A couple of FPP matrix display scripts…
Updated November, 2021: Script Updates and related text changes.
There are ways to set up static displays (with no information changes, like just “Tune to: 99.9FM”) using Pixel Overlay Models and Effects, but the problem there is they can’t display changing information, such as song title and artist, and if you have to update the text- you have to edit the effect. You can also pull static text into a sequence from a file, but again- if you make a change you have to re-render every sequence that uses it.
I wanted a way to completely automate this sign, so we don’t have to deal with it at all in our sequences. I want to be able to just turn it on, and have it display our show and schedule information when nothing else is playing, and our tune-to and sequence/music information when something is. I don’t want it specifically tied to a sequence or playlist.
Well, FPP (Falcon Player) has a great REST API that makes this fairly easy. It can be polled for status, playlist and sequence information, as well as any available song tag information.
UPDATE, January 2022:
The scripts below may be outdated. I’ve moved all of my FPP scripts to Github:
Show Info Matrix
So, my first PHP script does just that. It’s pretty well documented, so I’m going to leave it at that. Obviously if you do your own show and want to use it- you will need to edit it accordingly. I’ll admit it’s a bit old-school (no objects here), but it works.
Note that in the code below- IP addresses and some display information have been modified. These scripts will be updated frequently as I modify them for our 2021 show. The most recent update was on 11/04/2021:
<?php
/***
* info-matrix.php
* by Wolf I. Butler
* v. 2.1, Last Updated: 11/04/2021
*
* Changes:
* Runs on the matrix FPP, and not the show-runner/master as before.
* Added override files to use for display testing and ??:
* display_blank.txt, if present, will prevent anything from displaying.
* display_info.txt, if present, will just display the show info.
* Added a status file output to use for our Web site. This file has the same information
* as what is being displayed. (Currently not using, so remarked-out.)
*
* This script uses the FPP REST-API to display currently running sequence song info.
* It also displays in-show information (such as a welcome message and tune-to info.)
* If there isn't anything playing, it displays show schedule and any other information
* from a file.
*
* This is designed to run on and FPP instance that is also controlling a matrix display
* capable of displaying the text using a pixel overlay model. The simplest setup would be
* a Raspberry Pi with a P10 Pi Hat connected to a set of configured P10 panels.
* It will need network (wired or WIFI) access to your main show-runner FPP ("Master") so
* it can obtain live sequence and media information.
*
* This script should be run ONCE in the background using UserCallbackHook.sh which can be found
* in the FPP Script Repository. Put it in the boot section so it only runs once on startup.
*
* THIS SCRIPT RUNS A CONTINUIOUS LOOP!
* YOU MUST END IT WITH ' &' SO IT RUNS IN THE BACKGROUND, OR IT WILL PREVENT FPP FROM BOOTING!!!
*
* Like this:
* boot)
* # put your commands here
* /bin/php /home/fpp/media/scripts/info-matrix.php &
* ;;
*
* No other setup in FPP is necessary. There are no playlists or scripts to run within FPP.
* I don't recommend running it with anything else, such as pixel outputs. It should be a
* "Player" and not a "Remote".
*
* This script uses code from "PixelOverlay-ScrollingText.php"
* From the FPP Script Repository. The author was not attributed in that source.
*
* License: CC0 1.0 Universal: This work has been marked as dedicated to the public domain.
*
* This script is provided "AS IS". Developer makes no warranties, express or implied,
* and hereby disclaims all implied warranties, including any warranty of merchantability
* and warranty of fitness for a particular purpose.
*
*/
//*** You must edit the following sections... ***
//PREROLL plays first, and might contain a welcome message.
//TUNE should be your tune-to information. It plays after PREROLL.
//Song information, if available, plays after TUNE.
//POSTROLL plays after the above. I use this for reminder/courtesy info.
