OpenFrame

README

OpenFrame

Configuration

Album Config (config.json)

The openframe service reads its configuration from ~/.openframe/config.json on the CM5. An example config is provided in config/config.json:

{
  "albums": [
    "/path/to/album1",
    "/path/to/album2"
  ],
  "dateOverlay": true,
  "locationOverlay": false,
  "schedule": {
    "onTime": "06:00",
    "offTime": "20:00"
  },
  "interval": 30,
  "hdmiInput": 2,
  "randomize": true
}

Field	Description
albums	List of directory paths containing photos
dateOverlay	Show photo date on screen
locationOverlay	Show photo location on screen
schedule.onTime	Time to turn display on (HH:MM)
schedule.offTime	Time to turn display off (HH:MM)
interval	Seconds between photo transitions
hdmiInput	HDMI input number to switch to
randomize	Shuffle photo order

System Dependencies

I'm certainly missing others... but here is a start.

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install cec-utils

Build source

Right now I think this assumes the build is in the source repo as main binary - that should be changed =D

Systemd

Install

Deploy and enable everything (idempotent) from a checkout on the Pi:

cd ~/OpenFrame
./linux/install.sh

This copies the user units into ~/.config/systemd/user/, enables the 06:00/20:00 timers, and enables openframe-sync.service so the slideshow state is reconciled at every desktop login. That means a reboot during the active window restarts the slideshow immediately, instead of waiting for the next 06:00 timer. To apply the current window state right now without rebooting:

systemctl --user start openframe-sync.service

Strategy

Instead of letting the Go code decide when to power the TV on/off, we use systemd timers plus a small sync service to:

• Trigger openframe-sync.service at 06:00 and 20:00.
• The sync service decides whether to start or stop openframe.service based on current local time.
• openframe.service contains the CEC pre/post hooks to power on, select HDMI, and power off cleanly.
  • You can adjust the window by editing linux/openframe-sync.service and changing OPENFRAME_START_HHMM / OPENFRAME_STOP_HHMM.

Because the timers are Persistent=true, if the Pi is powered on after a scheduled time, the sync service runs immediately at boot and reconciles the display state appropriately (turn on if during hours, otherwise defensively power off).

Why Use systemd Timers?

• systemd has a built‐in notion of starting services on a schedule using .timer units (similar to cron, but more robust).
• We can define one timer to start at 06:00 (which powers on the TV, sets input to HDMI 2, and starts the slideshow) and another timer at 20:00 (which stops the slideshow and then powers the TV off).

Enable and Test the Timers

1. Copy all the .service and .timer files to either your user systemd location (~/.config/systemd/user/) or the system‐wide location (/etc/systemd/system/).

2. Enable and start the timers so they run every day (and at boot for missed runs):

   # If using user-level systemd:
   systemctl --user daemon-reload
   
   systemctl --user enable openframe-start.timer
   systemctl --user enable openframe-stop.timer
   
   systemctl --user start openframe-start.timer
   systemctl --user start openframe-stop.timer
   

   (If you’re using system‐wide units, omit --user and run as root.)

3. Check status:

   systemctl --user status openframe-start.timer
   systemctl --user status openframe-stop.timer
   

4. Manually test:

   • Force a reconciliation now (regardless of the clock):

     systemctl --user start openframe-sync.service
     

   • To simulate “on” hours, temporarily set env vars and run the script directly:

     OPENFRAME_START_HHMM=00:00 OPENFRAME_STOP_HHMM=23:59 bash ~/OpenFrame/linux/openframe-sync.sh
     

   • To simulate “off” hours:

     OPENFRAME_START_HHMM=23:59 OPENFRAME_STOP_HHMM=23:59 bash ~/OpenFrame/linux/openframe-sync.sh
     

Once verified, systemd will automatically do these every day at 06:00 (start) and 20:00 (stop).