Appendix E: Dataset Customization Merge Tool

If you added your own dataset groups or changed the default datasets and want to keep those changes while still getting the latest defaults, we provide a merge script that does both.

• Sites that are upgrading from a version older than 6.0.0 and have customizations.
• Sites that added custom groups (e.g. “Community” or “School programs”).
• Sites that removed or reordered default groups.
• Sites that changed descriptions, icons, or other playlist settings.

If you only use the standard defaults and never changed them, you can upgrade normally and do not need this tool.

1. The script looks at: the old defaults, the new defaults, and your current playlists on the server.
2. It figures out what you added, removed, or changed compared to the old defaults.
3. It applies those customizations on top of the new defaults and writes a merged result.
4. It backs up your current playlists (with a timestamp) before changing anything.
5. It then updates the playlists on the server and runs the normal process that regenerates the kiosk’s groups and datasets.

So you get the new content (like the new Real-time dataset group added in version 6.0.0) and your custom groups and changes.

1. Download the merge tool onto your server
   The merge script is intended to run on the SOS server (the machine that runs media2kiosk), not on the kiosk PC itself. It is designed for Ubuntu.

   Download the file merge_kiosk_defaults_ubuntu.sh to your SOS server.

2. Upload your customizations on the server (before upgrading)
   On your current Kiosk PC, open the Kiosk setup and run “Kiosk to Server.” This uploads your current groups and datasets to the SOS server so they are saved under /shared/sos/kiosk/playlists. Do this before you install the latest version.

3. Run the merge script on the server
   On the server, open a terminal and run these commands in this order:

   chmod +x merge_kiosk_defaults_ubuntu.sh
   ./merge_kiosk_defaults_ubuntu.sh
   

   (If you’re not in the same folder as the script, use the full path, for example:
   ./path/to/kiosk/tools/merge_customizations/merge_kiosk_defaults_ubuntu.sh.)

4. Let the script finish
   The script will print what it’s doing. It creates a backup folder (e.g. playlists_backup_20241219_143022), then replaces the playlists with the merged result and runs the tool that regenerates the kiosk content.

5. Upgrade the Kiosk
   Download the latest version of the Windows SOS Public Kiosk.
   Install the latest version of the Kiosk software on your Kiosk PC.

6. Pull the merged content back to the Kiosk
   On the Kiosk PC, open the Kiosk setup and run “Server to Kiosk.” This downloads the merged groups and datasets from the server to the Kiosk so it shows both the latest content and your customizations.