hex-browserHMI runtimefor your app

As part of Tempo2Market, hex-browser is the visible front door on the device. Your app runs there as a managed kiosk HMI. Behind it, we abstract the operating system, while Fleet Warden adds remote maintenance.

Your application defines the product. hex-browser keeps it manageable.

HMI operation

As a real product, your app needs more than UI code

It needs display handling, input, kiosk mode, configuration and remote maintenance on the device. hex-browser provides that layer.

Infrastructure around the application

Tempo2Market provides the non-differentiating infrastructure around your application, while Fleet Warden adds fleet operations. Your team can focus on what makes the device valuable: customer value.

Reduces non-differentiating work Your developers work on customer value instead of the operating system.

Stays reachable in the field Fleet Warden supplies your product with security updates and makes it supportable through remote access.

Architecture

Where hex-browser sits in your product stack

Your application remains the visible surface. hex-browser makes it reliable on the device, Tempo2Market provides the embedded platform, and Fleet Warden keeps the installation reachable in the field.

Supported runtimes

HTML5 in current Chromium

Chrome compatibility with a lean footprint

hex-browser runs Chromium RAM-optimized for strong compatibility with modern web frameworks. Chrome DevTools are fully supported just like on the desktop variant.

You get lean embedded operation without giving up Chromium compatibility, modern frameworks or Chrome DevTools.

Native Flutter

From smartphone to panel

Your Flutter app runs natively in hex-browser instead of as web content. A smartphone interface becomes a fluid kiosk HMI.

The hexDEV-built native Flutter embedder integrates rendering, touch, keyboard, display metrics and lifecycle into the Tempo2Market world. Your UI stays Flutter; hex-browser handles the embedded operation around it.

The Flutter app can live locally on the device or come from a server like a web page.

QML

Native interfaces without the browser stack

QML enables modern operator interfaces without starting a Chromium runtime. That creates native panels with less overhead, especially on cost-optimized hardware.

QML is a declarative, JavaScript-like UI language for dynamic interfaces. In hex-browser, QML scenes can live locally on the device or come from a server like web pages.

QML fits where custom HMIs should be created, adapted and tested quickly. Vibecoding becomes practical because hex-browser automatically reloads changed QML files. For automation topics such as OPC UA, QML remains the interface while protocols and device access run through native integrations.

Native Plugins

Compiled extensions for your device

With the C++ toolchain from Tempo2Market, you build native plugins for native performance.

With a native plugin, project-specific device integration becomes an extension instead of a platform rebuild. That saves effort because the operating system, runtime and update path stay stable while only the project logic is added.

We provide an example plugin in our GitHub repo.

RTSP live streams

Camera images directly in the kiosk HMI

hex-browser shows live video directly in your HMI. Cameras, machine views and monitoring run where operators already work.

The RTSP player is built into hex-browser. Streams start with the matching view, stop in the background and reconnect automatically when problems occur. The live image stays in the operating context of the machine.

Device context

hex-browser's runtimes in action

Built for unattended devices

Compact facts for teams evaluating hex-browser:

Kiosk mode

Turns web or HMI applications into a robust fullscreen terminal for unattended devices.

RAM-aware Chromium

Brings current Chromium to devices with limited RAM, without giving up web compatibility and DevTools.

Runtime flexibility

We integrate whatever runtime your product needs. See also: supported runtimes.

Service without travel

Fleet Warden brings VNC, live remote maintenance and OTA updates for timely support workflows.

Watchdog & recovery

Brings kiosk systems back after failures without a technician standing at the device.

Configurable

We make configurable what you need. See also: JSON configuration.

No cloud dependency at the HMI

HMI, local storage and recovery stay on the target. Cloud is optional for updates, diagnostics and support.

CRA-ready

Security updates for products that must remain secure after delivery.

Commissioning

How hex-browser gets onto your device

Getting started is simple when Tempo2Market is already shipped by the device manufacturer. For your own hardware, the platform can be ported or integrated by hexDEV.

Buy a device with Tempo2Market

If the manufacturer already integrates hexDEV's Tempo2Market, you only configure your application.

Set the URL, optionally copy the app onto the device
Ask the manufacturer to place content, plugins or assets into the image
Fleet Warden is already connected for operation and support, just log in at fleetwarden.de

Bring it to your own hardware

For your own hardware, there are two paths: your team integrates the OE/Yocto layer itself, or hexDEV handles the port.

Base: meta-hexdev in the board support package
Integration: display, touch, network and services
CRA-ready: Secure Boot and unique keys for updates and remote maintenance

Contact request

Let's talk about your device

Book a technical call

hex-browser JSON configuration

Settings can be changed in the admin UI. The same configuration stays available as JSON for rollout, review, and automation.

