Two defects, both found by rendering the real partial in a browser rather than by reading the code. It was losing a race to its own fields. The hand-off guard asked "do any fallback controls differ from their server-rendered defaults?" as a proxy for "is someone editing this?". But the fallback holds this block's own font fields, and the font-selector widget populates them on the same 50ms timer -- so a plain page load, with nobody touching anything, raced into "dirty" and the editor removed itself, leaving the 701-line accordion form it exists to replace. Measured: seven customization.*.font selects dirty ~60ms after injection, clean again by 400ms. The question is whether a *person* typed, and event.isTrusted answers exactly that; the listeners now go on synchronously, because the edit worth protecting can happen before initWidget runs. It took over too much. Taking over removed the whole fallback section, but a customization block can hold more than styling -- football keeps favorite_result_colors there -- so that removed the only UI those fields had, and the editor also rendered them as an element, giving every row an "enabled" and three colour columns. Core now marks the blocks it recognises as styling (the compact declaration already did; hand-written adoption did not), the widget renders only those, and the template drops only the children the widget reports owning. Verified on football's real schema: 28 rows across four mode tabs, columns Element/Font/Size/Colour/X/Y, favorite_result_colors still editable with its ten inputs, no duplicated field names, no console errors. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
LEDMatrix Widget Development Guide
Overview
The LEDMatrix Widget Registry system allows plugins to use reusable UI components (widgets) for configuration forms. This system enables:
- Reusable Components: Use existing widgets (file upload, checkboxes, etc.) without custom code
- Custom Widgets: Create plugin-specific widgets without modifying the LEDMatrix codebase
- Backwards Compatibility: Existing plugins continue to work without changes
Available Core Widgets
1. File Upload Widget (file-upload)
Upload and manage image files with drag-and-drop support, preview, delete, and scheduling.
Schema Configuration:
{
"type": "array",
"x-widget": "file-upload",
"x-upload-config": {
"plugin_id": "my-plugin",
"max_files": 10,
"max_size_mb": 5,
"allowed_types": ["image/png", "image/jpeg", "image/bmp", "image/gif"]
}
}
Features:
- Drag and drop file upload
- Image preview with thumbnails
- Delete functionality
- Schedule images to show at specific times
- Progress indicators during upload
2. Checkbox Group Widget (checkbox-group)
Multi-select checkboxes for array fields with enum items.
Schema Configuration:
{
"type": "array",
"x-widget": "checkbox-group",
"items": {
"type": "string",
"enum": ["option1", "option2", "option3"]
},
"x-options": {
"labels": {
"option1": "Option 1 Label",
"option2": "Option 2 Label"
}
}
}
Features:
- Multiple selection from enum list
- Custom labels for each option
- Automatic JSON array serialization
3. Custom Feeds Widget (custom-feeds)
Table-based RSS feed editor with logo uploads.
Schema Configuration:
{
"type": "array",
"x-widget": "custom-feeds",
"items": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"name": { "type": "string" },
"url": { "type": "string", "format": "uri" },
"enabled": { "type": "boolean" },
"logo": { "type": "object" }
}
},
"maxItems": 50
}
Features:
- Add/remove feed rows
- Logo upload per feed
- Enable/disable individual feeds
- Automatic row re-indexing
Other Built-in Widgets
In addition to the three documented above, these widgets are
registered and ready to use via x-widget:
Inputs:
text-input— Plain text field with optional length constraintstextarea— Multi-line text inputnumber-input— Numeric input with min/max validationemail-input— Email field with format validationurl-input— URL field with format validationpassword-input— Password field with show/hide toggle
Selectors:
select-dropdown— Single-select dropdown forenumfieldsradio-group— Radio buttons forenumfields (alternative to dropdown)toggle-switch— Boolean toggle (alternative to a checkbox)slider— Numeric range slider forinteger/numberwithmin/maxcolor-picker— RGB color picker; outputs[r, g, b]arraysfont-selector— Picks from fonts inassets/fonts/(TTF + BDF)timezone-selector— IANA timezone picker
Date / time / scheduling:
date-picker— Single date inputday-selector— Days-of-week multi-select (Mon–Sun checkboxes)time-range— Start/end time pair (e.g. for dim schedules)schedule-picker— Full cron-style or weekday/time schedule editor
Composite / data-source:
array-table— Generic table editor for arrays of objectsgoogle-calendar-picker— Picks from the user's authenticated Google Calendars (used by the calendar plugin)
Internal (typically not used directly by plugins):
notification— Toast notification helperbase-widget— Base class other widgets extend
The canonical source for each widget's exact schema and options is the
file in this directory (e.g., slider.js, color-picker.js). If you
need a feature one of these doesn't support, see "Creating Custom
Widgets" below.
