Getting started

Install the runtime, start it, and open the Manager — the front door where every project on this installation lives. Pick the install path that fits where you are in the lifecycle.

Choose how to run it

All three paths run the same server against the same kind of project folder. Move between them freely.

• From source — For developing. Hot reload for both the runtime and your custom widgets.
• From Docker — For servers. One command brings up the server and the example project.
• Portable zip — For panel PCs. Unzip a self-contained Mac/Windows build and double-click.

# 1 · From source (dev, hot reload)
$ python start-dev.py

# 2 · From Docker (server)
$ docker compose up

# 3 · Portable build (macOS; double-click nexthmi.exe on Windows)
$ ./nexthmi.command
→ NEXT HMI running on http://localhost:8000

First run, step by step

1. Start the server — Run one of the commands above. On first launch it creates its runtime home — a per-installation folder (default ~/Documents/NextHMI/, or wherever NEXTHMI_DATA_DIR points) that holds the project manifest, logs, and the widget build cache.
2. Open the Manager — Browse to http://localhost:8000. The Manager lists every project registered on this installation and lets you start, stop, open, transfer and remove them.
3. Set the device-admin password — On a fresh installation the Manager asks you to choose one, and asks for it on every later visit. This gate gets you into the dashboard; it is separate from the per-project operator accounts you define later.
4. Unlock the example project — The install ships with one, seeded from the bundled template. Press Set operator password to create that project's admin HMI account; until you do, its runtime and editor stay closed.
5. Open its editor — Press Start, then Open editor to land under /editor/<project>/ — or read Managing projects to create your own first.