Files
LEDMatrix/docs/ADVANCED_FEATURES.md
Chuck ddd300a117 Docs/consolidate documentation (#217)
* docs: rename FONT_MANAGER_USAGE.md to FONT_MANAGER.md

Renamed for clearer naming convention.
Part of documentation consolidation effort.

* docs: consolidate Plugin Store guides (2→1)

Merged:
- PLUGIN_STORE_USER_GUIDE.md
- PLUGIN_STORE_QUICK_REFERENCE.md

Into: PLUGIN_STORE_GUIDE.md

- Unified writing style to professional technical
- Added Quick Reference section at top for easy access
- Removed duplicate content
- Added cross-references to related documentation
- Updated formatting to match style guidelines

* docs: create user-focused Web Interface Guide

Created WEB_INTERFACE_GUIDE.md consolidating:
- V3_INTERFACE_README.md (technical details)
- User-facing interface documentation

- Focused on end-user tasks and navigation
- Removed technical implementation details
- Added common tasks section
- Included troubleshooting
- Professional technical writing style

* docs: consolidate WiFi setup guides (4→1)

Merged:
- WIFI_SETUP.md
- OPTIMAL_WIFI_AP_FAILOVER_SETUP.md
- AP_MODE_MANUAL_ENABLE.md
- WIFI_ETHERNET_AP_MODE_FIX.md (behavior documentation)

Into: WIFI_NETWORK_SETUP.md

- Comprehensive coverage of WiFi setup and configuration
- Clear explanation of AP mode failover and grace period
- Configuration scenarios and best practices
- Troubleshooting section combining all sources
- Professional technical writing style
- Added quick reference table for behavior

* docs: consolidate troubleshooting guides (4→1)

Merged:
- TROUBLESHOOTING_QUICK_START.md
- WEB_INTERFACE_TROUBLESHOOTING.md
- CAPTIVE_PORTAL_TROUBLESHOOTING.md
- WEATHER_TROUBLESHOOTING.md

Into: TROUBLESHOOTING.md

- Organized by issue category (web, WiFi, plugins)
- Comprehensive diagnostic commands reference
- Quick diagnosis steps at the top
- Service file template preserved
- Complete diagnostic script included
- Professional technical writing style

* docs: create consolidated Advanced Features guide

Merged:
- VEGAS_SCROLL_MODE.md
- ON_DEMAND_DISPLAY_QUICK_START.md
- ON_DEMAND_DISPLAY_API.md
- ON_DEMAND_CACHE_MANAGEMENT.md
- BACKGROUND_SERVICE_README.md
- PERMISSION_MANAGEMENT_GUIDE.md

Into: ADVANCED_FEATURES.md

- Comprehensive guide covering all advanced features
- Vegas scroll mode with integration examples
- On-demand display with API reference
- Cache management troubleshooting
- Background service documentation
- Permission management patterns
- Professional technical writing style

* docs: create Getting Started guide for first-time users

Created GETTING_STARTED.md:
- Quick start guide (5 minutes)
- Initial configuration walkthrough
- Common first-time issues and solutions
- Next steps and quick reference
- User-friendly tone for beginners
- Links to detailed documentation

* docs: archive consolidated source files and ephemeral docs

Archived files that have been consolidated:
- Plugin Store guides (2 files → PLUGIN_STORE_GUIDE.md)
- Web Interface guide (V3_INTERFACE_README.md → WEB_INTERFACE_GUIDE.md)
- WiFi Setup guides (4 files → WIFI_NETWORK_SETUP.md)
- Troubleshooting guides (4 files → TROUBLESHOOTING.md)
- Advanced Features (6 files → ADVANCED_FEATURES.md)

Archived ephemeral/debug documentation:
- DEBUG_WEB_ISSUE.md
- BROWSER_ERRORS_EXPLANATION.md
- FORM_VALIDATION_FIXES.md
- WEB_UI_RELIABILITY_IMPROVEMENTS.md
- CAPTIVE_PORTAL_TESTING.md
- NEXT_STEPS_COMMANDS.md
- STATIC_IMAGE_MULTI_UPLOAD_PLAN.md
- RECONNECT_AFTER_CAPTIVE_PORTAL_TESTING.md

