142 lines
5.4 KiB
Markdown
142 lines
5.4 KiB
Markdown
# Scratching Post — Sunbeam Digital Signage
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A self-hosted digital notice board / signage system built on ASP.NET Core 8, designed for IIS on Windows Server 2019/2022.
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## Terminology
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| Component | Name | Description |
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|-----------|------|-------------|
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| Individual slide | **Meow** | A single content slide — WYSIWYG, embed, or calendar |
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| Slide collection | **PURR** | Persistent User Requests and Reminders — a device playlist |
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| Priority slide | **ASK** | Attention Seeking Kitty — overrides collection order *(planned)* |
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| Display node | **Kitten** | A device that plays a playlist of Meows |
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| Backend | **Scratching Post** | The admin panel where all content is managed |
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| Framework | **Sunbeam** | The underlying system powering everything |
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## Features
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- **WYSIWYG Editor** — TinyMCE with image upload, tables, rich text
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- **Embed Web Content** — iframe any URL as a slide
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- **ICS Calendar** — display upcoming events from any .ics feed
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- **Device Playlists** — assign slides to specific devices with individual durations
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- **Per-Device Resolution** — configure display resolution per device
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- **URL-Based Devices** — access displays via `http://server/frontofhouse`, `http://server/staffroom`
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- **Drag-and-Drop Playlist** — reorder slides in the admin
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- **Live Updates** — display polls for changes every 30 seconds
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- **Full-Screen Display** — hidden cursor, clock overlay, progress bar
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- **Smooth Transitions** — fade or slide transitions
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## Requirements
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- Windows Server 2019 or 2022
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- IIS with ASP.NET Core Hosting Bundle
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- .NET 8 SDK (for building) / .NET 8 Runtime (for hosting)
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## Quick Start
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### 1. Install Prerequisites
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Download and install:
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- [.NET 8 SDK](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download/dotnet/8.0)
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- [ASP.NET Core Hosting Bundle](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download/dotnet/8.0) (under Hosting Bundle)
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### 2. Build
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```powershell
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cd ScratchingPost
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dotnet restore
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dotnet publish -c Release -o ./publish
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```
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### 3. Deploy to IIS
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1. Open **IIS Manager**
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2. Create a new **Site** (e.g. ScratchingPost)
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3. Set the **physical path** to the `publish` folder
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4. Set the **binding** (e.g. port 80, or a hostname like `sign.local`)
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5. Set the **Application Pool** to **No Managed Code** (the Hosting Bundle handles .NET)
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6. Ensure the App Pool identity has **write access** to the publish folder (for SQLite DB and uploads)
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### 4. First Run
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The SQLite database (`noticeboard.db`) is created automatically on first start with two demo devices seeded:
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- **Front of House** at `http://server/frontofhouse`
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- **Staff Room** at `http://server/staffroom`
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### 5. Access
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| URL | Purpose |
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|-----|---------|
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| `http://server/admin` | Scratching Post admin panel |
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| `http://server/admin/slides` | Manage Meows (slides) |
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| `http://server/admin/devices` | Manage Kittens (devices) |
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| `http://server/frontofhouse` | Front of House display |
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| `http://server/staffroom` | Staff Room display |
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## Configuration
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Edit `appsettings.json`:
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```json
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{
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"MaxUploadSizeMB": 20
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}
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```
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## How It Works
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1. **Create Meows** (slides) — use the WYSIWYG editor for rich content, embed external URLs, or point to an ICS calendar feed
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2. **Create Kittens** (devices) — give each a name, URL slug, and display resolution
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3. **Build PURRs** (playlists) — assign Meows to Kittens with individual durations and drag-and-drop ordering
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4. **Display** — point a browser at `http://server/{slug}` and it runs full-screen with smooth transitions
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The display page polls for changes every 30 seconds, so updates appear on devices without restarting.
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## Display Controls
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Keyboard shortcuts on display pages (useful during setup):
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| Key | Action |
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|-----|--------|
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| Right Arrow or Space | Skip to next slide |
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| Left Arrow | Go to previous slide |
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| F or F11 | Toggle fullscreen |
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| C | Toggle cursor visibility |
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## Data Storage
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- **Database**: SQLite (`noticeboard.db`) — created automatically, zero config
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- **Uploads**: `wwwroot/uploads/` — images uploaded via TinyMCE or the file upload API
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- Both need write permissions for the IIS App Pool identity
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## TinyMCE Note
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The WYSIWYG editor uses TinyMCE CDN with `no-api-key`. This shows a small notification banner. For production, register for a free TinyMCE API key at [tiny.cloud](https://www.tiny.cloud/) and replace `no-api-key` in `Views/Slides/Create.cshtml` and `Edit.cshtml`.
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## Project Structure
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```
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ScratchingPost/
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├── Controllers/ # MVC controllers
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│ ├── AdminController # Dashboard
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│ ├── SlidesController # Meow CRUD
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│ ├── DevicesController # Kitten CRUD + Playlist management
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│ ├── DisplayController # Device display + playlist API
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│ └── ApiController # Image upload, ICS parsing
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├── Data/ # EF Core DbContext + seed data
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├── Models/ # Slide, Device, DeviceSlide
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├── Routing/ # DeviceSlugConstraint
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├── Views/ # Razor views (Admin, Slides, Devices, Display)
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├── wwwroot/ # Static files
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│ ├── css/ # admin.css, display.css
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│ ├── js/ # admin.js, display.js (Sunbeam engine)
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│ └── uploads/ # User-uploaded images
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├── appsettings.json # Configuration
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├── web.config # IIS configuration
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└── NoticeBoard.csproj # Project file
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```
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## Version History
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- **v1.0.0** — Initial release: WYSIWYG slides, embed, ICS calendar, device playlists, drag-and-drop ordering, live polling, IIS-ready deployment
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