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ChuckandClaude Opus 5.5 56947298d6 a plugin API for content that changes while it scrolls (#696) 
* perf(timing): say which render-thread work a late frame followed

The soak already says how often a moving frame reached the panel late, but
not what the render thread was doing just before it. Vegas does two kinds of
work there between frames -- building its strip (compose, extend) and, with
live elements, patching changed pixels into it -- and deciding whether either
is affordable needs their own numbers.

- FrameTimingRecorder.note_op(kind, nbytes) tags the next presented frame.
  Totals gain op_frames, late_op_frames, op_freezes and op_bytes per kind;
  aggregate() still takes frames without ops. The file schema is unchanged.
- Vegas tags compose and every strip extension (with the bytes it copied).
- frame_soak prints an "after work" table: frames, late %, freezes and MB
  moved per kind, only when something tagged its work.
- render_bench gains --strip-screens (Vegas-sized strips), --patch-bytes /
  --patch-every / --patch-where (in-place column writes, as a live element
  update does) and --extend-every-screens / --extend-width (append + trim on
  a fixed cadence that holds the strip's width).

No runtime behaviour changes: this is the measurement gate for live Vegas
elements.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* docs(changelog): note the frame-op attribution and bench modes

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* perf(scroll): build the strip's PIL image only when something reads it

Every Vegas strip extension rebuilt ScrollHelper.cached_image from
cached_array in full, twice (append, then trim), on the render thread:
Image.fromarray is 1.7ms for an 8,000px strip and 3.8ms for 20,000px on a
Pi 4 (measured on ledpi), about two thirds of an extension's render-thread
cost. Nothing on the frame path reads the image's pixels; every frame is cut
from the array.

cached_image is now a property. append_content and drop_scrolled_prefix
defer it; the first read builds it from the array it started with and keeps
it only if the strip has not changed meanwhile, so a sync push racing an
extension cannot leave a stale image cached. Assigning cached_image stores
exactly what was assigned, as before. has_strip() says whether there is a
strip without building its image; the helper's frame path, Vegas and the
adapter's scroll-cache invalidation use it. The strip is also no longer held
in memory twice.

In Vegas the image is now built only by a multi-display sync push.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* feat(vegas): live elements -- a plugin API for content that changes while it scrolls

Vegas bakes each plugin's pictures into one strip, so a card already on its
way across the panel keeps what it showed when it was drawn. This adds the
API and bookkeeping for content that can be updated in place; the worker
that redraws and swaps it follows separately. No shipped plugin implements
the hook yet, so nothing changes for users.

Plugin API (core 3.8.0), all no-ops by default:
- BasePlugin.get_vegas_elements() -> [VegasElement(key, image, version,
  live, refresh_hz)]: named, fixed-width pieces of Vegas content.
- BasePlugin.redraw_vegas_element(key, width, height, at): a lock-free
  redraw for content that changes with time.
- BasePlugin.notify_vegas_data_changed(): data that lands outside update().
- src/plugin_system/vegas_elements.py (VegasElement, re-exported from
  base_plugin).

Core:
- PluginAdapter asks a plugin that implements the hook for elements on the
  background fetch only (under its lock, on its own canvas); every other
  path keeps get_vegas_content(). Live elements are pinned (padded with
  content_padding, never trimmed), tagged with their key, digest and data
  epoch in Image.info so the existing cache and group plumbing carry them
  unchanged, and untagged if a width budget crops them.
- RenderPipeline records where each live element lands (ElementRecord), in
  absolute strip columns a trim does not move; the block-start arithmetic
  is shared with the STATIC markers.
- PluginManager update listeners (add/remove_update_listener,
  notify_data_changed): told the moment update() completes, not at the
  next ~4s Vegas poll. The coordinator uses one to move each plugin's data
  epoch on.
- vegas_scroll.live_refresh (kill switch), live_max_hz, live_min_interval,
  live_lead_screens; per-plugin core-owned vegas_live. Live elements are
  off under multi-display sync, in swap mode and with offscreen_prefetch off.
- scripts/check_plugin.py checks the element contract
  (src/plugin_system/testing/vegas.py); test/fixtures/plugins/vegas-live-stub
  is a working example.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

