From 0d399bfb6e2101f1dee6276dd527090bd08271cc Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: ChuckBuilds <33324927+ChuckBuilds@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Sat, 19 Apr 2025 12:55:05 -0500
Subject: [PATCH] Add systemd service documentation to README and update
 install script for dynamic user detection

---
 README.md          | 64 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 install_service.sh | 21 +++++++++++++--
 2 files changed, 83 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 6a1f3bf2..b22e4694 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -225,3 +225,67 @@ LEDMatrix/
 ## Fonts
 You can add any font to the assets/fonts/ folder but they need to be .ttf and updated in display_manager.py
 
+## Systemd Service Installation
+
+The LEDMatrix can be installed as a systemd service to run automatically at boot and be managed easily. The service runs as root to ensure proper hardware timing access for the LED matrix.
+
+### Installing the Service
+
+1. Make the install script executable:
+```bash
+chmod +x install_service.sh
+```
+
+2. Run the install script with sudo:
+```bash
+sudo ./install_service.sh
+```
+
+The script will:
+- Detect your user account and home directory
+- Install the service file with the correct paths
+- Enable the service to start on boot
+- Start the service immediately
+
+### Managing the Service
+
+The following commands are available to manage the service:
+
+```bash
+# Stop the display
+sudo systemctl stop ledmatrix.service
+
+# Start the display
+sudo systemctl start ledmatrix.service
+
+# Check service status
+sudo systemctl status ledmatrix.service
+
+# View logs
+journalctl -u ledmatrix.service
+
+# Disable autostart
+sudo systemctl disable ledmatrix.service
+
+# Enable autostart
+sudo systemctl enable ledmatrix.service
+```
+
+### Convenience Scripts
+
+Two convenience scripts are provided for easy service management:
+
+- `start_display.sh` - Starts the LED matrix display service
+- `stop_display.sh` - Stops the LED matrix display service
+
+Make them executable with:
+```bash
+chmod +x start_display.sh stop_display.sh
+```
+
+Then use them to control the service:
+```bash
+sudo ./start_display.sh
+sudo ./stop_display.sh
+```
+
diff --git a/install_service.sh b/install_service.sh
index fc96c987..17b4121d 100644
--- a/install_service.sh
+++ b/install_service.sh
@@ -3,10 +3,27 @@
 # Exit on error
 set -e
 
-echo "Installing LED Matrix Display Service..."
+# Get the actual user who invoked sudo
+if [ -n "$SUDO_USER" ]; then
+    ACTUAL_USER="$SUDO_USER"
+else
+    ACTUAL_USER=$(whoami)
+fi
+
+# Get the home directory of the actual user
+USER_HOME=$(eval echo ~$ACTUAL_USER)
+
+echo "Installing LED Matrix Display Service for user: $ACTUAL_USER"
+echo "Using home directory: $USER_HOME"
+
+# Create a temporary service file with the correct paths
+sed "s|/home/ledpi|$USER_HOME|g" ledmatrix.service > /tmp/ledmatrix.service.tmp
 
 # Copy the service file to the systemd directory
-sudo cp ledmatrix.service /etc/systemd/system/
+sudo cp /tmp/ledmatrix.service.tmp /etc/systemd/system/ledmatrix.service
+
+# Clean up
+rm /tmp/ledmatrix.service.tmp
 
 # Reload systemd to recognize the new service
 sudo systemctl daemon-reload