Admin UI

Click the configuration first

Technicians can adjust display and URL settings visually. Engineering still gets the exact JSON model behind it for reproducible device fleets.

Click a screenshot to enlarge it.

JSON key	Accepted values	Applied in	Feature / behavior
`Tabs`	Array or object map	PanelView tab parser	Primary tab model. If it is missing or resolves to no usable entries, the runtime falls back to legacy tab keys and finally to a built-in default web tab.
`tabs`Alias	Array or object map	PanelView tab parser	Lowercase alias for `Tabs`.
`URL_Tab_*`Legacy	String URL per tab id suffix	Legacy top-level tab parser	Legacy tab definition. The suffix becomes the tab id, entries are sorted, and matching `Info_Tab_*` values are used as labels.
`Info_Tab_*`Legacy	Optional string label	Legacy top-level tab parser	Optional label/title partner for a `URL_Tab_*` entry.
`Tabs[].id \| name \| key`	String	Per-tab metadata	Stable tab identifier. If duplicates appear, PanelView appends suffixes. The first parsed tab becomes the preferred initial tab.
`Tabs[].label \| title`	String	Per-tab metadata	Visible label used in the navbar and tab lister.
`Tabs[].url \| URL \| Url \| startURL \| startUrl \| start_url \| src \| source \| path \| href`	String URL or source path	Per-tab content route	Actual tab target. `http(s)` becomes a Chromium tab, `rtsp(s)` becomes the RTSP player, `file://.qml` or `<qml>...` becomes a QML tab, and `file://.so` or `<so>...` becomes a native plugin tab.
`Tabs[].enabled \| disabled`	Boolean-like value	Per-tab entry filter	Lets you skip a tab without removing it. The parser accepts booleans, numbers, and strings such as `true/false`, `1/0`, `yes/no`, or `on/off`.
`SpecialURL`Not wired	String URL	PanelView special config route	A `specialURL` property still exists in QML with a default of `http://localhost/conf/`, but JSON application is commented out in `main.qml`, so this key is currently not active.

JSON key	Accepted values	Applied in	Feature / behavior
`isNavbarSlidable`	true \| false	InputEventHandler / navbar gesture layer	Enables the slide gesture that opens and closes the navbar.
`isNavbarShownAtStart`	true \| false	Initial navbar state	Starts with the navbar already shown and allows the initial one-time state change path in the input handler.
`isNavbarOverlay`	true \| false	Window layout	Makes the navbar float above content instead of pushing the content area downward.
`isNavbarTransparent`	true \| false	Navbar rendering	Enables partial transparency for the navbar in overlay mode and while dragging in non-overlay mode.
`isGUI3dOptic`	true \| false	Navbar / dialog styling	Turns on the 3D-style optics used by the navbar and tab lister dialog.
`NavbarBaseColor`	CSS-like color string	Derived navbar palette	Seeds the derived color palette used by the shell chrome.
`IconStyle`	`symbol` \| `number` \| `letter` \| `favicon`	Tab icon derivation	Selects how tab icons are generated. With `BackgroundLifecycleState=discarded`, the code forces `symbol` if `favicon` would break discarded tabs.
`isScreenshotButton`	true \| false	Navbar button visibility	Shows or hides the screenshot button.
`isTabListerButton`	true \| false	Navbar button visibility	Shows or hides the tab lister button.
`isHardResetAllButton`	true \| false	Navbar button visibility	Shows or hides the hard-reset-all-tabs button.
`isDownloadAllowed`	true \| false	Download manager	Globally permits or denies browser downloads from web content.

JSON key	Accepted values	Applied in	Feature / behavior
`Lang`	Language or Accept-Language string	Web profile + keyboard locale selection	Sets `httpAcceptLanguage` for web tabs and also seeds the virtual keyboard locale chooser with the best matching available locale.
`KeyboardLocales`	Array or string list	Qt virtual keyboard settings	Restricts the active keyboard locales. Strings may be split by spaces, commas, or semicolons, `-` is normalized to `_`, and an empty result means all locales stay enabled.
`KeyboardWidthPercent`	Integer percent	InputPanel layout	Controls the width of the virtual keyboard panel.
`KeyboardShowMode`	`auto` \| `numpad` \| `full`	Keyboard mode controller	Selects automatic layout, forced numpad, or forced full keyboard. In forced modes the controller injects a `123`/`ABC` toggle key.
`isKeyboardFloating`	true \| false	Window / panel sizing	Makes the keyboard float above content instead of resizing the panel area.
`isKeyboardAlwaysVisible`	true \| false	Window keyboard visibility state	Keeps the virtual keyboard visible even without normal focus-driven show/hide transitions.
`isKeyboardQuirkAutofocus`	true \| false	Web tabs primarily	Injects a focus workaround script for difficult web inputs that otherwise fail to trigger the virtual keyboard.
`isGoBackForwardSwipeable`	true \| false	InputEventHandler	Enables left/right swipe navigation for the active tab.
`isHoverMoveEventsSuppressed`	true \| false	InputEventHandler event filter	Suppresses hover-move event traffic when the platform input stack produces too much pointer noise.
`isTabListerSwipe`	true \| false	InputEventHandler gesture layer	Allows the gesture that opens the tab lister by swipe.