---------

Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-09-30 20:59:16 -04:00

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# Configuration Reference
Every key in `config/config.json`, what it does, its default, and where the
code reads it. The file is created from `config/config.template.json` on
first run, and `ConfigManager._migrate_config()` merges any template keys
added by later releases into your existing config (your values are never
overwritten). Secrets live in `config/config_secrets.json` and are merged
into the config at load time.
Most settings are editable from the web interface; this page documents the
underlying keys for people editing `config.json` directly or writing
tooling against it.
## Top level
| Key | Type / default | Meaning | Read by |
|---|---|---|---|
| `web_display_autostart` | bool, `true` | Whether the web interface service starts with the system | `scripts/utils/start_web_conditionally.py` |
| `auto_update.enabled` | bool, `false` | Weekly automatic updates: LEDMatrix code first (health-checked, rolled back on failure), then installed plugins. Toggle in the General tab or install with `first_time_install.sh --enable-auto-update` | `web_interface/auto_update.py`, `src/auto_update_setup.py` (`is_enabled()`) |
| `auto_update.channel` | `"stable"` or `"beta"`, `"stable"` (template) | What Update Code and the weekly update install. `stable`: the newest `vX.Y.Z` release tag (pre-releases ignored), checked out with a detached HEAD. `beta`: `main`. Never moves a device backwards: one newer than the newest release keeps following `main` until a release contains its commit. Missing (configs from before channels) behaves like `stable` and is saved as `stable` once the device is on a release. General tab, Update Channel | `web_interface/update_channel.py` (`resolve()`) |
| `timezone` | string, `"America/New_York"` | IANA timezone for schedules and displays | `ConfigManager.get_timezone()` |
| `target_fps` | int, `100` | Legacy "Scroll Frame Rate". Core scrolling no longer reads it: scroll frames are presented at `display.hardware.limit_refresh_rate_hz` divided by each scroll's frame hold, and speed comes from each plugin's scroll settings. Still exposed to plugins via `BasePlugin.global_config` | `src/plugin_system/base_plugin.py` |
| `location` | object | `city` / `state` / `country`. Supplies the **default** for a plugin's own `location_city` / `location_state` / `location_country` setting, so weather, radar and friends follow this device without being configured twice. A value saved on the plugin itself still overrides it. Starlark (Tidbyt) apps get the same treatment: a `Location` field left blank on the app renders at this city (geocoded once via Open-Meteo, coordinates cached permanently) instead of the app author's default, which is usually San Francisco. If the city can't be looked up (no match, or the geocoder is unreachable; retried after 30 minutes), the app keeps its own default. | `SchemaManager.apply_device_location()`, then plugins via merged config; `src/device_location.py` for Starlark apps |
## `schedule` — display on/off hours
| Key | Type / default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| `enabled` | bool, `false` | Master switch for scheduled display on/off |
| `mode` | `"global"` or `"per-day"`, template uses `"per-day"` | Whether one time range applies to all days or each day has its own |
| `start_time` / `end_time` | `"HH:MM"`, `07:00`–`23:00` | Global-mode on/off times |
| `days.<weekday>.{enabled,start_time,end_time}` | per-day objects | Per-day-mode overrides |
Read by `DisplayController._check_schedule()` (`src/display_controller.py`).
Managed in the web UI under Schedule.
## `dim_schedule` — scheduled brightness dimming
Same shape as `schedule` (the template sets its `mode` to `"global"`), plus:
| Key | Type / default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| `dim_brightness` | int, `30` | Brightness percentage applied while the dim window is active |