Archived implementation summaries:
- PLUGIN_CONFIG_TABS_SUMMARY.md
- PLUGIN_CONFIG_SYSTEM_VERIFICATION.md
- PLUGIN_SCHEMA_AUDIT_SUMMARY.md
- STARTUP_OPTIMIZATION_SUMMARY.md
- PLUGIN_DISPATCH_IMPLEMENTATION.md
- NESTED_SCHEMA_IMPLEMENTATION.md
- AP_MODE_MANUAL_ENABLE_CHANGES.md
- PLUGIN_CONFIG_SYSTEM_EXPLANATION.md

Total archived: 27 files
Preserves git history while cleaning up main docs directory

* docs: rename API_REFERENCE.md to REST_API_REFERENCE.md

Renamed for clarity - this is specifically the REST API reference
for the web interface, not a general API reference.

* docs: update README.md to reflect consolidated documentation structure

Updated documentation index:
- Reflects new consolidated guides (51 → 16-17 files)
- Updated Quick Start sections with new file names
- Added consolidation history (January 2026)
- Updated file references (API_REFERENCE → REST_API_REFERENCE)
- Documented archival of 33 files
- Added benefits of consolidation
- Updated statistics and highlights
- Removed outdated references
- Professional writing style maintained throughout

* docs: add Vegas scroll mode system architecture documentation

Added comprehensive internal architecture section for Vegas mode:
- Component overview with diagram
- VegasModeCoordinator responsibilities and main loop
- StreamManager buffering strategy and content flow
- PluginAdapter integration and fallback behavior
- RenderPipeline 125 FPS rendering process
- Component interaction flows
- Thread safety patterns
- Performance characteristics

Covers:
- How the four components work together
- Initialization and render loop flows
- Config update handling
- Frame rate management and optimization
- Memory usage and CPU characteristics

---------

Co-authored-by: Chuck <chuck@example.com>
2026-01-29 10:32:00 -05:00

29 KiB

Advanced Features Guide

This guide covers advanced LEDMatrix features for users and developers, including Vegas scroll mode, on-demand display, cache management, background services, and permission management.


1. Vegas Scroll Mode

Overview

Vegas scroll mode displays content from multiple plugins in a continuous horizontal scroll, similar to news tickers seen in Las Vegas casinos. Plugins contribute content segments that flow across the display in a seamless ticker-style presentation.

Display Modes

SCROLL (Continuous Scrolling):

  • Content scrolls continuously left
  • Smooth, fluid motion
  • Best for news-ticker style displays

FIXED_SEGMENT (Fixed-Width Block):

  • Plugin gets fixed-width block on display
  • Content doesn't scroll out of its segment
  • Multiple plugins can share the display simultaneously

STATIC (Scroll Pauses):

  • Scrolling pauses when content is fully visible
  • Displays for specified duration, then resumes scrolling
  • Best for content that needs to be fully read

Configuration

Enable Vegas mode in config/config.json:

{
  "display": {
    "vegas_scroll": {
      "enabled": true,
      "scroll_speed": 50,
      "separator_width": 32,
      "plugin_order": ["clock", "weather", "sports"],
      "excluded_plugins": ["debug_plugin"],
      "target_fps": 125,
      "buffer_ahead": 2
    }
  }
}

Configuration Options:

Setting Default Description
enabled false Enable Vegas scroll mode
scroll_speed 50 Pixels per second scroll speed
separator_width 32 Width between plugin segments (pixels)
plugin_order [] Plugin display order (empty = auto)
excluded_plugins [] Plugins to exclude from Vegas mode
target_fps 125 Target frame rate
buffer_ahead 2 Number of panels to render ahead

Per-Plugin Configuration

Override Vegas behavior for specific plugins:

{
  "my_plugin": {
    "enabled": true,
    "vegas_mode": "scroll",
    "vegas_panel_count": 2,
    "display_duration": 10
  }
}

Per-Plugin Options:

Setting Values Description
vegas_mode scroll, fixed, static Display mode for this plugin
vegas_panel_count 1-10 Width in panels (1 panel = display width)
display_duration seconds Pause duration for STATIC mode

Plugin Integration (Developer Guide)

1. Implement Content Method:

def get_vegas_content(self):
    """
    Return PIL Image or list of Images for Vegas mode.