//GAP is what to put between each element. It can just be spaces, or something like "... " or " - " or " * * * ".
define ( "PREROLL", 'Welcome to our light show!' );
define ( "TUNE", 'Tune To: 99.9 FM' );
define ( "POSTROLL", 'Please do not block driveways or traffic.' );
define ( "GAP", " - " );
//The following is used to display the text in FPP:
$host = "192.168.1.5"; # Host/ip of the FPP show-runner or other FPP instance with sequence and media data.
$name = "LED+Panels"; # Pixel Overlay Model Name. Verify name in FPP! Use "+" for any spaces. URL Encode any other special chars.
$color = "RAND"; # Text Color (#FF0000) (also names like 'red', 'blue', etc.). Set to RAND for random color for each message.
$font = "Helvetica"; # Font Name
$size = 14; # Font size
$pos = "R2L"; # Position/Scroll: 'Center', 'L2R', 'R2L', 'T2B', 'B2T'
$pps = 32; # Pixels Per Second to Scroll
$antiAlias = true; # Anti-Alias the text
//Block mode. You should leave this at 1 unless you need to enable advanced functionality.
//Set to 2 for Transparent mode, or 3 for Transparent RGB
$blockMode = 1;
//Sleep time. This is a loop delay in seconds to prevent this script from overloading FPP.
//It should always be at least 1 second, although it should be set higher if you notice performance
//or display issues (including the wrong information for a sequence). Default is 5 seconds.
$sleepTime = 5; //Seconds
//Idle file. This file contains show information played when a sequence isn't running.
//For example, it can contain show schedule information.
//Separate lines are split using GAP specified above.
//***This file needs to be uploaded to the "Uploads" folder in FPP's file manager.***
//It is loaded on every non-sequence loop iteration, so you can change it on-the-fly if you need to.
$idleFile = "info-matrix.txt";
//We have some "Static" light displays before and after our actual musical show. These emulate "old school"
//christmas lights, or just include patterns that we don't need to display any other information about.
//In these cases- we want to display the show information in the "idleFile" (above).
//In order to do this- I am prefixing those file names with the text below.
$staticPrefix = "Static_";
//We want to display live show info on our Web site. The following file will contain the currently-playing
//song information, or "(Idle)" if nothing is playing.
$statusFile = "/home/fpp/media/upload/status.txt";
/*
* If a song has no MP3 tags, the script looks in the Uploads folder for a TXT
* file with the same name as the MP3. This file should contain three lines of text:
* Title
* Artist
* Album
*
* For example: Little Drummer Boy Live.txt :
* Little Drummer Boy
* for King & Country
* Live Performance
*
* If you don't have specific information, leave that line blank (with a CR/LF).
* If there is no .TXT file, the name of the MP3 is displayed as the Title.
*/
/*
************************************************************************************
* That's it. Do not edit anything below unless you REALLY know what you are doing. *
************************************************************************************
*/
# Function to post the data to the REST API
function do_put ( $url, $data ) {
$data = json_encode($data); //The API uses JSON.
//Initiate cURL.
$ch = curl_init($url);
//Tell cURL that we want to send a PUT request.
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, 'PUT');
//Attach our encoded JSON string to the PUT fields.
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $data);
//Set the content type to application/json
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, array('Content-Type: application/json'));
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
//Set timeouts to reasonable values:
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CONNECTTIMEOUT, 10);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_TIMEOUT, 10);
//Execute the request
if ( $curlResult = curl_exec($ch) ) {
$arrReturn = json_decode ( $curlResult, TRUE );
return $arrReturn;
}
return FALSE;
}
//Get data from API
function do_get ( $url ) {
//Initiate cURL.
