Session Lifecycle in FMX

A session represents one complete guest interaction with the photo booth, from the moment they step up to the moment their media is finalized. Understanding the session lifecycle is essential for designing workflows, troubleshooting issues, and managing booth operations during events.

What Is a Session?

A session is a single, self-contained guest experience. Each session produces one Final Photo and optionally a video or GIF. All data collected during the interaction -- captured photos, survey responses, email addresses, SMS numbers -- is tied to that session's unique identifier.

Session Start Conditions

A new session begins under any of these circumstances:

• First launch -- When the booth enters Experience View for the first time after clicking Start Photo Booth
• Workflow loop back -- When the previous session completes normally, the workflow automatically cycles back to the beginning
• Manual restart -- When the operator presses Ctrl+R to restart the current session

At the start of each session, FMX assigns a unique session ID and creates placeholder entries for media and sharing URLs.

During a Session

Once a session is active, the workflow steps execute in sequence. Depending on the workflow configuration, a session may include:

• Photo capture -- One or more photos taken with the connected camera
• Guest input -- Survey responses, email addresses, phone numbers collected through on-screen forms
• AI processing -- Cloud-based services such as headshot generation, background removal, or style transfer
• Preview and selection -- Guests review their photos and choose favorites
• Printing -- Physical copies produced on a connected printer
• Sharing -- Media delivered via email, SMS, or QR code

Each step transitions to the next automatically or waits for guest interaction, depending on the step type.

Session End Conditions

A session ends in one of three ways:

• Normal completion -- The workflow reaches its final step and automatically starts a new session. This is the standard flow during unattended operation.
• Ctrl+R (Restart) -- The operator forces an immediate restart. The current session is terminated, cleanup runs, and a fresh session begins.
• ESC (Stop) -- The operator exits Experience View. The current session is terminated, cleanup runs, and FMX returns to the dashboard. The booth waits for the operator to start again.

Session Cleanup

When a session ends (by any method), FMX performs the following cleanup operations:

• Marks the session as finished in the local database
• Finalizes any placeholder entries (sharing URLs, media records)
• Stops any pending AI processing jobs for that session
• Saves all collected data (photos, survey answers, contact information)
• Prepares the environment for the next session

Cleanup ensures that no partial or orphaned data remains and that the next session starts with a clean state.

Session Data

The complete session record is stored locally on the FMX device. It is not uploaded to Foto Master Cloud as a full session record.

• Session ID -- Unique identifier linking all media and data
• Final Photo -- The rendered output image saved to the FinalPhoto folder
• Raw captures -- Original camera images before layout compositing
• Contact data -- Email addresses and phone numbers collected during the session
• Survey responses -- Answers to any survey questions presented
• Timestamps -- Start time, end time, and step transition times

Cloud sync sends specific child items when they are configured or submitted: selected media types, survey answers, email/SMS delivery requests, FMPrint jobs, and AI processing requests. The sessionId Included with those cloud requests is used for correlation; it does not mean the full local session record was uploaded.

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See also: Final Photo, Experience View, Queue Management