    Returns:
        PIL.Image or list[PIL.Image]: Content to display
        - Single image: fixed-width content
        - List of images: multiple segments
        - None: skip this cycle
    """
    # Example: Return single wide image
    img = Image.new('RGB', (256, 32))
    # ... render your content ...
    return img

    # Example: Return multiple segments
    return [image1, image2, image3]

2. Specify Content Type:

def get_vegas_content_type(self):
    """
    Specify how content should be handled.

    Returns:
        str: 'multi' | 'static' | 'none'
    """
    return 'multi'  # Default for most plugins

3. Optionally Specify Display Mode:

def get_vegas_display_mode(self):
    """
    Preferred display mode for this plugin.

    Returns:
        str: 'scroll' | 'fixed' | 'static'
    """
    return 'scroll'

def get_supported_vegas_modes(self):
    """
    List of supported modes.

    Returns:
        list: ['scroll', 'fixed', 'static']
    """
    return ['scroll', 'static']

Content Rendering Guidelines

Image Dimensions:

  • Height: Must match display height (typically 32 pixels)
  • Width: Varies by mode:
    • SCROLL: Any width (recommended 64-512 pixels)
    • FIXED_SEGMENT: panel_count * display_width
    • STATIC: Any width, optimized for readability

Color Mode:

  • Use RGB color mode
  • 24-bit color (8 bits per channel)

Performance Tips:

  1. Cache rendered images - Render in update(), not in get_vegas_content()
  2. Keep images small - Larger images use more memory
  3. Pre-render on update - Don't create images on-demand
  4. Reuse images - Return same image if content unchanged

Example Integration

Complete example for a weather plugin:

class WeatherPlugin(BasePlugin):
    def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
        super().__init__(*args, **kwargs)
        self.vegas_image = None

    def update(self):
        """Update data and pre-render Vegas image"""
        # Fetch weather data
        weather_data = self.fetch_weather()

        # Pre-render Vegas image
        self.vegas_image = self._render_vegas_content(weather_data)

    def _render_vegas_content(self, data):
        """Render weather content for Vegas mode"""
        img = Image.new('RGB', (384, 32))
        draw = ImageDraw.Draw(img)

        # Draw temperature
        draw.text((10, 0), f"{data['temp']}°F", fill=(255, 255, 255))

        # Draw condition
        draw.text((100, 0), data['condition'], fill=(200, 200, 200))

        # Draw icon
        icon = Image.open(f"assets/{data['icon']}.png")
        img.paste(icon, (250, 0))

        return img

    def get_vegas_content(self):
        """Return cached Vegas image"""
        return self.vegas_image

    def get_vegas_content_type(self):
        return 'multi'

    def get_vegas_display_mode(self):
        return 'scroll'

    def get_supported_vegas_modes(self):
        return ['scroll', 'static']

System Architecture

Vegas mode consists of four core components working together to provide smooth 125 FPS continuous scrolling:

Component Overview

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                   VegasModeCoordinator                      │
│  Main orchestrator - manages lifecycle and coordination     │
└───────┬──────────────────┬──────────────────┬──────────────┘
        │                  │                  │
        ▼                  ▼                  ▼
┌───────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐  ┌─────────────────┐
│ PluginAdapter │  │StreamManager │  │ RenderPipeline  │
│               │  │              │  │                 │
│ Converts      │─▶│ Manages      │─▶│ 125 FPS render  │
│ plugin content│  │ content      │  │ Double-buffered │
│ to images     │  │ stream with  │  │ Smooth scroll   │
│               │  │ 1-2 ahead    │  │                 │
└───────────────┘  │ buffering    │  └─────────────────┘
                   └──────────────┘

