Use Theseus Player on a site terminal

Theseus Player is the runtime entry point for an operator terminal. It connects to the configured Runtime target and opens the currently delivered App’s Home Page on every start or reconnection. Player has no project editing, Build, or Deploy capability and is not a project backup.

Install Player separately

Choose Theseus Player on the Theseus download page to download the Windows x64 EXE installer. Downloading does not require sign-in. Install and open Player, then connect to the runtime target supplied with your controller.

The installer does not include the system runtime used to display runtime pages. Windows usually provides it; when it is missing, the Player installer downloads Microsoft's bootstrapper. To upgrade, close Player and run the newer installer; application settings are retained. Standalone Player currently updates through downloaded installers, without automatic updates.

The independent runtime service is delivered with controllers. There is no public Runtime installer. Install Theseus Desktop on development PCs and standalone Player on operator terminals.

Find nearby runtimes

On the Player connection settings page, click Find nearby runtimes, wait about five seconds and choose a device address. This fills the form; Save and connect starts the connection. Use the instance ID to check the device. Devices with multiple network interfaces may show several addresses.

Allow local-network access when prompted. The target must advertise discovery on the same LAN; you can enter an address manually if no device appears. Discovery does not bypass HTTPS certificate validation or share your Theseus sign-in session.

Open directly from Theseus

Theseus includes Player. Select a project in App Hub or open its editor, then click Open in Player beside the runtime controls. Player connects to the currently selected Runtime target without requiring you to enter its address. Your project and unsaved edits remain open.

This entry opens the delivered App; it does not automatically Build, deliver, or start it. If the target has no App or contains another project, Theseus explains the problem. Deliver the matching project first and start it when needed. If the App requires sign-in, use your App account in Player.

Opening again focuses the existing Player. The same target keeps its current page; a different target opens its App home page. The existing Run entry continues to use the runtime window inside Theseus.

Close Player before updating or uninstalling Theseus. Theseus does not include the system runtime used to display runtime pages. To keep using Player after closing Theseus, connect to an independently running target. A local target started by Theseus stops when Theseus exits.

Site terminals can still install Player separately and configure it as described below.

Before you start

• The App has been built to the correct Runtime target and has a Home Page.
• A target Admin has started the App to Running according to the site plan. A terminal using User cannot start lifecycle for a Stopped App.
• You have a plain HTTP or HTTPS target address. Use trusted HTTPS at a remote site.
• A target account is ready for the terminal. When Pages use business roles, the required App user is ready as well.
• Delivery staff have verified the Player version, source, and installer signature.

Configure Player

1. Start Theseus Player.
2. Enter the complete Runtime target address, such as https://runtime.example.com. Include only the scheme, host, and port. Do not append credentials, query parameters, an API path, or a Page path.
3. Select the interface language and appearance: Light, Dark, or System. Appearance previews immediately and is retained after Save and connect.
4. Leave runtime-page AI disabled when it is not required. To enable it, enter the model-service address and API key, refresh the model list, and choose a model. Refresh again after the address or key changes.
5. Select Save and connect, then wait for Player to check the connection and open the runtime page.

If the terminal cannot store model credentials securely, Player refuses to save the AI configuration. Do not work around this by placing a shared key in an ordinary file or distributing it to unrelated terminals.

Sign in and open the App Home Page

1. Sign in to the runtime page with a Runtime target account.
2. Confirm that the current App is Running. When it is Stopped, a target Admin must verify site conditions and use Start. A User terminal cannot start it.
3. Confirm that the current App’s configured Home Page opens automatically, then use App navigation to switch Pages as needed.
4. If the App uses business roles, sign in or switch to the actual operator with the corresponding App user.
5. Exit and restart Player. Confirm that the terminal returns to the current App’s Home Page. Navigation within the App does not change the next startup destination.

The Runtime target account grants entry to the runtime surface and state viewing. App user identifies the actual operator. See Runtime target accounts and permissions for the complete boundary.

Use the app assistant (Alpha)

The runtime app assistant is available only in Player. After configuring AI, click the Open app assistant icon at the bottom right and describe an action, such as “Set the name to Test machine, then click Save.” The assistant reads and operates page controls first. Ask it to “Take a screenshot and inspect this page” for a visual check. Screenshots require an image-capable model.

The assistant groups known consecutive actions and observes again when the next action needs new page information. Each group appears as one expandable record. A failed step stops the remaining steps; actions already performed are not automatically undone or repeated. Once a reply finishes, activity collapses by default, leaving the final Markdown reply visible with a copy button.

Press Enter to send or Shift+Enter for a new line. Press Esc twice in the input area to stop the current task. Select the model in Player settings; the chat composer has no model selector. Use Chat history to search, switch, rename, or delete conversations. When a task finishes, an unseen reply adds a small blue dot to its conversation in Chat history. The assistant button also shows a blue dot at its top right while any conversation remains unread. Opening a conversation clears its dot; opening the list does not clear all dots. A conversation you are already viewing when it finishes is treated as read. Unread dots persist when you reopen the app. Scrolling up pauses automatic scrolling as new replies arrive; click Jump to latest message to resume following. On desktop, Expand panel provides more reading space.