$ch = curl_init($url);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, TRUE);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_FRESH_CONNECT, TRUE);
//Set timeouts to reasonable values:
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CONNECTTIMEOUT, 10);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_TIMEOUT, 10);
//Execute the request
if ( $curlResult = curl_exec($ch) ) {
$arrReturn = json_decode ( $curlResult, TRUE );
return $arrReturn;
}
return FALSE;
}
//Load idle text display from file...
function idle_text () {
global $idleFile;
$info = "/home/fpp/media/upload/$idleFile";
if ( is_file ( $info ) ) {
$arrInfo = file ( $info );
$outText = null;
$gapFlag = FALSE;
foreach ( $arrInfo as $value ) {
if ( $gapFlag ) $outText .= GAP;
else $gapFlag = TRUE;
$outText .= trim ( $value );
}
}
else $outText = PREROLL . GAP . POSTROLL; //If no file, display what we can.
return $outText;
}
//Play text to matrix
function play_text ( $name, $outText, $blockMode, $arrDispConfig, $resetDisplay ) {
global $timer, $displayTime;
if ( $resetDisplay ) {
//Attempt to clear the display.
do_get ( "http://localhost/api/overlays/model/$name/clear" );
do_put ( "http://localhost/api/overlays/model/$name/state", array( 'state' => 0 ) );
}
else {
//Don't do anything if there is an active effect.
$arrStatus = do_get ( "http:/localhost/api/overlays/model/$name" );
if ( $arrStatus['effectRunning'] ) return FALSE;
}
$data = array( 'State' => $blockMode );
do_put ( "http://localhost/api/overlays/model/$name/state", $data );
//Randomize colors if RAND was used.
if ( $arrDispConfig['Color'] == 'RAND' ) {
$total = 0;
while ( $total < 255 ) {
//Setting minimum color brightness (~33%)
$rd = rand ( 0, 255 );
$gr = rand ( 0, 255 );
$bl = rand ( 0, 255 );
$total = $rd + $gr + $bl;
}
$rd = strval ( dechex ( $rd ) );
$gr = strval ( dechex ( $gr ) );
$bl = strval ( dechex ( $bl ) );
//Pad for color codes
if ( strlen ( $rd ) < 2 ) $rd = '0' . $rd;
if ( strlen ( $gr ) < 2 ) $gr = '0' . $gr;
if ( strlen ( $bl ) < 2 ) $bl = '0' . $bl;
$arrDispConfig['Color'] = '#' . $rd . $gr . $bl;
}
$arrDispConfig['Message'] = $outText;
if ( $timer ) $displayTime = time() - $timer;
$timer = time(); //Start a new timer.
return do_put ( "http://localhost/api/overlays/model/$name/text", $arrDispConfig );
}
//Init:
$lastFile = null;
$timer = FALSE;
$displayTime = FALSE;
$arrDispConfig = array(
'Color' => $color,
'Font' => $font,
'FontSize' => $size,
'AntiAlias' => $antiAlias,
'Position' => $pos,
'PixelsPerSecond' => $pps
);
//Loop continuously
while (TRUE) {
$resetDisplay = FALSE;
$fppStatus = do_get( "http://$host/api/fppd/status" );
if ( $fppStatus['fppd'] ) {
//fpp is running and playing a sequence.
//Display overrides...
//Don't display anything if "display_blank.txt" exists.
//Use this if you don't want anything displayed at all.
if ( is_file ( '/home/fpp/media/upload/display_blank.txt') ) {
sleep (30);
continue;
};
//Only display show info if "display_info.txt" file is found.
//This prevents the display of sequence information for testing.
if ( is_file ( '/home/fpp/media/upload/display_testing.txt') ) {
$outText = idle_text();
play_text ( $name, $outText, $blockMode, $arrDispConfig, $resetDisplay );
sleep (30);
continue;
};
//Bypass sequence information if a "Static" sequence is playing.
if ( isset ( $staticPrefix ) ) {
$staticLen = strlen ( $staticPrefix );
$seq = $fppStatus['current_sequence'];
if ( substr ( $seq, 0, $staticLen ) == $staticPrefix ) {
$outText = PREROLL . GAP . TUNE;
play_text ( $name, $outText, $blockMode, $arrDispConfig, $resetDisplay );
sleep ($sleepTime);
continue;
}
};
//Display song information if possible.