1. VegasModeCoordinator

Responsibilities:

  • Initialize and coordinate all Vegas mode components
  • Manage the high-FPS render loop (target: 125 FPS)
  • Handle live priority interruptions
  • Process config updates during runtime
  • Provide status and control interface

Key Features:

  • Thread-safe state management
  • Config hot-reload support
  • Live priority integration
  • Interrupt checking for yielding control back to display controller
  • Static pause handling (pauses scroll when content fully visible)

Main Loop:

  1. Check for interrupts (live priority, on-demand, config updates)
  2. If static pause active, wait for duration
  3. Otherwise, delegate to render pipeline for frame rendering
  4. Sleep to maintain target FPS

2. StreamManager

Responsibilities:

  • Manage plugin content streaming with look-ahead buffering
  • Coordinate with PluginAdapter to fetch plugin content
  • Handle plugin ordering and exclusions
  • Optimize content generation timing

Buffering Strategy:

  • Buffer Ahead: 1-2 panels (configurable)
  • Just-in-Time Generation: Fetch content only when needed
  • Memory Efficient: Only keep necessary content in memory

Content Flow:

  1. Determine which plugins should appear in stream
  2. Respect plugin_order configuration (or use default order)
  3. Exclude plugins in excluded_plugins list
  4. Request content from each plugin via PluginAdapter
  5. Compose into continuous stream with separators

Key Methods:

  • get_stream_content() - Returns current stream content as PIL Image
  • advance_stream(pixels) - Advances stream by N pixels
  • refresh_stream() - Regenerates stream from current plugins

3. PluginAdapter

Responsibilities:

  • Convert plugin content to scrollable images
  • Handle different Vegas display modes (SCROLL, FIXED, STATIC)
  • Manage fallback for plugins without Vegas support
  • Cache plugin content for performance

Plugin Integration:

  1. Check for Vegas support:

    • Calls get_vegas_content() if available
    • Falls back to display() method if not
  2. Handle display mode:

    • SCROLL: Returns image as-is for continuous scrolling
    • FIXED_SEGMENT: Creates fixed-width block (panel_count * display_width)
    • STATIC: Marks content for pause-when-visible behavior
  3. Content type handling:

    • multi: Multiple segments (list of images)
    • static: Single static image
    • none: Skip this plugin in current cycle

Fallback Behavior:

  • If plugin doesn't implement Vegas methods:
    • Calls plugin's display() method
    • Captures rendered display as static image
    • Treats as fixed segment
  • Ensures all plugins work in Vegas mode without explicit support

4. RenderPipeline

Responsibilities:

  • High-performance 125 FPS rendering
  • Double-buffered composition for smooth scrolling
  • Scroll position management
  • Frame rate control

Rendering Process:

  1. Fetch Stream Content: Get current stream from StreamManager
  2. Extract Viewport: Calculate which portion of stream is visible
  3. Compose Frame: Create frame with visible content
  4. Double Buffer: Render to off-screen buffer
  5. Display: Swap buffer to display
  6. Advance: Update scroll position based on speed and elapsed time

Performance Optimizations:

  • Double Buffering: Eliminates flicker
  • Viewport Extraction: Only processes visible region
  • Frame Rate Control: Precise timing to maintain 125 FPS
  • Pre-rendered Content: Plugins pre-render during update()

Scroll Speed Calculation:

pixels_per_frame = (scroll_speed / target_fps)
scroll_position += pixels_per_frame * elapsed_time

Component Interactions

Initialization Flow:

1. VegasModeCoordinator created
2. Coordinator creates PluginAdapter
3. Coordinator creates StreamManager (with PluginAdapter)
4. Coordinator creates RenderPipeline (with StreamManager)
5. All components initialized and ready

Render Loop Flow:

1. Coordinator starts render loop
2. Check for interrupts (live priority, on-demand)
3. RenderPipeline.render_frame():
   a. Request current stream from StreamManager
   b. StreamManager uses PluginAdapter to get plugin content
   c. PluginAdapter calls plugin Vegas methods or fallback
   d. Stream content returned to RenderPipeline
   e. RenderPipeline extracts viewport and renders
4. Update scroll position
5. Sleep to maintain target FPS
6. Repeat from step 2