A black pointer with a white outline and blue glow appears directly at the first visible target, without a text label. Subsequent operations move from the previous position to the next: short movements scoot with a spring, while longer movements follow smooth curves with natural turning and slight deformation. Actions run after arrival. When the task ends, the pointer shrinks, blurs, and fades out together. The pointer passes behind the assistant panel. It does not interfere with your mouse or touch input. Stop cancels unfinished movement and subsequent operations; screenshots exclude the pointer. The system's reduced motion preference skips animations. Scrolling, dragging, and custom scripts do not currently show corresponding movement paths.

The assistant panel keeps its current open state during operations and does not resize the application. When operating by screen position, the assistant can click application controls behind the panel, including those in same-origin embedded pages. Your own clicks still interact with the panel normally. It briefly hides only while capturing a screenshot, then restores after completion, failure, or cancellation. Use Stop to interrupt a task, Chat history to switch conversations, and Settings to return to Player configuration.

This is a functional prototype. The assistant is unavailable in ordinary browsers and editor previews. Some custom controls and embedded content from other origins may be inaccessible. A full page reload interrupts the current task; start a new request afterwards. Verify operation results in a test environment.

Read app documents

Select Open app assistant at the bottom right, then the Documents book button at the top of the panel. Choose a document to read Markdown with tables, code blocks, images, and links between manual documents. Back to documents returns to the list; Back to chat restores your conversation and draft. Switching views does not stop a running task.

Reading documents does not require AI configuration. Documents come from the currently delivered app. The first visit downloads the complete manual and images; later visits update only when the version changes and switch after the download completes, removing the old version. An already open page can continue reading its cache after losing connectivity, with the offline state and version shown at the top. An empty list is shown when no documents are available; use Retry after a loading failure. The reader supports Markdown and PDF without editing, external links, or other attachment types.

With AI configured, ask “Find the alarm reset procedure and cite the manual.” The assistant checks the manual version on its first document lookup in each task, then reuses that snapshot for subsequent searches and reads. It can inspect images such as wiring diagrams without opening the document panel. References include document paths and Markdown line numbers or PDF page numbers; offline answers identify the cached version. Image inspection requires a model with image input, and text search does not recognize text inside images.

Enter keywords above the document list and select Search to find content in user guides and PDF reference manuals. Select a result to open its location. PDFs support previous/next page, page-number entry, and zoom. Search complete parameter identifiers such as P00.01. Pages without extractable text show an OCR notice. Ask the assistant to inspect a specific page image for wiring diagrams and complex tables; this requires an image-capable model.

Developers can keep user procedures in manual/ and vendor motor or drive PDFs in manual/references/. The entire directory is delivered with the App. Save, Build, and deliver again before Player can search updated content. Previously delivered Apps need a new Build for the updated search. Resolve no-text page notices by supplying searchable text or performing OCR before delivery.

Site acceptance

• The terminal connects to the approved Runtime target with the correct address and certificate
• Target User can view the Running App but cannot Start, Debug, or Stop it
• Home and the terminal-specific Page open correctly
• App user sign-in, sign-out, and role restrictions match operator responsibilities
• Player opens the currently delivered App’s Home Page after restart or reconnection
• Layout, fonts, touch input, scanning, and keyboard input work on the physical terminal
• Network loss, target restart, and reconnection paths have been tested
• Normal, boundary, fault, recovery, and shutdown scenarios have acceptance records
• If runtime-page AI is enabled, the model works and page operations, screenshots, and stopping tasks have been verified in a test environment
• Owners have approved site accounts, certificates, License, networking, backup, and recovery

Change the target or App Home Page

To assign the terminal to another target:

1. Open Reconfigure in Player.
2. Verify and save the new Runtime target address.
3. Sign in to the target again.
4. Confirm that the current App’s Home Page opens on the new target.
5. Restart Player and confirm that it opens the new target’s App Home Page.

To change the startup Page, update the App’s Home Page setting and deliver the updated App, then reconnect Player. You do not need to save the same target address again.

Common issues

Symptom	Check and recovery
Cannot connect	Check the address, DNS / IP, port, network, and certificate. Do not append an API or Page path
Signed in but no App is visible	Confirm that an App is delivered to the target, Home exists, and the App is Running
User sees Stopped but cannot start	This is the intended permission boundary. Start through a controlled Admin process
The Page asks for another sign-in	This is App user sign-in for operator identity and business roles; it is separate from the target account
The Home Page after restart is unexpected	Check the currently delivered App’s Home Page setting; update and deliver the App, then reconnect Player
AI configuration cannot be saved	Confirm that secure credential storage is available on the terminal; do not bypass it with a plaintext file
The Page works on the development computer but not the terminal	Check physical resolution, scaling, fonts, touch input, networking, and external-equipment conditions

Security requirements

• Prefer target User for operator terminals and do not retain Admin credentials on them.
• Connect only to approved target addresses and never bypass HTTPS certificate checks.
• Player is for runtime operation. Preserve project source and recovery backups through a separate delivery process.
• Being able to open a Page does not prove equipment actions are safe. Accept interlocks, emergency stops, and safety controllers independently.

Next steps

• Understand the delivery loop: Runtime and site delivery
• Configure a remote target: Connect a remote Runtime target
• Choose actions by state: Runtime states and controls

Player appearance controls the settings page, assistant panel, and floating button without overriding application colors. System mode updates when the system theme changes. Runtime pages fit uniformly with one pair of opposite edges meeting the window and the other axis centered; the assistant button stays fixed to the window.