$mp3 = $fppStatus['current_song'];
$mediaFile = '/home/fpp/media/music/' . $mp3;
$timeRemaining = intval ( $fppStatus['seconds_remaining'] );
if ( $displayTime ) {
if ( $timeRemaining < $displayTime ) {
if ( $timeRemaining <= $sleepTime ) {
//Don't do anything. Song will be done before sleepTime is over.
sleep (1);
continue;
}
//Not enough time to complete full text display. Just display Preroll and Tune.
$outText = PREROLL . GAP . TUNE;
play_text ( $name, $outText, $blockMode, $arrDispConfig, $resetDisplay );
sleep ($sleepTime);
continue;
}
}
if ( $lastFile != $mediaFile ) {
//File change. Try to get new meta data.
$songTitle = FALSE;
$songArtist = FALSE;
$songAlbum = FALSE;
$lastFile = $mediaFile;
$mp3URL = rawurlencode ( $mp3 );
$arrMeta = do_get ( "http://$host/api/media/$mp3URL/meta" );
$arrMediaInfo = $arrMeta['format']['tags'];
if ( $songTitle = $arrMediaInfo['title'] ) {
if ( $songArtist = $arrMediaInfo['artist'] ) $songAlbum = $arrMediaInfo['album'];
elseif ( $songArtist = $arrMediaInfo['album_artist'] ) $songAlbum = $arrMediaInfo['album'];
}
if ( ! $songTitle ) {
$arrMP3 = explode ( ".", $mp3 );
$songTitle = $arrMP3[0]; //Default to MP3 name.
//Assuming no MP3 tags found. Try to retrieve song information text file.
$info = "/home/fpp/media/upload/$songTitle.txt";
if ( is_file ( $info ) ) {
$arrInfo = file ( $info );
foreach ( $arrInfo as $index => $value ) {
//Doing this way to limit errors if the file isn't formatted correctly.
if ($index == 0) $songTitle = trim ( $value );
if ($index == 1) $songArtist = trim ( $value );
if ($index == 2) $songAlbum = trim ( $value );
if ($index == 3) break;
}
}
}
$outText = PREROLL . GAP;
$outText .= TUNE . GAP;
$statusText = "(Idle)";
if ( $songTitle ) {
$outText .= 'Now Playing: ' . $songTitle ;
$statusText = 'Now Playing: ' . $songTitle ;
if ( $songArtist ) {
$outText .= ", By: " . $songArtist ;
$statusText .= "\nBy: " . $songArtist ;
}
if ( $songAlbum ) {
$outText .= ", Album: " . $songAlbum ;
$statusText .= "\nAlbum: " . $songAlbum ;
}
$outText .= GAP;
}
$outText .= POSTROLL;
$resetDisplay = TRUE; //Display new media information immediately when available.
//file_put_contents ( $statusFile, $statusText ); //Not using for now.
}
}
else {
//fpp is not playing a sequnce. Display general information from file.
$outText = idle_text();
}
//Display outText:
if ( $outText ) play_text ( $name, $outText, $blockMode, $arrDispConfig, $resetDisplay );
sleep ($sleepTime);
}
?>So, in a nutshell, this script runs on-boot in the background on the FPP SBC it is installed on. It gathers sequence information from the specified show-runner FPP instance. It then displays this information on the attached matrix/panel. If there is no sequence/song information available, it displays schedule and any other information loaded into a file. The matrix itself needs to be set up as a Pixel Overlay Model. Generally one called “LED Panels” is created automatically when you configure a P5 or P10 panel matrix in FPP.
So with this running- song and other information is displayed automatically, with no sequencing or other interactions needed. It just does its thing!