Using Existing Widgets
To use an existing widget in your plugin's config_schema.json, simply add the x-widget property to your field definition:
{
"properties": {
"my_images": {
"type": "array",
"x-widget": "file-upload",
"x-upload-config": {
"plugin_id": "my-plugin",
"max_files": 5
}
}
}
}
The widget will be automatically rendered when the plugin configuration form is loaded.
Creating Custom Widgets
Step 1: Create Widget File
Create a JavaScript file in your plugin directory (e.g., widgets/my-widget.js):
// Ensure LEDMatrixWidgets registry is available
if (typeof window.LEDMatrixWidgets === 'undefined') {
console.error('LEDMatrixWidgets registry not found');
return;
}
// Register your widget
window.LEDMatrixWidgets.register('my-custom-widget', {
name: 'My Custom Widget',
version: '1.0.0',
/**
* Render the widget HTML
* @param {HTMLElement} container - Container element to render into
* @param {Object} config - Widget configuration from schema
* @param {*} value - Current value
* @param {Object} options - Additional options (fieldId, pluginId, etc.)
*/
render: function(container, config, value, options) {
const fieldId = options.fieldId || container.id;
// Sanitize fieldId for safe use in DOM IDs and selectors
const sanitizeId = (id) => String(id).replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9_-]/g, '_');
const safeFieldId = sanitizeId(fieldId);
const html = `
<div class="my-custom-widget">
<input type="text"
id="${safeFieldId}_input"
value="${this.escapeHtml(value || '')}"
class="w-full px-3 py-2 border border-gray-300 rounded">
</div>
`;
container.innerHTML = html;
// Attach event listeners
const input = container.querySelector(`#${safeFieldId}_input`);
if (input) {
input.addEventListener('change', (e) => {
this.handlers.onChange(fieldId, e.target.value);
});
}
},
/**
* Get current value from widget
* @param {string} fieldId - Field ID
* @returns {*} Current value
*/
getValue: function(fieldId) {
// Sanitize fieldId for safe selector use
const sanitizeId = (id) => String(id).replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9_-]/g, '_');
const safeFieldId = sanitizeId(fieldId);
const input = document.querySelector(`#${safeFieldId}_input`);
return input ? input.value : null;
},
/**
* Set value programmatically
* @param {string} fieldId - Field ID
* @param {*} value - Value to set
*/
setValue: function(fieldId, value) {
// Sanitize fieldId for safe selector use
const sanitizeId = (id) => String(id).replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9_-]/g, '_');
const safeFieldId = sanitizeId(fieldId);
const input = document.querySelector(`#${safeFieldId}_input`);
if (input) {
input.value = value || '';
}
},
/**
* Event handlers
*/
handlers: {
onChange: function(fieldId, value) {
// Trigger form change event
const event = new CustomEvent('widget-change', {
detail: { fieldId, value },
bubbles: true
});
document.dispatchEvent(event);
}
},
/**
* Helper: Escape HTML to prevent XSS
*/
escapeHtml: function(text) {
const div = document.createElement('div');
div.textContent = text;
return div.innerHTML;
},
/**
* Helper: Sanitize identifier for use in DOM IDs and CSS selectors
*/
sanitizeId: function(id) {
return String(id).replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9_-]/g, '_');
}
});
Step 2: Reference Widget in Schema
In your plugin's config_schema.json:
{
"properties": {
"my_field": {
"type": "string",
"description": "My custom field",
"x-widget": "my-custom-widget",
"default": ""
}
}
}
Step 3: Declare the Widget in manifest.json
The manifest is the allowlist -- a widget is served only if the plugin declares
it, so shipping a file under widgets/ does not by itself publish it:
{
"widgets": [
{ "name": "my-custom-widget", "script": "my-custom-widget.js" }
]
}
script is optional and defaults to [name].js. It must be a plain filename
directly inside the plugin's widgets/ directory.