Read by `DisplayController._check_dim_schedule()` (`src/display_controller.py`;
saved via `POST /api/v3/config/dim-schedule`). The display returns to
`display.hardware.brightness` outside the window.
## `display.hardware` — matrix panel hardware
All keys map to the corresponding `rpi-rgb-led-matrix` options and are read
in `DisplayManager._setup_matrix` (`src/display_manager.py`). Defaults are the
`config/config.template.json` values: `ConfigManager` adds any key missing from
`config.json` from the template on load, so `DisplayManager`'s own fallbacks
don't apply on a normal install.
The ranges are what the pinned rgbmatrix library and its Python binding accept
(`src/matrix_support.py`). The config API refuses anything else; a value
hand-edited into `config.json` makes the display log the setting and run in
fallback mode instead of starting the matrix.
| Key | Type / default |
|---|---|
| `rows` / `cols` | int, `32` / `64` — rows: even, 8–64; cols: at least 16 |
| `chain_length` | int, `2` — 1–255 (the Python binding stores it in one byte) |
| `parallel` | int, `1` — 1–3, and no more than `hardware_mapping` has outputs (`regular`, `classic`: 3; the others: 1) |
| `brightness` | int, `90` — 1–100 |
| `hardware_mapping` | string, `"adafruit-hat"` — `"adafruit-hat-pwm"`, `"adafruit-hat"`, `"regular"`, `"regular-pi1"`, `"classic"` or `"classic-pi1"` (case-insensitive; `compute-module` isn't in the installed build). A Pi 5 doesn't support `"classic-pi1"` |
| `scan_mode` | int, `0` — `0` progressive, `1` interlaced |
| `pwm_bits` | int, `9` — 1–11 |
| `pwm_dither_bits` | int, `1` — 0–2 |
| `pwm_lsb_nanoseconds` | int, `130` — 50–3000 |
| `disable_hardware_pulsing` | bool, `false` — `true` times brightness pulses in software (less exact); hardware pulsing needs the OE line on GPIO 18 and the Pi's onboard sound driver off |
| `inverse_colors` | bool, `false` |
| `show_refresh_rate` | bool, `false` — prints the refresh rate to stdout; draws nothing on the panel |
| `led_rgb_sequence` | string, `"RGB"` — `"RGB"`, `"RBG"`, `"GRB"`, `"GBR"`, `"BRG"` or `"BGR"` |
| `limit_refresh_rate_hz` | int, `100` — `0` = no cap; scroll timing assumes 100 Hz when `0` |
| `pixel_mapper_config` | string, `""` — e.g. `"U-mapper"` / `"Rotate:90"`; mappers that rotate or fold the chain change the display size plugins and the web preview see |
| `orientation` | string, `"normal"` — `"180"` rotates the rendered image 180° for panels physically mounted upside down (e.g. to move the Pi/wiring to a more convenient side); `"90"` / `"270"` for a panel on its side, swapping width and height; composed onto `pixel_mapper_config` as a trailing `Rotate:<degrees>` mapper, so it stays independent of any custom `pixel_mapper_config` value |
| `row_address_type` | int, `0` — non-standard panel row addressing: `1` AB, `2` direct row select, `3` ABC, `4` ABC shift + DE direct, `5` SM5368 / B707 row shift register (e.g. Waveshare 96x48 V2, with `led_rgb_sequence` `"BGR"`). On a Pi 5 the library supports only `0` and `2`, and LEDMatrix enforces that (`src/pi5_matrix_support.py`) |
| `multiplexing` | int, `0` — 0–22, pixel wiring scheme for outdoor/specialty panels (names listed in the README) |
| `panel_type` | string, `""` — set to `"FM6126A"` or `"FM6127"` for panels needing init; FM6124 / FM6124D / FM6124DJ panels need none, so leave it `""` |
## `display.runtime`
| Key | Type / default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| `gpio_slowdown` | int, `3` | GPIO timing slowdown for faster Pis (0–10). On a Pi 5 in PIO mode start at `1` (`0` acts as `1`) and raise it if the image flickers or shows garbage. Panels on `row_address_type` `5` (SM5368 row drivers) can need 6–8 on a Pi 4 — lower values make rows jump |
| `rp1_rio` | int, `0` | Pi 5 only: `0` = PIO (less CPU), `1` = RIO (higher refresh; `gpio_slowdown` effect inverted). Applied only if the installed matrix library supports it |
## `display.double_sided`
Drives `_LogicalMatrix` in `src/display_manager.py` — renders the same
