Texting to a matrix

[greg becker]

I'm trying to learn more info on being able to have a user send a text message (name) to my matrix just like Matt Johnson did in his show on the Great Christmas Light fight" I heard it was done with the Falcon Player?

Any info on where I can read up on this?

Thanks!

[Bshaver]

Yes this is possible.

I have written a SMS plugin for FPP. You'll need a google voice number. and enable the 3rd party app control, etc.

[JonB256]

I did a lot of Matrix Tools text entry last Christmas season. My Smartphone wireless worked great. I would frequently ask a parent for a child's name and have it go across the matrix.

But, letting people put "whatever" across my display hasn't been a priority.

[Gerry]

Jon , Bshaver,

Would you'll care to explain a bit more on how this is done ? or if there are previous posts on this .. ?

[AussiePhil]

Jon , Bshaver,

Would you'll care to explain a bit more on how this is done ? or if there are previous posts on this .. ?

Echo the request for some explanations.

I have scoured the posts on setting up this stuff on FP and still none the wiser.

Seems the current plugins have (as is usually the case ) been written to resolve an immediate issue that is well understood by the parties involved and the rest of us are left swirling around wondering how to use them.
This is not meant to be an insult to the plugin people, it's just the fact for most software development in general.

I'll throw a couple general requirements in the mix and see if they are/can be meet.

Ability to store messages in one or more message queues
- Prirority queue
- Nightly queue
- Season queue
Maybe with the following structure
Model, time to display- seconds, delay to next seconds, message to display.

Ability to update the message queues via multiple methods.
- From FP Webpage
- From direct editing of text/xml file
- SMS
- Email

each of the above has different requirements, via FP and direct should be simple, SMS/email adds complexity for white/black lists etc, though the work done on the Vixen SMS stuff shows it's possible.

cheers
Phil

[JonB256]

For my method (no SMS involved), the first step is to create a Pixel Overlay Model for all or part of your Matrix.

This is under the Input/Output Setup tab.
Add an line entry, give it a model name, tell it the Start Channel. If you are using the whole matrix, then it is the first channel. If you are only using part of the matrix (top, middle, bottom), you will need to figure that out. Then how many channels, orientation, etc..
Save that model. You can have more than one.

Under the Plugins tab, be sure you have installed the Matrix Tools plugin. Pretty quick install.

To actually use Matrix tools, that is under the Status/Control tab.

First, you need to pick which Model to use. Then pick a "state" other than Disabled.
If you choose Enabled, the whole defined model, even if a show is running, will go dark. Intentionally. Don't worry.
Any Text or Drawing that you do will use 100% of the matrix.
I rarely used Enabled.

Much more useful is "Transparent".  If your show is running, your Text or Drawing will only appear where needed but the rest of the pictures or colors from the sequence will be "behind" your Text or Drawing.

"Transparent RGB" is very similar and I truthfully don't remember the difference. I almost always used Transparent.

So, while a song sequence was running at Christmas, I'd open Matrix Tools on my Smartphone (Galaxy Note II - fairly big screen), pick my model, turn on Transparent, Type in a message, pick the Fastest Scroll Speed, a fairly large font, a Color, then click Go. The text then began to scroll across over my show. It only goes once, but you can click Go again. I'd sometimes change the color, then Go again.

I entertained some of the neighbors one night by letting them Draw on the Matrix using my wife's iPad.

All you need to know is the the TCP/IP address of your Falcon Pi Player and have a good wireless signal wherever you are standing.

[Gerry]

Thanks very much Jon,

Definitely looks like something (even) I could get working. I just started yesterday on executing a simple turn on and turn off event script from the repository  ...but did not get to actually see it work on the panels as my better half pulled me away to do some work around the house ..

[CaptainMurdoch]

"Transparent" will override single channels at a time so if your sequence has red on for a pixel and you turn on green then both red and green will be on.  "Transparent RGB works on RGB triplets so if the sequence has red on for a pixel and you turn on green then the pixel will be green because three channels will be copied over the sequence data.