Step 4: Widget Loading
The widget is loaded on demand when the config form renders a field that references it. The system will:
- Check if the widget is registered in the core registry
- If not, fetch
/static/plugin-widgets/[plugin-id]/[widget-name].js, which serves the declared script from the plugin'swidgets/directory - Render the widget using the registered
renderfunction
The fetch is a dynamic import(), so the file must parse as an ES module (a
plain IIFE does). If anything fails, the field falls back to a plain text input
holding the current value, so a broken widget never costs the user their
configured value.
Only string-typed fields take this path today; see docs/widget-guide.md
for the full details and limitations.
Widget API Reference
Widget Definition Object
{
name: string, // Human-readable widget name
version: string, // Widget version
render: function, // Required: Render function
getValue: function, // Optional: Get current value
setValue: function, // Optional: Set value programmatically
handlers: object // Optional: Event handlers
}
Render Function
render(container, config, value, options)
Parameters:
container(HTMLElement): Container element to render intoconfig(Object): Widget configuration from schema (x-widget-configor schema properties)value(*): Current field valueoptions(Object): Additional optionsfieldId(string): Field IDpluginId(string): Plugin IDfullKey(string): Full field key path
Get Value Function
getValue(fieldId)
Returns: Current widget value
Set Value Function
setValue(fieldId, value)
Parameters:
fieldId(string): Field IDvalue(*): Value to set
Event Handlers
Widgets can define custom event handlers in the handlers object:
handlers: {
onChange: function(fieldId, value) {
// Handle value change
},
onFocus: function(fieldId) {
// Handle focus
}
}
Best Practices
Security
- Always escape HTML: Use
escapeHtml()ortextContentto prevent XSS - Validate inputs: Validate user input before processing
- Sanitize values: Clean values before storing
- Sanitize identifiers: Always sanitize identifiers (like
fieldId) used as element IDs and in CSS selectors to prevent selector injection/XSS:- Use
sanitizeId()helper function (available in BaseWidget) or create your own - Allow only safe characters:
[A-Za-z0-9_-] - Replace or remove invalid characters before using in:
getElementById(),querySelector(),querySelectorAll()- Setting
idattributes - Building CSS selectors
- Never interpolate raw
fieldIdinto HTML strings or selectors without sanitization - Example:
const safeId = fieldId.replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9_-]/g, '_');
- Use
Performance
- Lazy loading: Load widget scripts only when needed
- Event delegation: Use event delegation for dynamic content
- Debounce: Debounce frequent events (e.g., input changes)
Accessibility
- Labels: Always associate labels with inputs
- ARIA attributes: Use appropriate ARIA attributes
- Keyboard navigation: Ensure keyboard accessibility
Error Handling
- Graceful degradation: Handle missing dependencies
- User feedback: Show clear error messages
- Logging: Log errors for debugging
Examples
Example 1: Color Picker Widget
window.LEDMatrixWidgets.register('color-picker', {
name: 'Color Picker',
version: '1.0.0',
render: function(container, config, value, options) {
const fieldId = options.fieldId;
// Sanitize fieldId for safe use in DOM IDs and selectors
const sanitizeId = (id) => String(id).replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9_-]/g, '_');
const sanitizedFieldId = sanitizeId(fieldId);
container.innerHTML = `
<div class="flex items-center space-x-2">
<input type="color"
id="${sanitizedFieldId}_color"
value="${value || '#000000'}"
class="h-10 w-20">
<input type="text"
id="${sanitizedFieldId}_hex"
value="${value || '#000000'}"
pattern="^#[0-9A-Fa-f]{6}$"
class="px-2 py-1 border rounded">
</div>
`;
const colorInput = container.querySelector(`#${sanitizedFieldId}_color`);
const hexInput = container.querySelector(`#${sanitizedFieldId}_hex`);
if (colorInput && hexInput) {
colorInput.addEventListener('change', (e) => {
hexInput.value = e.target.value;
this.handlers.onChange(fieldId, e.target.value);
});
hexInput.addEventListener('change', (e) => {
if (/^#[0-9A-Fa-f]{6}$/.test(e.target.value)) {
colorInput.value = e.target.value;
this.handlers.onChange(fieldId, e.target.value);
}
});
}
},
getValue: function(fieldId) {
// Sanitize fieldId for safe selector use