Config Update Flow:

1. Config change detected by Coordinator
2. Set _pending_config_update flag
3. On next render loop iteration:
   a. Pause rendering
   b. Update VegasModeConfig
   c. Notify StreamManager of config change
   d. StreamManager refreshes stream
   e. Resume rendering

Thread Safety

All components use thread-safe patterns:

  • Coordinator: Uses threading.Lock for state management
  • StreamManager: Thread-safe content access
  • RenderPipeline: Atomic frame composition
  • PluginAdapter: Stateless operations (except caching)

Performance Characteristics

Frame Rate:

  • Target: 125 FPS
  • Actual: 100-125 FPS (depends on content complexity)
  • Render time budget: ~8ms per frame

Memory Usage:

  • Stream buffer: ~2-3 panels ahead
  • Plugin content: Cached in plugin's update() method
  • Double buffer: 2x display size

CPU Usage:

  • Light load: 5-10% (simple content)
  • Heavy load: 15-25% (complex content, many plugins)
  • Optimized with numpy for pixel operations

Fallback Behavior

If a plugin doesn't implement Vegas methods:

  • System calls the plugin's display() method
  • Captures the rendered display as a static image
  • Treats it as a fixed segment

This ensures all plugins work in Vegas mode, even without explicit support.


2. On-Demand Display

Overview

On-demand display allows users to manually trigger specific plugins to show immediately on the LED matrix, overriding the normal rotation. This is useful for:

  • Quick checks (weather, scores, time)
  • Pinning important information
  • Testing plugins during development
  • Showing specific content to visitors

Priority Hierarchy

On-demand display has the highest priority:

Priority Order (highest to lowest):
1. On-Demand Display (manual trigger)
2. Live Priority (games in progress)
3. Normal Rotation

When on-demand expires or is cleared, the display returns to the next highest priority (live priority or normal rotation).

Web Interface Controls

Access: Navigate to Settings → Plugin Management

Controls:

  • Show Now Button - Triggers plugin immediately
  • Duration Slider - Set display time (0 = indefinite)
  • Pin Checkbox - Keep showing until manually cleared
  • Stop Button - Clear on-demand and return to rotation
  • Shift+Click Stop - Stop the entire display service

Status Card:

  • Real-time status updates
  • Shows active plugin and remaining time
  • Pin status indicator

REST API Reference

Start On-Demand Display

POST /api/display/on-demand/start

# Body:
{
  "plugin_id": "weather",
  "duration": 30,        # Optional: seconds (0 = indefinite, null = default)
  "pinned": false        # Optional: keep until manually cleared
}

# Examples:
# 30-second preview
curl -X POST http://localhost:5050/api/display/on-demand/start \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"plugin_id": "weather", "duration": 30}'

# Pin indefinitely
curl -X POST http://localhost:5050/api/display/on-demand/start \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"plugin_id": "hockey-scores", "pinned": true}'

Stop On-Demand Display

POST /api/display/on-demand/stop

# Body:
{
  "stop_service": false  # Optional: also stop display service
}

# Examples:
# Clear on-demand
curl -X POST http://localhost:5050/api/display/on-demand/stop

# Stop service too
curl -X POST http://localhost:5050/api/display/on-demand/stop \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"stop_service": true}'

Get On-Demand Status

GET /api/display/on-demand/status

# Example:
curl http://localhost:5050/api/display/on-demand/status

# Response:
{
  "active": true,
  "plugin_id": "weather",
  "mode": "weather",
  "remaining": 25.5,
  "pinned": false,
  "status": "active"
}

Python API Methods

from src.display_controller import DisplayController

controller = DisplayController()

# Show plugin for 30 seconds
controller.show_on_demand('weather', duration=30)

# Pin plugin until manually cleared
controller.show_on_demand('hockey-scores', pinned=True)

# Show indefinitely (not pinned, clears on expiry if duration set later)
controller.show_on_demand('weather', duration=0)