Show Status Matrix (Bonus)
Based on the above, and because I had some extra hardware and panels from another display I decided not to use this year, I decided that I would also like a matrix that displays the status of the show “at a glance” in my office. In this case, the information is pushed out to a much-smaller matrix hanging above a window inside. This tells me if FPP is running on the show-runner system, and also checks the system power, FM transmitter power, Projector power, the status of the Info Matrix (above), and shows scheduler and/or playlist and song information.
Here is that script:
<?php
/***
* show-status.php
* by Wolf I. Butler
* v. 1.3, Last Updated: 11/05/2021
*
* This script displays the status of my show. It is based on info-matrix.php.
*
* This should be run on the FPP that is controlling the show status matrix.
* It must have network access to the main show-runner and any other monitored FPP instances.
*
* This script should be run ONCE in the background using UserCallbackHook.sh which can be found
* in the FPP Script Repository. Put it in the boot section so it only runs once on startup.
*
* THIS SCRIPT RUNS A CONTINUIOUS LOOP!
* YOU MUST END IT WITH ' &' SO IT RUNS IN THE BACKGROUND, OR IT WILL PREVENT FPP FROM BOOTING!!!
*
* Like this:
* boot)
* # put your commands here
* /bin/php /home/fpp/media/scripts/show-status.php &
* ;;
*
* This script uses code from "PixelOverlay-ScrollingText.php"
* From the FPP Script Repository. The author was not attributed in that source.
*
* License: CC0 1.0 Universal: This work has been marked as dedicated to the public domain.
*
* This script is provided "AS IS". Developer makes no warranties, express or implied,
* and hereby disclaims all implied warranties, including any warranty of merchantability
* and warranty of fitness for a particular purpose.
*
*/
//*** You must edit the following sections... ***
define ( 'GAP', ', ');
//The following is used to display the text in FPP:
$host = "192.168.1.5"; # Host/ip of the show-runner FPP instance. This can be localhost, an IP address, or a resolvable host name.
$name = "LED+Panels"; # Pixel Overlay Model Name. Verify name in FPP! Use "+" for any spaces. URL Encode any other special chars.
$color = "RAND"; # Color code (#00FF00), value (Green), or "RAND" for random.
$font = "DejaVuSans"; # Font Name. RAND will randomize fonts.
$size = 14; # Font size
$pos = "R2L"; # Position/Scroll: 'Center', 'L2R', 'R2L', 'T2B', 'B2T'
$pps = 48; # Pixels Per Second to Scroll
$antiAlias = TRUE; # Anti-Alias the text
//Block mode. You should leave this at 1 unless you need to enable advanced functionality.
//Set to 2 for Transparent mode, or 3 for Transparent RGB
$blockMode = 1;
//Sleep time. This is a loop delay in seconds to prevent this script from overloading FPP.
//It should always be at least 1 second, although it should be set higher if you notice performance
//or display issues (including the wrong information for a sequence). Default is 10 seconds.
$sleepTime = 10; //Seconds
//Show Name to display:
$showName = "Light Show";
//Power controller and Overlays used for GPIOs. Set $power to FALSE if not using.
$power = "192.168.1.33";
$powerOverlays = array ( "Power_Left", "Power_Right" ); //Pixel overlay(s) to test.
$powerNames = array ( "Power-L", "Power-R" ); //Display names.
//FM Transmitter power. Set to FALSE if not using.
$FM = "192.168.1.5";
$fmOverlay = "FM-Power"; //Pixel overlay to test
//Projector power. Set to FALSE if not using.
$proj = "192.168.1.5";
$projOverlay = "Projector-Power"; //Pixel overlay to test.
//Info-array. (Tune-To, Song Info.) Set to FALSE if not using.
$info = "192.168.1.20";
$infoOverlay = "LED+Panels"; //Pixel overlay to test.
/*
************************************************************************************
* That's it. Do not edit anything below unless you REALLY know what you are doing. *
************************************************************************************
*/
# Function to post the data to the REST API
function do_put ( $url, $data ) {
$data = json_encode ( $data );
//Initiate cURL.