const sanitizeId = (id) => String(id).replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9_-]/g, '_');
const sanitizedFieldId = sanitizeId(fieldId);
const colorInput = document.querySelector(`#${sanitizedFieldId}_color`);
return colorInput ? colorInput.value : null;
},
setValue: function(fieldId, value) {
// Sanitize fieldId for safe selector use
const sanitizeId = (id) => String(id).replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9_-]/g, '_');
const sanitizedFieldId = sanitizeId(fieldId);
const colorInput = document.querySelector(`#${sanitizedFieldId}_color`);
const hexInput = document.querySelector(`#${sanitizedFieldId}_hex`);
if (colorInput && hexInput) {
colorInput.value = value;
hexInput.value = value;
}
},
handlers: {
onChange: function(fieldId, value) {
const event = new CustomEvent('widget-change', {
detail: { fieldId, value },
bubbles: true
});
document.dispatchEvent(event);
}
}
});
Example 2: Slider Widget
window.LEDMatrixWidgets.register('slider', {
name: 'Slider Widget',
version: '1.0.0',
render: function(container, config, value, options) {
const fieldId = options.fieldId;
// Sanitize fieldId for safe use in DOM IDs and selectors
const sanitizeId = (id) => String(id).replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9_-]/g, '_');
const sanitizedFieldId = sanitizeId(fieldId);
const min = config.minimum || 0;
const max = config.maximum || 100;
const step = config.step || 1;
const currentValue = value !== undefined ? value : (config.default || min);
container.innerHTML = `
<div class="slider-widget">
<input type="range"
id="${sanitizedFieldId}_slider"
min="${min}"
max="${max}"
step="${step}"
value="${currentValue}"
class="w-full">
<div class="flex justify-between text-xs text-gray-500 mt-1">
<span>${min}</span>
<span id="${sanitizedFieldId}_value">${currentValue}</span>
<span>${max}</span>
</div>
</div>
`;
const slider = container.querySelector(`#${sanitizedFieldId}_slider`);
const valueDisplay = container.querySelector(`#${sanitizedFieldId}_value`);
if (slider && valueDisplay) {
slider.addEventListener('input', (e) => {
valueDisplay.textContent = e.target.value;
this.handlers.onChange(fieldId, parseFloat(e.target.value));
});
}
},
getValue: function(fieldId) {
// Sanitize fieldId for safe selector use
const sanitizeId = (id) => String(id).replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9_-]/g, '_');
const sanitizedFieldId = sanitizeId(fieldId);
const slider = document.querySelector(`#${sanitizedFieldId}_slider`);
return slider ? parseFloat(slider.value) : null;
},
setValue: function(fieldId, value) {
// Sanitize fieldId for safe selector use
const sanitizeId = (id) => String(id).replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9_-]/g, '_');
const sanitizedFieldId = sanitizeId(fieldId);
const slider = document.querySelector(`#${sanitizedFieldId}_slider`);
const valueDisplay = document.querySelector(`#${sanitizedFieldId}_value`);
if (slider) {
slider.value = value;
if (valueDisplay) {
valueDisplay.textContent = value;
}
}
},
handlers: {
onChange: function(fieldId, value) {
const event = new CustomEvent('widget-change', {
detail: { fieldId, value },
bubbles: true
});
document.dispatchEvent(event);
}
}
});
Troubleshooting
Widget Not Loading
- Check browser console for errors
- Verify widget file path is correct
- Ensure
LEDMatrixWidgets.register()is called - Check that widget name matches schema
x-widgetvalue
Widget Not Rendering
- Verify
renderfunction is defined - Check container element exists
- Ensure widget is registered before form loads
- Check for JavaScript errors in console
Value Not Saving
- Ensure widget triggers
widget-changeevent - Verify form submission includes widget value
- Check
getValuefunction returns correct type - Verify field name matches schema property
Migration from Server-Side Rendering
Currently, widgets are server-side rendered via Jinja2 templates. The registry system provides:
- Backwards Compatibility: Existing server-side rendered widgets continue to work
- Future Enhancement: Client-side rendering support for custom widgets
- Handler Availability: All widget handlers are available globally
Future versions may support full client-side rendering, but server-side rendering remains the primary method for core widgets.
Support
For questions or issues:
- Check existing widget implementations for examples
- Review browser console for errors
- Test with simple widget first before complex implementations