# Use plugin's default duration
controller.show_on_demand('weather')

# Clear on-demand
controller.clear_on_demand()

# Check status
is_active = controller.is_on_demand_active()

# Get detailed info
info = controller.get_on_demand_info()
# Returns: {'active': bool, 'mode': str, 'duration': float, 'remaining': float, 'pinned': bool}

Duration Modes

Duration Pinned Behavior
None false Use plugin's default duration, auto-clear when expires
0 false Indefinite, clears manually or on error
> 0 false Timed display, auto-clear after N seconds
Any true Pin until manually cleared (ignores duration)

Use Case Examples

Quick Check (30-second preview):

controller.show_on_demand('weather', duration=30)

Pin Important Information:

controller.show_on_demand('game-score', pinned=True)
# ... later ...
controller.clear_on_demand()

Indefinite Display:

controller.show_on_demand('welcome-message', duration=0)

Testing Plugin:

controller.show_on_demand('my-new-plugin', duration=60)

Best Practices

For Users:

  1. Use timed display as default (prevents forgetting to clear)
  2. Pin only when necessary
  3. Clear when done to return to normal rotation

For Developers:

  1. Validate plugin ID exists before calling
  2. Provide visual feedback in UI (loading state, status updates)
  3. Handle concurrent requests gracefully
  4. Log on-demand activations for debugging

Security Considerations

Authentication:

  • Add authentication to API endpoints
  • Restrict on-demand to authorized users

Rate Limiting:

  • Prevent abuse from rapid requests
  • Implement cooldown between activations

Input Validation:

  • Sanitize plugin IDs
  • Validate duration values
  • Check plugin exists before activation

3. On-Demand Cache Management

Overview

On-demand display uses Redis cache keys to manage state across service restarts and coordinate between web interface and display controller. Understanding these keys helps troubleshoot stuck states.

Cache Keys

1. display_on_demand_request (TTL: 1 hour)

{
  "request_id": "uuid-string",
  "action": "start|stop",
  "plugin_id": "plugin-name",
  "mode": "mode-name",
  "duration": 30.0,
  "pinned": true,
  "timestamp": 1234567890.123
}

Purpose: Communication from web interface to display controller When Set: API endpoint receives request Auto-Cleared: After processing or 1 hour TTL

2. display_on_demand_config (No TTL)

{
  "mode": "mode-name",
  "duration": 30.0,
  "pinned": true
}

Purpose: Persistent configuration for display controller When Set: Controller processes start request Auto-Cleared: When on-demand stops

3. display_on_demand_state (Continuously updated)

{
  "active": true,
  "mode": "mode-name",
  "remaining": 25.5,
  "pinned": true,
  "status": "active|idle|restarting|error"
}

Purpose: Real-time state for web interface status card When Set: Every display loop iteration Auto-Cleared: Never (continuously updated)

4. display_on_demand_processed_id (TTL: 5 minutes)

"uuid-string-of-last-processed-request"

Purpose: Prevents duplicate request processing When Set: After processing request Auto-Cleared: After 5 minutes TTL

When Manual Clearing is Needed

Scenario 1: Stuck in On-Demand State

  • Symptom: Display stays on one plugin, won't return to rotation
  • Clear: config, state, request

Scenario 2: Mode Switching Issues

  • Symptom: Can't change to different plugin
  • Clear: request, processed_id, state

Scenario 3: On-Demand Not Activating

  • Symptom: Button click does nothing
  • Clear: processed_id, request

Scenario 4: After Service Crash

  • Symptom: Strange behavior after crash/restart
  • Clear: All four keys

Manual Recovery Procedures

Via Web Interface (Recommended):

  1. Navigate to Settings → Cache Management
  2. Search for "on_demand" keys
  3. Select keys to delete
  4. Click "Delete Selected"
  5. Restart display: sudo systemctl restart ledmatrix

Via Command Line:

# Clear specific key
redis-cli DEL display_on_demand_config

# Clear all on-demand keys
redis-cli KEYS "display_on_demand_*" | xargs redis-cli DEL

# Restart service
sudo systemctl restart ledmatrix

Via Python:

from src.cache_manager import CacheManager

cache = CacheManager()
cache.delete('display_on_demand_config')
cache.delete('display_on_demand_state')
cache.delete('display_on_demand_request')
cache.delete('display_on_demand_processed_id')

Cache Impact on Running Service

IMPORTANT: Clearing cache keys does NOT immediately affect the running controller in memory.