$ch = curl_init($url);
//Tell cURL that we want to send a PUT request.
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, 'PUT');
//Attach our encoded JSON string to the PUT fields.
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $data);
//Set the content type to application/json
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, array('Content-Type: application/json'));
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
//Set timeouts to reasonable values:
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CONNECTTIMEOUT, 10);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_TIMEOUT, 10);
//Execute the request
$curlResult = curl_exec($ch);
curl_close($ch);
return $curlResult;
}
//Get data from API
function do_get ( $url ) {
//Initiate cURL.
$ch = curl_init($url);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, TRUE);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_FRESH_CONNECT, TRUE);
//Set timeouts to reasonable values:
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CONNECTTIMEOUT, 10);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_TIMEOUT, 10);
//Execute the request
if ( $curlResult = curl_exec($ch) ) {
$arrReturn = json_decode ( $curlResult, TRUE );
return $arrReturn;
}
else return FALSE;
}
//Check to see if the model is currently active.
function is_active ( $host, $name ) {
$arrStatus = do_get ( "http://$host/api/overlays/model/$name" );
if ( $arrStatus['isActive'] ) return TRUE;
else return FALSE;
}
//Play text to matrix
function play_text ( $name, $outText, $blockMode, $arrDispConfig, $resetDisplay ) {
global $fontList;
if ( $resetDisplay ) {
do_get ( "http://localhost/api/overlays/model/$name/clear" );
do_put ( "http://localhost/api/overlays/model/$name/state", array( 'state' => 0 ) );
}
else {
//Don't do anything if there is an active effect.
$arrStatus = do_get ( "http://localhost/api/overlays/model/$name" );
if ( $arrStatus['effectRunning'] ) return FALSE;
}
//Initialize display.
$data = array( 'State' => $blockMode );
do_put("http://localhost/api/overlays/model/$name/state", $data );
if ( $arrDispConfig['Font'] == 'RAND' ) {
//Pick a random font and display it on the console (Temporary)
$x = array_rand( $fontList );
$font = $fontList[$x];
$arrDispConfig['Font'] = $font;
echo "\nRandom font: $font";
}
if ( $arrDispConfig['Color'] == 'RAND' ) {
$total = 0;
while ( $total < 400 ) { //Setting for minimum brightness.
//Set these for a dimmer or brighter display.
$rd = rand ( 0, 150 ); //Never want all red, since that indicates an error.
$gr = rand ( 0, 255 );
$bl = rand ( 0, 255 );
$total = $rd + $gr + $bl;
}
$rd = strval ( dechex ( $rd ) );
$gr = strval ( dechex ( $gr ) );
$bl = strval ( dechex ( $bl ) );
//Pad for color codes
if ( strlen ( $rd ) < 2 ) $rd = '0' . $rd;
if ( strlen ( $gr ) < 2 ) $gr = '0' . $gr;
if ( strlen ( $bl ) < 2 ) $bl = '0' . $bl;
$arrDispConfig['Color'] = '#' . $rd . $gr . $bl;
}
$arrDispConfig['Message'] = $outText;
return do_put("http://localhost/api/overlays/model/$name/text", $arrDispConfig );
}
//Init:
$online = null;
$lastStatus = null;
$lastSequence = null;
$lastText = null;
$infoOffCount = 0;
$fontList = do_get ( "http://localhost/api/overlays/fonts" );
$arrDispConfig = array(
'Color' => $color,
'Font' => $font,
'FontSize' => $size,
'AntiAlias' => $antiAlias,
'Position' => $pos,
'PixelsPerSecond' => $pps
);
//Loop continuously
while (TRUE) {
$fppStatus = do_get( "http://$host/api/fppd/status" );
if ( $fppStatus['fppd'] ) {
//fpp is running.
$online = TRUE;
$arrDispConfig['Color'] = $color; //Just in case it was overridden (below).
