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Getting Started with the Essentials Web Config App

Learning objective: By the end of this tutorial, you'll understand how to access the web app, sign in, navigate its interface, and perform basic debugging tasks.

Time required: 15-20 minutes

Prerequisites:

  • Access to a PepperDash Essentials processor on your network
  • Valid credentials for the processor
  • Basic understanding of network connectivity

What You'll Learn

  • How to access the web application and sign in
  • How to navigate the main interface and switch between app slots
  • How to start a debug session
  • How to view basic system information

Step 1: Accessing the Application

  1. Find your processor's IP address

    • Check your network configuration or processor display
    • Note the IP address (e.g., 192.168.1.100)

  2. Open your web browser

    • Use Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge
    • Navigate to: https://[processor-ip]/debug/
    • Example: https://192.168.1.100/debug/

  3. Handle security warnings

    • You may see a security warning about the certificate
    • Click "Advanced" and "Proceed to [IP] (unsafe)" to continue
    • This is normal for internal network devices

✅ Success indicator: You should see a Sign In page.

Step 2: Signing In

  1. Enter your credentials

    • Type your username and password
    • Click Sign In

  2. What happens during sign-in

    • Your credentials are sent to the processor to validate them
    • If valid, the app automatically discovers which program slots are running (up to 10)
    • You are redirected to the first available app slot

  3. Application selector

    • The top navigation bar will show a dropdown with available program slots (e.g. app01, app02)
    • Use this to switch between independently running Essentials instances
    • Switching slots does not require re-authentication

✅ Success indicator: You are viewing a page like /:appId/versions.

Step 3: Exploring the Interface

The application has several main sections accessible from the top navigation:

Versions

  • Lists all loaded software assemblies and their versions
  • Useful for verifying what software is running

API Paths

  • Shows all REST API routes available on the processor
  • Click a route row to see its full URL and details

Initialization Exceptions

  • Only visible when PepperDashEssentials.dll ≥ 3.0
  • Lists any exceptions from system startup

Debug Console

  • Real-time log messages from your system
  • The most powerful feature for troubleshooting

Config File

  • Shows the complete merged configuration
  • Displays the JSON structure of your system setup

Devices

  • Lists all configured devices in your system
  • Allows inspection of device properties and methods

Types

  • Shows all supported device types
  • Useful for understanding what devices can be configured

Routing

  • Visual diagram of signal routing between devices and tie lines
  • Color-coded by signal type

Mobile Control

  • Management interface for connected mobile control clients

Try this: Click through each navigation item to see the different sections.

Step 4: Viewing System Information

Let’s start by checking what’s running on your system:

  1. Click "Versions"

    • You’ll see a list of all loaded software components, sorted alphabetically
    • Look for "PepperDashEssentials.dll" to confirm the framework version

  2. Click "Types"

    • Browse the available device types
    • Common types include basicTriList, panasonicDisplay, samsungMDC

  3. Click "Devices"

    • See all configured devices in your system
    • Each device has a Key (unique identifier) and Name (friendly name)

✅ Success indicator: You can see version information, available types, and configured devices.

Step 5: Starting Your First Debug Session

The Debug Console is the heart of the application for troubleshooting:

  1. Navigate to "Debug Console"

    • Click "Debug Console" in the top navigation

  2. Start a debug session

    • Click the blue Start Debug Session button
    • You should see "Message Count: 0" initially

  3. Generate some activity

    • If possible, interact with your system (press buttons, change inputs, etc.)
    • Watch as messages appear in real-time

  4. Observe the message structure

    • Timestamp: When the message occurred
    • Key: Which device generated the message (global for system messages)
    • Level: Importance level (Information, Warning, Error, etc.)
    • Message: The actual log message

✅ Success indicator: You can see real-time log messages appearing in the console.

Step 6: Basic Message Filtering

Let’s learn to filter messages:

  1. Filter by device with a minimum level

    • Click the Devices dropdown
    • Check one or more devices
    • Each checked device shows an inline level dropdown (defaults to Information)
    • Change a device’s level to Warning to hide its lower-severity messages

  2. Use the search box

    • Type a keyword (like button or display) in the search field
    • Results filter immediately

  3. Clear filters

    • Click Clear Filters to reset the device selections and search text
    • Filter selections are saved in memory — navigating to another page and returning preserves them

  4. Filter by log level

    • Click the "Log Level" dropdown
    • Try selecting only "Error" and "Warning" to see problems
    • This helps focus on issues that need attention

  5. Clear filters

    • Click the "Clear" button to remove all filters
    • All messages will be visible again

✅ Success indicator: You can filter messages by search terms, devices, and log levels.

Step 6: Viewing Detailed Message Information

  1. Click on any message row

    • A detailed panel will slide out from the right side
    • This shows complete message information including properties

  2. Explore the details

    • Timestamp: Exact time with milliseconds
    • Rendered Message: The formatted message text
    • Message Template: The raw template used
    • Properties: Additional structured data (JSON format)

  3. Close the detail panel

    • Click the "X" in the top-right of the detail panel

✅ Success indicator: You can view detailed information about any log message.

What You've Accomplished

Congratulations! You've successfully:

  • ✅ Accessed the web application securely
  • ✅ Navigated through all main sections
  • ✅ Started a debug session and viewed real-time messages
  • ✅ Applied basic filtering to find specific information
  • ✅ Examined detailed message information

Next Steps

Now that you understand the basics, you can:

Troubleshooting

Can't access the web app?

  • Verify the processor IP address
  • Check network connectivity
  • Ensure the processor is powered on and running

No debug messages appearing?

  • Verify the debug session started successfully
  • Check if your system is generating activity
  • Try reloading the page and starting a new session

Browser security warnings?

  • This is normal for internal devices with self-signed certificates
  • Safe to proceed on your internal network
  • Don't ignore these warnings on public networks

Summary

The Essentials Web Config App is a powerful tool for managing and debugging your PepperDash system. The Debug Console provides real-time visibility into system behavior, while the other sections give you insight into configuration, devices, and system state.

Continue with the other tutorials to deepen your understanding of specific features!