To fully reset:

  1. Stop the service: sudo systemctl stop ledmatrix
  2. Clear cache keys (web UI or redis-cli)
  3. Clear systemd environment: sudo systemctl daemon-reload
  4. Start the service: sudo systemctl start ledmatrix

Automatic Cleanup

The display controller automatically handles cleanup:

  • Config key: Cleared when on-demand stops
  • State key: Updated every display loop iteration
  • Request key: Expires after 1 hour TTL (or after processing)
  • Processed ID: Expires after 5 minutes TTL

4. Background Data Service

Overview

The Background Data Service enables non-blocking data fetching through background threading. This prevents the main display loop from freezing during slow API requests, maintaining smooth display rotation.

Benefits

Performance:

  • Display loop never freezes during API calls
  • Immediate response with cached/partial data
  • Complete data loads in background

User Experience:

  • No "frozen" display during data updates
  • Smooth transitions between plugins
  • Faster perceived load times

Architecture:

Cache Check → Background Fetch → Partial Data → Completion → Cache
    (0.1s)         (async)            (<1s)         (10-30s)    (cache)

Configuration

Enable background service per plugin in config/config.json:

{
  "nfl_scoreboard": {
    "enabled": true,
    "background_service": {
      "enabled": true,
      "max_workers": 3,
      "request_timeout": 30,
      "max_retries": 3,
      "priority": 2
    }
  }
}

Configuration Options:

Setting Default Description
enabled false Enable background service for this plugin
max_workers 3 Max concurrent background tasks
request_timeout 30 Timeout per API request (seconds)
max_retries 3 Retry attempts on failure
priority 1 Task priority (1=highest, 10=lowest)

Performance Impact

First Request (Cache Empty):

  • Returns partial data: < 1 second
  • Background completes: 10-30 seconds
  • Subsequent requests use cache: < 0.1 seconds

Subsequent Requests (Cache Hit):

  • Returns immediately: < 0.1 seconds
  • Background refresh (if stale): async, no blocking

Implementation Status

Phase 1 (Complete):

  • NFL scoreboard implemented
  • Background threading architecture
  • Cache integration
  • Error handling and retry logic

Phase 2 (Planned):

  • NCAAFB (college football)
  • NBA (basketball)
  • NHL (hockey)
  • MLB (baseball)

Error Handling & Fallback

Automatic Retry:

  • Exponential backoff (1s, 2s, 4s, 8s, ...)
  • Maximum retry attempts configurable
  • Logs all retry attempts

Fallback Behavior:

  • If background service disabled: reverts to synchronous fetching
  • If background fetch fails: returns cached data
  • If no cache: returns empty/error state

Testing

# Run background service test
python test_background_service.py

# Check logs for background operations
sudo journalctl -u ledmatrix -f | grep "background"

Monitoring

View Statistics:

from src.background_data_service import BackgroundDataService

service = BackgroundDataService()
stats = service.get_statistics()
print(f"Active tasks: {stats['active_tasks']}")
print(f"Completed: {stats['completed']}")
print(f"Failed: {stats['failed']}")

Enable Debug Logging:

import logging
logging.getLogger('src.background_data_service').setLevel(logging.DEBUG)

5. Permission Management

Overview

LEDMatrix uses a dual-user architecture: the display service runs as root (hardware access), while the web interface runs as a non-privileged user. Centralized permission management ensures both can access necessary files.

