Opera can be run in kiosk mode, which is a mode mainly suited for information stands. Such stands are typically found in libraries, airports, bank offices, or shopping malls. The information stand will run a browser that lets the user browse for the necessary information, but denies access to the computer and browser settings. After a period of inactivity, the browser should reset and return to a specified home page.
The following document applies to desktop versions for Windows, Linux, Mac, FreeBSD, and Solaris. It was last updated for Opera version 9.0.
Kiosk mode automatically configures Opera for use with information stands. Certain functionality has been hidden from the user, and special functions are enabled to make kiosk maintenance easier. Opera's kiosk mode supports all of the basic functions mentioned above, and a lot more, keeping all standard browsing functionality intact.
The following is a technical document that is primarily aimed at system administrators. The document explains recommended preferences settings, command-line options, URL filters, and relevant changes to the opera:config settings when using Opera in kiosk mode.
Follow these steps to set up a simple information stand:
Now you can exit Opera and restart it in kiosk mode by adding the kioskmode switch to the command line. A typical modified command line, or shortcut target, will look like this:
Note: For security reasons, the kiosk should preferably be running on a guest user account with limited permissions.
These settings are made automatically when Opera enters kiosk mode:
Note: Windows 2000 and XP do not allow Opera to block access to the Windows Task Manager (Ctrl+Alt+Del). To block access to the Task Manager (recommended), you will need to replace the GINA used by Windows. Please see the MSDN article on Customizing GINA, Part 1 and Part 2 for further details.
Note: for kiosks running on Mac OS X, we recommend using Mac OS version 10.4 or above, due to limitations of the kiosk APIs in earlier versions.
You may want to further customize your information stand, and the kiosk mode defaults can be changed as well as successfully combined with other settings and switches. For example, it may be necessary to hide more functionality from users, or take certain precautions for added security and privacy.
If you keep the address bar hidden, note that pop-ups may still show the address bar. You can choose to disable this by setting the address bar to hidden, using .
Remember that if you want to change settings from within the Opera user interface, you have to run it in regular mode to access these settings. After you have finished those changes, remember to close Opera before editing any .ini files you want to change. Configuration files should never be edited directly while Opera is running.
Running Opera with command-line options, or switches, forces certain behaviors. Switches can be combined.
Kiosk mode enables the following switches automatically:
The following table lists and describes all switches that can be used with Opera. The letters used in the "Notes" column signify:
| Switch | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| kioskmode or k | Starts Opera in kiosk mode -- see above for details | |
| kioskbuttons | Will enable the main toolbar and address bar in full-screen and kiosk mode | X |
| kioskresetstation | Will reset the kiosk after a certain period of inactivity in seconds, specified in "Go Home Time Out" setting in the opera:config. The timeout must be between 30 and 6000 seconds. | X |
| kioskspeeddial | Enables a read-only version of speed dial. By default, speed dial is disabled. | X |
| kioskwindows | Enables Multiple Document Interface (MDI) and the page bar, opening links in new page | X |
| nochangebuttons | Disables button preferences | A, H |
| nochangefullscreen | Disables switching between full-screen and normal view | A |
| nocontextmenu | Removes all context menus | H |
| nodownload | Disables download dialog and aborts all downloads silently (also prevents installation of Opera widgets and setup files). Note that this does not disable BitTorrent. That should always be disabled separately, using the BitTorrent Enable setting in opera:config. | H |
| noexit | Menu item "Exit" will prompt for master password, and ask to set one if one is not already set | Use with care |
| nokeys | Disables all keyboard shortcuts | H |
| nomail | Disables the e-mail client, the News and Newsfeed client, and the chat client. This setting is not available on Windows or Mac; the "Show E-mail Client" setting in opera:config should be used instead. Use along with the nomaillinks switch to ensure external clients cannot be used. | H |
| nomaillinks | Disables "mailto:" links so that no e-mail or newsgroup client is launched. Use along with the nomail switch. | H |
| nomenu | Disables Opera's menu
|
H |
| nominmaxbuttons | Disables the minimize, maximize, and close buttons on application bar | A |
| noprint | Disables the print button | |
| nosave | Disables saving of files, pages, images, and links from Web pages. Should be used along with nomaillinks and nomail. | H |
| nosplash or e | Disables the start-up dialog. Has no effect if Opera did not exit cleanly. | A |
| nowin | Skips reading of session files on start-up so that Opera cannot start with a saved session | |
| resetonexit | Will clear private data (history, cache, and cookies) and files that store JavaScript and URL password warnings | X, H |
|
Changes the resolution of the screen to 800 by 600. The resolution will be reset to its previous value when Opera exits. |
See the document Opera's Command-Line Options for a complete overview.
Filtering is used to limit browsing to certain sites, or to exclude certain file types.
To enable URL filtering in Opera, a filter file must be defined in the URL Filter File setting in opera:config. This filter file is also used by Opera's content blocker feature.
The filter file is in a standard ini format. It should have an [include] and an [exclude] section that define both URLs to allow and URLs to filter out. The filter supports "*" and "?" as wildcards. Note that Opera will exclude all URLs that are not specifically included.
Follow these steps to enable filtering:
By default, the [exclude] list has precedence over the [include] list, but a priority flag can be set to change it:
These examples demonstrate the use of URL filtering in kiosk mode.
The example below will exclude local files and news (because they are not included), and block loading of bmp, jpg and jpeg, gif, and png pictures over the file transfer protocol:
[prefs]
prioritize excludelist=1
[include]
http://*
ftp://*
[exclude]
ftp://*.bmp
ftp://*.gif
ftp://*.jpg
ftp://*.jpeg
ftp://*.png
This example demonstrates how to give precedence to the [include] list, and set the kiosk up to allow surfing on one site only:
[prefs]
prioritize excludelist=0
[include]
http://???.opera.com/*
[exclude]
*
Need help? Hit F1 anytime while using Opera to access our online help files, or go here.