$outText = "$showName is Online" . GAP;
if ( $power ) {
$commaFlag = FALSE;
foreach ( $powerOverlays as $pwrIndex => $overlay ) {
if ( $commaFlag ) $outText .= ', ';
else $commaFlag = TRUE;
if ( is_active ( $power, $overlay ) ) $outText .= $powerNames[$pwrIndex] . ": ON";
else $outText .= $powerNames[$pwrIndex] . ": OFF";
}
$outText .= GAP;
}
if ( $FM ) {
if ( is_active ( $FM, $fmOverlay ) ) $outText .= "FM: ON" . GAP;
else $outText .= "FM: OFF" . GAP;
}
if ( $proj ) {
if ( is_active ( $proj, $projOverlay ) ) $outText .= "Projector: ON" . GAP;
else $outText .= "Projector: OFF" . GAP;
}
//Using infoOffCount for this because the overlay may be off for a few seconds at a time
//between text cycles. This introduces a delay in the "Off" indicator, but reduces false positives.
if ( $info ) {
if ( is_active( $info, $infoOverlay ) ) {
$infoOffCount = 0;
$outText .= "Info: ON" . GAP;
}
else {
if ( $infoOffCount > 2 ) $outText .= "Info: OFF" . GAP;
else {
$infoOffCount++;
$outText .= "Info: ON" . GAP;
}
}
}
$playlist = $fppStatus['current_playlist']['playlist'];
if ( $playlist ) {
$outText .= "Playlist: \"$playlist\",";
if ( $sequence = $fppStatus['current_sequence'] ) {
$outText .= " Sequence: $sequence";
$outText .= ", Song: " . $fppStatus['current_song'];
}
}
elseif ( $fppStatus['next_playlist']['start_time'] ) {
$outText .= "Scheduled Playlist: \"" . $fppStatus['next_playlist']['playlist'];;
$outText .= "\" will run: " . $fppStatus['next_playlist']['start_time'];
}
else $outText .= "Nothing playing or scheduled";
}
else
{
//FPP is not running!
$online = FALSE;
$arrDispConfig['Color'] = '#990000'; //Override- Red
$outText = "$showName is OFFLINE!!!";
}
//Reset the display any time there is a change...
$resetDisplay = FALSE;
if ( $lastStatus != $online ) $resetDisplay = TRUE;
if ( $lastText != $outText ) $resetDisplay = TRUE;
$lastStatus = $online;
$lastText = $outText;
play_text ( $name, $outText, $blockMode, $arrDispConfig, $resetDisplay );
sleep ($sleepTime);
}
?>Here is a video of it in action:
As noted in the script comments, either or both scripts should be run on-boot using the UserCallbackHook.sh script, and should be on the controller that is running the display matrix/panel. Once set up, you can pretty much forget about them- they will just do their thing in the background- just turn them on and off as-needed.
If you get errors running these scripts, chances are really good that something got converted into an “HTML Entity” here. You may need to find-and replace the following. Unfortunately it seems to happen randomly when I update these on my Web site, and sometimes I don’t catch it.
& = &
< = <
> = >
If you are interested in how I am controlling and monitoring power, check out More Power! which shows my main power controller build, and FrankenPower Mk III, which shows my 8-port power controller. The FM transmitter power is controlled using a relay driven by a GPIO output on my main Show-Runner FPP. My projector is controlled by my projector power controller, which emulates an IR remote control. All of these are managed via pixel overlay models tied either to GPIOs or E1.31 relay controllers.
So, for example, I can use GPIO 4 on a Raspberry Pi to control a power relay. I then use FPP to set up a GPIO “Output” for that GPIO, and set up a single channel Pixel Overlay Model for it. Then- I can toggle that pixel overlay on and off (by setting it to 255 or 0, respectively), which toggles the power relay on and off. I can also read the state of the FPP machine/instance and pixel overlay model to determine the power setting.