How do I use Local Configuration with EloView WebApps and WebViewController?

This article explains how to use Local Config with EloView® WebApps and WebViewController (WVC) to apply advanced browser and kiosk configuration settings directly on an Elo Android device.

Local Config allows WebViewController (WVC) to use configuration settings stored locally on an Elo Android device when WVC launches. These settings can provide additional configuration options beyond those available through the EloView portal.

⚠ Important

Enabling Local Config in EloView tells WebViewController to look for a local configuration file. It does not create, download, or copy the configuration file to the device. The customer or administrator must create the configuration file and place it in a supported location on the physical Elo Android device.

Overview

WebViewController can receive configuration information in two ways:

Local configuration file – WVC reads a supported configuration file stored in the root /sdcard/ directory on the device.
Android Intents – A custom Android application can launch WVC and provide configuration information programmatically.

The readLocalConfig Boolean Intent extra determines whether WebViewController attempts to use a local configuration file instead of the launchContentSetting Intent settings.

readLocalConfig	Behavior
`true`	Requests that WVC use a supported local configuration file and ignore `launchContentSetting`.
`false`	WVC can receive its launch configuration through `launchContentSetting`.

Before You Begin

ℹ Before You Begin

Determine which WebViewController settings are required for your deployment before creating the configuration file.

Elo recommends including only the settings you intentionally need to change. Leave other settings at their existing or default behavior.

Enable Local Config in EloView

When configuring WebApp content in EloView, enable Local Config from the content properties:

In the EloView portal, open the applicable WebApp content item.
Navigate to Content Details > Content Properties.
Under Browser Settings, locate Local Config.
Set Local Config to Enabled (Active).
Save or apply the configuration.

⚠ Important

Enabling this setting does not create or deploy the configuration file. The configuration file must still be created and copied to the supported location on the target device.

Create and Place the Local Configuration File

WebViewController supports Java properties and JSON configuration files. Place the configuration file directly in the root /sdcard/ directory using one of the supported filenames below.

Precedence	Supported File Path	Format
1 – Highest	`/sdcard/wvc_config.properties`	Java Properties
2	`/sdcard/wvc_config.prop`	Java Properties
3 – Lowest	`/sdcard/wvc_config.json`	JSON

ℹ File Precedence

If more than one supported configuration file exists on the device, WebViewController uses the highest-priority file. For example, wvc_config.properties takes precedence over wvc_config.prop and wvc_config.json.

⚠ Storage Path Requirement

The file must be placed directly under /sdcard/. A file stored in a subfolder such as /sdcard/Download/ is a different path and is not one of the supported locations documented for Local Config.

WebViewController Configuration Settings

Local Config supports a range of WebViewController settings. Boolean values use true or false. String values are quoted in JSON and entered as text values in a Java properties file.

Browser and Session Settings

Setting	Type	Description
`viewMode`	String	Use `Full View` for fullscreen. Other values use Form View.
`layerType`	String	`HW` enables hardware acceleration. Other values use `SW`. Hardware acceleration is recommended in the developer documentation for video playback.
`pinchZoom`	Boolean	Enables pinch-to-zoom.
`homePageTimeout`	String	Number of idle minutes before returning to the home page. `0`, `never`, or an omitted value means no timeout.
`clearUserDataOnTimeout`	Boolean	Clears user data when the home page timeout occurs.
`clearCookiesOnTimeout`	Boolean	Clears cookies when the home page timeout occurs.
`ssl`	Boolean	Enables SSL.
`userAgent`	String	Sets the User-Agent string.
`virtualKeyboard`	Boolean	Set to `false` to disable the virtual keyboard.
`disableDownload`	Boolean	Set to `true` to disable downloads. This also disables PDF.
`showLoadingBar`	Boolean	Shows the loading bar at the top of the screen.

Navigation Bar Settings

Setting	Type	Description
`showNavBar`	Boolean	Shows the Home, Back, and Forward navigation bar at the bottom of the screen.
`navBarBackgroundColor`	String	Navigation bar color using `#RRGGBB` or `#AARRGGBB` format.
`navBarAccentColor`	String	Navigation bar accent color.