logical image to multiple chained physical panels.
| Key | Type / default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| `enabled` | bool, `false` | Mirror output across panel copies |
| `copies` | int, `2` | Number of physical copies in the chain |
| `axis` | `"horizontal"`, default | Axis along which panels are chained |
## `display` — other keys
| Key | Type / default | Meaning | Read by |
|---|---|---|---|
| `display_durations` | object, `{}` | Per-plugin display duration in seconds, keyed by plugin id (e.g. `"clock": 15`) | `DisplayController._get_display_duration()` (`src/display_controller.py`) |
| `plugin_rotation_order` | array, `[]` | Explicit rotation order of plugin ids; empty = all enabled plugins in discovery order | `DisplayController._apply_plugin_rotation_order()` (`src/display_controller.py`) |
| `use_short_date_format` | bool, `true` | Compact date rendering in sports scoreboards | Nothing since `src/base_classes` was removed; scoreboards read `display.use_short_date_format` from their own plugin config |
| `scan_order_compensation` | string, `"auto"` | `"auto"` shows one half of each panel a refresh behind while something scrolls at one frame per refresh, which removes the 1px step a 1:N-scan panel shows across its middle; `"off"` disables it. Applies only to layouts whose row order is known: plain or parallel chains, 0 or 180 degree orientation, `multiplexing` 0, `scan_mode` 0, and not in the emulator | `DisplayManager._setup_scan_order_compensation()` (`src/display_manager.py`, `src/scan_order.py`) |
| `dynamic_duration.max_duration_seconds` | int, optional | Cap for plugins that request dynamic display time | `DisplayController._get_global_dynamic_cap()` (`src/display_controller.py`) |
## `display.vegas_scroll` — continuous scroll mode
Read by `src/vegas_mode/config.py` (`VegasScrollConfig.from_config`). See
[ADVANCED_FEATURES.md](ADVANCED_FEATURES.md) for behavior details, including
[live content in the ticker](ADVANCED_FEATURES.md#live-content-in-the-ticker).
| Key | Type / default |
|---|---|
| `enabled` | bool, `false` |
| `scroll_speed` | int, `50` (px/s) |
| `separator_width` | int, `32` |
| `plugin_order` | array, `[]` |
| `excluded_plugins` | array, `[]` |
| `target_fps` | int, `125` |
| `buffer_ahead` | int, `2` |
| `intra_plugin_gap` | int, `8` |
| `render_width_pct` | int, `100` |
| `min_content_separation` | int, `24` |
| `min_cut_gap` | int, `6` |
| `continuous_scroll` | bool, `true` |
| `offscreen_prefetch` | bool, `true` — render every plugin's ticker content on the background thread, each on its own canvas. `false` restores handing canvas-bound plugins to the render thread, one pause at a time. Temporary; see [OFFSCREEN_RENDERING.md](OFFSCREEN_RENDERING.md) |
| `prefetch_gate` | bool, `true` — let that background thread run Python only while the render thread is waiting for the panel, so the render thread never waits for the GIL when a refresh comes round. Only takes effect with the rebuilt rgbmatrix binding (`scripts/build_rgbmatrix_nogil.sh`). See [OFFSCREEN_RENDERING.md](OFFSCREEN_RENDERING.md) |
| `switch_interval_ms` | float, `0` — experimental: shorten Python's GIL switch interval to this many ms while Vegas runs. `0` leaves the default (5 ms) alone |
| `live_refresh` | bool, `true` — live elements: a plugin that supports them (scores, the flight map) has what is already scrolling updated when its data changes, instead of freezing each card as it was drawn. Always off under multi-display sync, in swap mode and with `offscreen_prefetch` off. `false` restores the frozen behaviour exactly. Per plugin: `vegas_live` in the plugin's section |
| `live_max_hz` | float, `5` (0–10) — ceiling on how often an animated live element (a moving aircraft) is redrawn; `0` keeps data updates and turns animation off. Capped at 1 Hz without the rebuilt rgbmatrix binding |
| `live_min_interval` | float, `2` (0.5–60) — shortest time between two data redraws of one plugin; a faster plugin is redrawn at this rate, never skipped |
