HandyCafe Docs
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Client Menu

The client menu is the app launcher that customers see on their desktop during active sessions in your gaming center or esports arena. It provides a server-managed hierarchical structure organized as Categories containing Apps, giving you full control over what software and content is available to your customers.

Category Management

Categories are the top-level organizational units of the client menu. Each category groups related apps together for easy navigation.

  • Create categories with a name, icon, and optional description.
  • Reorder categories by dragging them into the desired position. Sort order is persisted and reflected on all connected clients.
  • Visibility toggle allows you to hide a category from the client desktop without deleting it. Hidden categories and their apps are not displayed to customers.
  • Icons can be assigned to each category to provide visual identification in the launcher.

App Management

Each app within a category represents a launchable item on the client desktop. Apps support the following configuration:

  • Name and description -- displayed to customers in the launcher.
  • App kind -- determines how the app is launched:
    • Game -- a game executable on the client PC.
    • Browser -- opens a URL in the client browser.
    • Link -- opens an external link.
    • File -- launches a local file.
    • App -- runs a standard application executable.
  • Executable path or launch URI -- the file path or URL used to start the app.
  • Icon and poster images -- visual media files used for the app's appearance. Icons appear in compact views; posters appear in detailed and grid views.
  • Sort ordering -- apps within a category can be reordered by specifying sort position.

Hero Carousel

Eligible apps can be featured in the hero carousel, which displays large promotional banners at the top of the client desktop. Mark an app as hero-eligible and it will appear as a rotating banner to draw customer attention to featured content.

Store Integration

Apps can be linked to external store platforms for metadata and launching:

  • Platform -- the store platform (e.g., Steam, Epic Games).
  • App ID -- the identifier on the external platform.
  • Launch URI -- the protocol URI used to launch the app through the store client.
  • Store URL -- a link to the app's store page.

IGDB Game Metadata

When adding games, you can search IGDB (Internet Games Database) to auto-populate game information including name, description, cover art, and other metadata. This saves time when building out a game catalog and ensures accurate, consistent information.

Quick Launch Bar

The Quick Launch bar displays pinned favorite apps at the top of the client desktop for one-click access. Customers can quickly reach the most popular or frequently used apps without browsing through categories.

Real-Time Sync

All menu modifications are pushed to connected clients instantly. When you create, edit, reorder, or toggle visibility of any category or app, the server calls push_client_menu_to_connected_clients() via TCP. Changes appear on all connected client desktops immediately without requiring a restart or manual refresh.