SmoothFLOW

SmoothFLOW for uniFLOW is a lightweight macOS menu bar application designed to ensure the uniFLOW SmartClient remains active and available when users are connected to the organisational network.

The application runs silently in the background and performs periodic checks to:

• Detect if the device is on the organisation’s network
• Verify that the uniFLOW SmartClient is running
• Automatically relaunch the SmartClient if required

This improves reliability for staff who frequently move between networks (e.g. on-site ↔ off-site).

⚙️ How It Works

🧠 Core Logic

Every 5 minutes, the application:

1. Checks network status
   • Detects the current network via:
     • Default gateway IP
     • Local IP address range
2. Determines environment
   • If on a recognised organisation network → proceed
   • If not → remain idle
3. Checks SmartClient status
   • If running → no action required
   • If not running → attempt to relaunch
4. Retries (if needed)
   • Up to 3 attempts to confirm successful restart

🌐 Network Detection

The application determines if the device is “on-site” using:

• Gateway matching
  Example:
  • 10.1xx.xx.1
  • 10.x.x.1
• IP range matching
  Example:
  • 10.xxx.12.xxx

This avoids reliance on Wi-Fi SSID detection, which is restricted on modern macOS systems.

🟢 Status Indicator (Menu Bar Icon)

The application uses a subtle coloured dot in the macOS menu bar to indicate status.

🟢 Green — Active & Healthy

• Device is on the organisation network
• uniFLOW SmartClient is running

👉 Normal operating state

🔴 Red — Restarting / Issue Detected

• SmartClient was not running
• Application is attempting restart

👉 Temporary state during recovery

🟡 Yellow — Off Network

• Device is not on a recognised network

👉 No action required — expected behaviour off-site

⚪ Grey — Initial / Unknown State

• Application has just launched
• Status not yet determined

👉 Transitional state only

🧰 Menu Options

Clicking the menu bar icon provides:

🔄 Check Now

• Manually triggers an immediate check
• Useful for testing or troubleshooting

ℹ️ About

Displays:

• Application name and version
• Developer information
• Link to additional resources

❌ Quit

• Stops the monitor application

⚠️ Note:
If deployed via MDM with a LaunchAgent, the app may automatically restart.

🧾 Logging

Logs are written locally to:

~/Library/Logs/SmoothFLOW-Monitor.log

Logs include:

• Network detection results
• Application state
• Restart attempts
• Errors or failures

👉 Useful for IT troubleshooting

🚀 Deployment Behaviour

When deployed via MDM:

• Installed to /Applications
• Automatically launched at user login via LaunchAgent
• Runs silently (no Dock icon, no window)
• Automatically restarts if terminated

🔋 Performance Impact

• Memory usage: ~15–25 MB
• CPU usage: negligible (only active during checks)
• Polling interval: 5 minutes

👉 Designed to have minimal impact on battery and performance

⚠️ Known Limitations

• Only monitors the uniFLOW SmartClient, not printer availability
• Network detection is based on IP/gateway assumptions
• Does not notify users of failures (silent recovery model)

🧑‍💻 Support Notes (IT Use)

If issues occur:

1. Check log file:~/Library/Logs/SmoothFLOW-Monitor.log
2. Confirm:
   • Device IP address
   • Gateway matches configured values
3. Verify:
   • uniFLOW SmartClient path:/Applications/uniFLOW SmartClient.app
4. Restart agent if needed:launchctl kickstart -k gui/$(id -u)/com.trent.smoothflow

📌 Summary

SmoothFLOW provides:

• Automated recovery of uniFLOW SmartClient
• Network-aware operation
• Silent background monitoring
• Minimal system impact

👉 Ensuring a consistent and reliable printing experience for staff.