Getting started
You need a Windows PC and an Android tablet (or phone) running Android 5.0 or newer, on the same Wi-Fi. Setup takes about five minutes, and you never create an account.
1. Install the desktop app
Download the installer from flex-deck.com or the latest release and run it.
flexdeck starts in the tray. Closing the window only hides it: the app keeps serving your tablets until you quit it from the tray.
The first time it starts, Windows asks whether to let it through the firewall. Allow it on private networks, or tablets will not be able to reach it.
2. Install the Android app
Install the APK from the latest release on the tablet. A Google Play listing is coming.
The app is native and light on purpose. It runs well on 2015-era tablets with old WebViews and little RAM, which are exactly the tablets sitting in drawers.
3. Pair the tablet
- On the PC, open flexdeck and go to Pair. It shows the PC's address and a six-digit code that is valid for two minutes.
- On the tablet, type the address and the code.
- The tablet remembers the PC and pins its certificate. From then on it reconnects by itself, and it refuses a PC that presents a different certificate.
Pair as many tablets as you like. Each one appears in the desktop app with a live connected / not-connected light, and you can revoke any of them there.
4. Build your deck
Open the editor in a browser:
- On the same PC, open flex-deck.com and choose Open the editor. It finds the desktop app on this computer by itself.
- On another device, open the same page. In the desktop app, go to Browsers → Connect a browser and type the code it shows into the page.
Then drop actions on keys. The tablet updates live while you edit. Undo and redo work the way you would expect.
Each key can have:
- Four gestures: tap, double tap, long press, and hold-and-release. Each one runs its own flow.
- Looks that follow live values, such as a key that turns orange while OBS is recording or shows the album art of the song that is playing.
- Faders, for volume and other ranges.
5. Add plugins
The desktop app's Plugins tab is a marketplace: OBS Studio, Discord, Spotify, Streamer.bot, a soundboard, weather and more. Every plugin shows its permissions before it installs. See plugins.md for using, writing and publishing plugins.
Troubleshooting
The tablet cannot find the PC. Check that both devices are on the same network and that the firewall allows flexdeck on private networks. Guest networks often isolate devices from each other. The desktop app's Home tab lists the problems it can detect, including the ones that only show up from a tablet.
The browser warns about the certificate. That is expected once. The desktop app uses its own self-signed certificate, which is what the tablet pins. The security notes explain why.
Safari will not connect on the same Mac or PC.
Safari can refuse an HTTPS page that calls http://127.0.0.1. Use the
Connect a browser code instead, which works in any browser.
A key does nothing. Open the key in the editor and check that its action has a target. If the action comes from a plugin, check in the desktop app that the plugin is running.