[Bshaver]

The SMS plugin - does no profanity check, so the others that were not wanting 'everything' to go out would not be feasable.

I have researched a few online or library profanity checkers, but it would require active internet connection. Well, the SMS would need internet access as well as I have implemented SMS via GoogleVoice Text account.

I've been very busy with things lately, however; PatDelaney has implemented the SMS and some basic features.

Start a playlist, stop a playlist, or add a message to the queue.

I have additionally written a TextMatrix plugin that would routinely check this 'queue' of messages and run them onto the matrix. so the nightly batch, queue could be expanded there.

Wish I could attend the Expo, but I have some more items local to home that need to be completed that week.

Pat is attending and can route things my direction as well.

Ben

[AussiePhil]

This is under the Input/Output Setup tab.
Add an line entry, give it a model name, tell it the Start Channel. If you are using the whole matrix, then it is the first channel. If you are only using part of the matrix (top, middle, bottom), you will need to figure that out. Then how many channels, orientation, etc..
Save that model. You can have more than one.

Thanks JonB,
This is good information.
Cheers

[AussiePhil]

The SMS plugin - does no profanity check, so the others that were not wanting 'everything' to go out would not be feasable.
I have researched a few online or library profanity checkers, but it would require active internet connection. Well, the SMS would need internet access as well as I have implemented SMS via GoogleVoice Text account.

I've been very busy with things lately, however; PatDelaney has implemented the SMS and some basic features.
Start a playlist, stop a playlist, or add a message to the queue.

I have additionally written a TextMatrix plugin that would routinely check this 'queue' of messages and run them onto the matrix. so the nightly batch, queue could be expanded there.

Ben

Thanks Ben,
I was aware of these various plugins but again I respectfully point out that the usage instructions are thin on the ground.
The external Vixen SMS software that has been written I think shows the way.
Things like SMS/Email message receipt and generation really should be handled outside of FP with the messages dropped into a queue folder.
The plugins then can concentrate on lifting the already cleaned and validated messages and displaying them.

There is definitely some KISS principle that needs to come into play here.

The Vixen SMS messaging application also works via whitelist and blacklist functionality and makes it easy for people to set up their own filtering without any reliance on internet.
Doing it via message queue folders also opens up the options for all sorts of custom apps to add messages into the queue.

[AussiePhil]

Sorry for the slight thread hijack, but Ben, reading through the php code for the message queue plugin, it seems to have a lot of elements in place as I suggested earlier.
Been a while since I coded any php, can read it ok though.

[Gerry]

Thanks very much Jon,

Definitely looks like something (even) I could get working. I just started yesterday on executing a simple turn on and turn off event script from the repository  ...but did not get to actually see it work on the panels as my better half pulled me away to do some work around the house ..

I was able to get stuff working on Day 2 of trying. Yesterday , my scrolling text was quite garbled and I could not access the matrix tools screen.

Today I changed the overlay definition to start from top left as attached, corrected the total number of channels and the scrolling text worked quite well.

My config is 4 panels high *  2 panels wide (ie 64 * 64) and have 4 panels each connected to 2 outputs from the octoscroller (defn attached)

I also switched from IE to Chrome and the matrix tools screen came up straight away and was able to write some text out which displayed well !

So next I will look at the other stuff that Phil is referring to and try some other stuff.

Thanks for the info above.

[JonB256]

Gerry, from your P10 configuration page, I would have assumed "bottom right" but it seems that xlights prefers top left. I was perhaps lucky when I set my 3x3 P10 in a top left wiring.

[CaptainMurdoch]

Gerry, from your P10 configuration page, I would have assumed "bottom right" but it seems that xlights prefers top left. I was perhaps lucky when I set my 3x3 P10 in a top left wiring.

The xLights and FPP Pixel Overlay model definitions will always be horizontal matrix starting at top-left with 1 strand per string.  The panels themselves are a top-left configuration, so I didn't put in logic to flip that upside down or let users choose any other orientation.