JSON key	Accepted values	Applied in	Feature / behavior
`isDesktopMode`	true \| false	WebEngineProfile	Controls user-agent mode. `true` keeps the desktop user agent, `false` rewrites it to an Android mobile-style agent.
`Scale`	Number	View `zoomFactor` property	Maps directly to WebEngine zoom. Other view types accept the property but do not currently apply a visible scaling behavior.
`VerboseConsole`	true \| false	Web tabs, RTSP view, plugin args	Turns on more verbose runtime logging and is forwarded into native plugin arguments.
`isMicAndDevicesAllowed`	true \| false	Web permission handler	Auto-accepts or denies microphone and device permission requests from web content.
`isUploadAllowed`	true \| false	Web file dialog handler	Allows or blocks upload file dialogs requested by web content.
`DisableContextMenu`	true \| false (`true` suppresses it)	Web context-menu requests	Accepts the context-menu request so the built-in WebEngine context menu does not appear.
`InsaneAllowCertificateError`	true \| false	Web certificate-error handler	Accepts certificate errors in web tabs. The name is accurate: this is intentionally an unsafe bypass.
`isShowScrollbars`	true \| false	WebEngine settings	Turns WebEngine scrollbars on or off.
`isAutoPopupsBlocked`	true \| false	Web popup policy	Blocks non-user-initiated popups when enabled.
`isOpenPopupDialogInOverlay`	true \| false	Web popup/dialog routing	Routes popup dialogs into the overlay path instead of letting them escape as unmanaged windows.
`isOpenPopupWindowInOverlay`	true \| false	Web popup/window routing	Routes popup windows into the overlay path when possible.
`isReloadOnTabChange`	true \| false	Web tabs and RTSP tabs	Reloads the active web tab on activation and reopens RTSP streams when the view becomes visible again. Current QML/plugin views expose the flag but do not implement a separate reload-on-activate path.
`isZoomGestureEnabled`	true \| false	Early Chromium startup flags	When disabled, startup appends `--disable-pinch` so pinch zoom gestures are turned off in Chromium.

JSON key	Accepted values	Applied in	Feature / behavior
`PersistentWebStoragePath`	Directory path	Browser persistent web storage root	Defines where disk cache and persistent web storage live when persistence is enabled. The path is created if needed and rejected if it is invalid or resolves to `/`.
`isPersistentWebStorage`	true \| false	Web profile creation + startup cleanup	Enables disk-backed cache/storage. If false or undefined, hex-browser deletes the persistent web storage tree on startup, while trying to preserve a screenshot directory nested inside it.
`PersistentScreenshotPath`	Directory path	Screenshot storage	Target directory for screenshots.
`BrightnessFilename`	Writable backlight file path, optionally with one `*` wildcard	Browser backlight control	Points to the brightness sysfs file. The code supports one wildcard segment so deployments can survive varying backlight device names.
`DefaultBrightness`	Integer or `-1`	Backlight restore path	Brightness restored after startup or screensaver exit. Empty, invalid, or negative values fall back to the panel max brightness; too-low values are clamped to roughly 10% of max.
`ScreenSaverTimeout`	Minutes	Screensaver timer	Idle timeout before the screensaver becomes visible and the display power-off flow starts.
`RestartTimeout`	Minutes	Screensaver wake path	Measures time spent in screensaver mode. If the timeout is exceeded, leaving the screensaver triggers a hard reset of all tabs.
`ScreenSaverSuspendLevel`	`0` \| `1` \| `2` \| `3` \| `4`	Display power-off / suspend path	Selects how aggressive screensaver power handling becomes: `0` only drives brightness to zero, `1` also requests display power-off, `2` uses the watch-mode restart path, and `3/4` attempt system suspend with fallback if needed.
`BackgroundLifecycleState`	`active` \| `frozen` \| `discarded`	Background web tabs	Defines how inactive Chromium tabs are treated. `discarded` is the strongest memory-saving mode and is the default in current QML.