Why It Matters

Problem:

  • Root service creates files with root ownership
  • Web user cannot read/write those files
  • Results in PermissionError exceptions

Solution:

  • Set group ownership to shared group
  • Grant group write permissions
  • Use setgid bit for automatic inheritance

Permission Utilities

from src.common.permission_utils import (
    ensure_directory_permissions,
    ensure_file_permissions,
    get_config_file_mode,
    get_assets_file_mode,
    get_plugin_file_mode,
    get_cache_dir_mode
)

# Create directory with correct permissions
ensure_directory_permissions(Path("assets/sports"), get_assets_dir_mode())

# Set file permissions after writing
ensure_file_permissions(Path("config/config.json"), get_config_file_mode())

When to Use Utilities

Use permission utilities when:

  1. Creating new directories
  2. Writing configuration files
  3. Downloading/creating asset files (logos, fonts)
  4. Creating plugin files
  5. Writing cache files

Don't use for:

  1. Reading files (permissions don't change)
  2. Temporary files in /tmp
  3. Files in already-managed directories (if parent has setgid)

Permission Standards

File Permissions:

File Type Mode Octal Description
Config (main) rw-r--r-- 0o644 Owner write, all read
Config (secrets) rw-r----- 0o640 Owner write, group read
Assets rw-rw-r-- 0o664 Owner/group write, all read
Plugins rw-rw-r-- 0o664 Owner/group write, all read
Cache files rw-rw-r-- 0o664 Owner/group write, all read

Directory Permissions:

Directory Type Mode Octal Description
All directories rwxrwsr-x 0o2775 With setgid bit for inheritance

Note: The s in rwxrwsr-x is the setgid bit (2000), which makes new files inherit the directory's group ownership.

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Creating Config Directory

from pathlib import Path
from src.common.permission_utils import ensure_directory_permissions, get_config_dir_mode

config_dir = Path("config/plugins")
ensure_directory_permissions(config_dir, get_config_dir_mode())

Pattern 2: Saving Config File

from src.common.permission_utils import ensure_file_permissions, get_config_file_mode

config_path = Path("config/config.json")
with open(config_path, 'w') as f:
    json.dump(data, f)
ensure_file_permissions(config_path, get_config_file_mode())

Pattern 3: Downloading Logo

from src.common.permission_utils import ensure_directory_permissions, ensure_file_permissions
from src.common.permission_utils import get_assets_dir_mode, get_assets_file_mode

logo_path = Path("assets/sports/nhl/logo.png")
ensure_directory_permissions(logo_path.parent, get_assets_dir_mode())
# ... download and save logo ...
ensure_file_permissions(logo_path, get_assets_file_mode())

Pattern 4: Creating Plugin File

from src.common.permission_utils import ensure_file_permissions, get_plugin_file_mode

plugin_file = Path("plugins/my-plugin/data.json")
with open(plugin_file, 'w') as f:
    json.dump(data, f)
ensure_file_permissions(plugin_file, get_plugin_file_mode())

Pattern 5: Cache Directory Setup

from src.common.permission_utils import ensure_directory_permissions, get_cache_dir_mode

cache_dir = Path("cache/plugin-name")
ensure_directory_permissions(cache_dir, get_cache_dir_mode())

Integration with Core Utilities

These core utilities already handle permissions - you don't need to call permission utilities when using them:

  • ConfigManager - Handles config file permissions
  • CacheManager - Handles cache file permissions
  • LogoHelper - Handles logo file permissions
  • PluginManager - Handles plugin file permissions

Manual Fixes

If you encounter permission issues:

# Fix all permissions at once
sudo ./scripts/fix_permissions.sh

# Fix specific directory
sudo chown -R ledpi:ledpi /home/ledpi/LEDMatrix/config
sudo chmod -R 2775 /home/ledpi/LEDMatrix/config
sudo find /home/ledpi/LEDMatrix/config -type f -exec chmod 664 {} \;

# Verify permissions
ls -la config/
ls -la assets/

Verification

# Check directory has setgid bit
ls -ld assets/
# Should show: drwxrwsr-x (note the 's')

# Check file has correct group
ls -l assets/logo.png
# Should show group 'ledpi'

# Check file permissions
stat -c "%a %n" config/config.json
# Should show: 644 config/config.json