showing up under chrome://extensions . I guess that might be the actual problem, the side effect being the "Invalid Application" issue. But the app publishes fine, and I can install it. When I open the app my webpage opens up in chrome, not in full screen though, just a normal tab. I wonder why my app isn't showing up there under chrome://extensions ?

Thank you!

[Matthew Hunt]

Hi Jeremy,

It has nothing to do with the app not showing in chrome://extensions. This just shows all the chrome apps that have been installed as unpacked extensions or direct from the Chrome web store.

Is your app set to private in the Chrome web store as it needs to be either public or unlisted to work as a kiosk app (I remember reading this somewhere).

Best regards,

Matt Hunt
Software Developer

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[jeremyNAFCPL]

Hi Matt, thank you for the reply, I didn't know that, thank you for the info! To answer your question the app has been published as unlisted, since it's only going to be used internally in our Library.

[jeremyNAFCPL]

Also, I think it's worth noting, during my research into this problem I've discovered that there are two types of apps: hosted apps (what my app is) and "packaged" apps (which is what the Kiosk app by Zebradog is, for example). I've been playing around with my app and I've migrated it to a "packaged" app with some templates I've found. I published that version (even with the scary "once you make your app a packaged app you can never go back" warning) and NOW I can add the app as a kiosk app. Granted, it's broken and doesn't actually load when it launches, but it's progress.

So, does that mean that hosted apps cannot be kiosk apps? Is there something going on with my app with its measly ~20 lines of code that's breaking the system?It's truly befuddling how little information there is on this topic.