Action Bar Settings

Setting	Type	Description
`showActionBar`	Boolean	Shows the Action Bar at the top of the screen.
`actionBarBackgroundColor`	String	Action Bar background color.
`actionBarBackgroundUrl`	String	URL of an image used as the Action Bar background.
`actionBarAccentColor`	String	Action Bar accent color.
`showActionBarLogo`	Boolean	Shows the logo on the left side of the Action Bar.
`actionBarLogoIconUrl`	String*	URL of an image used as the Action Bar icon.
`showActionBarTitle`	Boolean	Shows the web page title in the Action Bar.
`showActionBarSubtitle`	Boolean	Shows the web page subtitle in the Action Bar.
`showActionBarPrintBtn`	Boolean	Shows the Print button.
`showActionBarShareBtn`	Boolean	Shows the Share button.
`showActionBarInfoBtn`	Boolean	Shows the Information button.

ℹ Documentation Note

The source developer documentation describes actionBarLogoIconUrl as a URL even though its source table reportedly labels the key as Boolean. Because the setting represents a URL, it is shown as a String in this article. Verify behavior against the WebViewController package used on the target device.

PDF Settings

Setting	Type	Description
`pdfSupport`	Boolean	Enables PDF viewing.
`pdfHyperlinkSupport`	Boolean	Enables hyperlinks within PDFs.
`pdfSwipeHorizontal`	Boolean	Enables horizontal PDF scrolling when set to `true`.
`pdfShowScrollHandle`	Boolean	Shows a scroll handle when scrolling through PDFs.
`pdfFitToHeight`	Boolean	Fits the PDF to the display height instead of the width.

Example JSON Configuration

The following abbreviated example demonstrates the structure of a wvc_config.json file. Select only the settings and values appropriate for your deployment.

{
  "contentpath": "https://example.com",
  "viewMode": "Full View",
  "layerType": "HW",
  "pinchZoom": true,
  "homePageTimeout": "0",
  "showNavBar": true,
  "pdfSupport": true
}

Save the file using one of the supported filenames directly under /sdcard/. When using a local configuration file, launch WebViewController with readLocalConfig set to true.

Configure WebViewController Using Android Intents

WebViewController can also be launched and configured programmatically through Android Intents. This provides an alternative to using a configuration file stored on the device.

For example, after WebViewController has been installed, a custom device-agent application can send the appropriate Intents to control WVC as part of the device workflow.

Intent Extra	Type	Purpose
`contentPath`	String	Home page URL beginning with `http://`, `https://`, or `file://`.
`readLocalConfig`	Boolean	When `true`, requests that WVC ignore `launchContentSetting` and use a supported local configuration file.
`launchContentSetting`	String	JSON object containing launch options such as view mode, navigation bars, timeout behavior, PDF behavior, and other supported settings.

⚠ Important – Intent Parameter Names

The developer documentation identifies the Intent extra as contentPath, while its sample command uses contentpath in lowercase.

Integrators should verify the exact Intent extra names and value encoding against the installed WebViewController version and the sample files supplied with the applicable developer package.

Troubleshooting

Issue	What to Check
Local configuration is not applied	Verify that Local Config is enabled and that the configuration file uses a supported filename and location.
JSON configuration appears to be ignored	Check for `wvc_config.properties` or `wvc_config.prop`. Both have higher precedence than `wvc_config.json`.
Configuration file is not detected	Confirm that the file is directly under `/sdcard/`. Files in locations such as `/sdcard/Download/` are not one of the documented Local Config paths.
`launchContentSetting` settings are not being used	Check `readLocalConfig`. When set to `true`, WVC attempts to use the local configuration file instead.
Downloads or PDFs are unavailable	Check whether `disableDownload` is set to `true`. The documented behavior states that enabling this option also disables PDF.

Local Config Setup Checklist

Identify only the WebViewController settings required for the deployment.
Create a valid JSON or Java properties configuration file using the documented setting names and value types.
Save the file using one of the supported filenames.
Copy the file directly to the /sdcard/ root on the physical Elo Android device.
Enable Local Config for the applicable WebApp in EloView.
When launching WVC using a local configuration file, set readLocalConfig to true.
For programmatic control, install WebViewController first and then have the device-agent application send the appropriate Android Intents.
Test the configuration on the target device and confirm that WebViewController behaves as expected.

💡 Tip

WebViewController behavior and available settings may vary by WVC version. When developing an automated deployment, verify the configuration against the WebViewController package and sample configuration files installed on the target device.

Please report any broken links by emailing elo.support@zebra.com and include a link to the knowledge article

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