| `live_lead_screens` | float, `1` (0–5) — how far ahead of the screen, in screen widths, an animated element starts being redrawn |
| `smooth_scroll` | bool, `true` — move a whole number of pixels per panel refresh, locked to vsync. `scroll_speed` is snapped to the nearest speed the panel can show that way (at 95Hz: 95, 47.5, 31.7 px/s…), measured against the panel's real refresh rate once scrolling starts |
| `sub_pixel_blend` | bool, `false` — the older smoothing: advance by elapsed time and blend neighbouring pixel columns. Looks anti-aliased in the web preview but shimmers on the panel and is not locked to the refresh. Overrides `smooth_scroll` when on |
| `extend_threshold_screens` | float, `2.0` |
| `auto_trim` | bool, `true` |
| `trim_threshold` | int, `10` |
| `content_padding` | int, `8` |
| `min_plugin_width` | int, `8` |
| `lead_in_width` | int, `0` |
| `plugins_per_cycle` | int, `6` |
| `max_plugin_width_ratio` | float, `0.0` |
| `overflow_mode` | string, `"rotate"` |
| `dynamic_duration_enabled` | bool, `true` |
| `min_cycle_duration` | int, `60` |
| `max_cycle_duration` | int, `240` |
| `frame_based_scrolling` | bool, `true` — does not step or set a frame rate; motion is by elapsed time either way. When `true`, `scroll_speed` passes through a clamp of 0.1–5 px per `scroll_delay` (see next row) |
| `scroll_delay` | float, `0.02` — not a frame period. Only used with `frame_based_scrolling`: the applied speed is `clamp(scroll_speed × scroll_delay, 0.1, 5) / scroll_delay` px/s, so at `0.02` speeds under 5 px/s run at 5, and at `0.001` nothing runs slower than 100 px/s |
| `live_in_ticker` | bool, `false` — keep scrolling during live games instead of handing the display to a full-screen scoreboard |
| `live_weight` | int, `3` (1–10) — slots per cycle for a plugin with live content |
| `favorite_live_weight` | int, `5` (1–10) — slots per cycle when a plugin reports a favorite team is live |
## `sync` — multi-display synchronization
Read by `src/common/sync_manager.py` and `src/display_controller.py`.
| Key | Type / default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| `role` | `"standalone"` (default), `"leader"`, or `"follower"` | This device's role in a synced pair |
| `port` | int, `5765` | TCP port used for sync traffic |
| `follower_position` | `"left"` (default) or `"right"` | Which half of the combined image this follower renders (`src/display_controller.py`) |
## `plugin_system`
| Key | Type / default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| `plugins_directory` | string, `"plugin-repos"` | Where the Plugin Store installs plugins and the only directory the plugin loader scans. Read by `PluginManager` and `PluginStoreManager` (`src/plugin_system/`); editable under General settings |
| `auto_discover`, `auto_load_enabled`, `development_mode` | bool | **Unused.** Legacy keys, read by nothing and no longer in the template; older configs may still carry them. Plugins are always discovered, and every plugin with `enabled: true` is loaded — to keep a plugin installed but dormant, set its own `enabled` to `false`. Not shown in the web UI; may be left in or removed from config.json |
## Plugin config blocks
Every installed plugin stores its settings under a top-level key equal to
its plugin id (the template ships one for the bundled `web-ui-info`
plugin). The shape of each block is defined by that plugin's
`config_schema.json`; common keys are `enabled` and `display_duration`.
See [PLUGIN_CONFIG_CORE_PROPERTIES.md](PLUGIN_CONFIG_CORE_PROPERTIES.md).
## `config/config_secrets.json`
| Key | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `github.api_token` | Optional GitHub token the Plugin Store uses to avoid API rate limits (`src/plugin_system/store_registry.py`) |
| `<plugin-id>.*` | Secrets a plugin declares with `"x-secret": true` in its config schema; merged into that plugin's config at load time |
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