Start or Stop MT Showcase

This section describes how to start or stop the MT Showcase server and client.

Note

For server and client descriptions, see introduction.

MT Showcase Clients

Start the MT Showcase Client

Do one of the following:

Start MT Showcase from MT Launcher: Tap the MT Showcase tile. This is the usual method for starting MT Showcase. It is available only if MT Launcher is installed on the application computer; see about-mt-launcher below.
Start MT Showcase directly on Ubuntu computers: Right-click the desktop and launch a terminal emulator. Then run this command:
```
$ mt-showcase
```
Start MT Showcase directly on Windows computers: Double-click the MT Showcase desktop shortcut:

MT Showcase Windows desktop shortcut

Stop the MT Showcase Client

Applies to both Ubuntu and Windows application computers unless stated otherwise.

Use the following methods to stop the MT Showcase client. These methods return you to the OS desktop or back to MT Launcher:

Click the app and press Ctrl+Q to quit MT Showcase.
Tap the Exit Showcase widget in your app, if available. (Instructions for adding this widget to an app are in the Editor guide.)
Tap the App Switcher widget in your app if it is configured to quit to the MT Showcase welcome screen. Then, if the welcome screen includes an Exit button, tap this button to quit to MT Launcher; see about-mt-launcher below.
- Instructions for adding an App Switcher widget that quits to the welcome screen are in the Editor guide.
- Instructions for displaying an Exit button on the welcome screen are in the MT Launcher Installation Manual.
(Available only on Ubuntu computers where the MultiTaction base image is installed) Click the app and press Ctrl+Alt+Esc to quit MT Showcase and return to the OS desktop. This method also quits MT Launcher if it is running.

Note

You can also quit from MT Showcase remotely using SSH. For details, contact MultiTaction Support; see introduction.

Specify Which App Launches When MT Showcase Starts

You can specify which app to run when MT Showcase starts.

Note

By default, when MT Showcase starts up it automatically launches the most recent app -- the app that was running in the previous session. But you can override this.

Follow these steps:

If starting MT Showcase from MT Launcher: You can customize an MT Showcase tile (see about-mt-launcher below) to launch a specific app from MT Launcher. For setup instructions, see the MT Launcher manual.
If starting MT Showcase directly on Ubuntu computers:
1. Right-click the desktop and launch a terminal emulator.
2. Run this command:
```
$ mt-showcase --app <app>
```
  Where <app> is the name of the app you want to launch. For example:
```
$ mt-showcase --app "My First App"
```

Note

Enclose the app name in double quotes if it contains spaces.

If starting MT Showcase directly on Windows computers: Customize an MT Showcase desktop shortcut to launch a specific app. Edit the shortcut properties and set the Target field to:
```
"C:\Program Files\MT Showcase\bin\mt-showcase.exe" --app <app>
```
Where <app> is the name of the app you want to launch. For example:
```
"C:\Program Files\MT Showcase\bin\mt-showcase.exe" --app "My first App"
```

Note

Enclose the app name in double quotes if it contains spaces.

About MT Launcher

MT Launcher is designed to run on video walls and provide end-users with a simple method for launching applications such as MT Showcase or MT Canvus. For details about setting up MT Launcher, see the MT Launcher manual.

../../_static/screenshots/installation/start-stop/p037-rendered.png — Example MT Launcher with MT Showcase tile (1)

MT Showcase Server

Note

The server is normally configured to start automatically as part of the installation procedure. Most users will not need to manually start the server.

Ubuntu Application Computers

Manually start the server: Follow these steps:
1. Right-click the desktop and launch a terminal emulator.
2. Run this command:
```
$ sudo systemctl start mt-showcase-server
```

Note

If the server fails to start, see server-troubleshooting below.

Stop the server: Follow these steps:
1. Stop the MT Showcase client and access the desktop; see access-desktop.
2. Right-click the desktop and launch a terminal emulator.
3. Run this command:
```
$ sudo systemctl stop mt-showcase-server
```
Restart the server: To subsequently restart the server, follow the instructions above for manually starting the server.

Windows Application Computers

On Windows, the MT Showcase server runs as a scheduled task named MT Showcase Editor, which starts automatically when an operator signs in. Use Task Scheduler, or these commands from an elevated command prompt:

Manually start the server:
```
schtasks /run /tn "MT Showcase Editor"
```
Stop the server:
```
schtasks /end /tn "MT Showcase Editor"
```
Restart the server: stop it and start it again with the two commands above, or sign out and sign back in.

Warning

Do not start the server by running mt-showcase-server.bat while the scheduled task is running. That starts a second server, and the two compete for the same ports.

Note

Because the server runs as the signed-in operator, its database and licence live in that operator's profile. Sign in with the same Windows account you used to set MT Showcase up.

Troubleshooting: Server Cannot Start if the Port Is Already in Use

Symptom

The MT Showcase server does not start, and the log file records that the address is already in use.

Cause

The Editor is served over HTTPS on port 443. If another program on the application computer is already using port 443, MT Showcase falls back to port 8443, so the Editor becomes reachable at https://<application-computer-ip>:8443 instead. If a port you configured yourself is taken, the server stops rather than moving.

Fix

Either stop the program that is using the port, or tell MT Showcase to use a different one. Set https_port in production_users.yaml:

https_port: 8443

Then restart the MT Showcase server. For the location of this file, see file-locations.

Note

Settings in production_users.yaml are preserved when you upgrade MT Showcase.

Log Files

Log entries are generated each time the MT Showcase server or an MT Showcase client starts. For details about where to find these log files, see file-locations.