====== Community Bulletin TV ======

**Community Bulletin TV** is a retro-inspired, web-based bulletin board system designed to emulate classic cable-access and community information channels from the 1980s–1990s.

It uses modern HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, but keeps the visual and behavioral feel of old-school TV bulletin systems: fixed-resolution screens, rotating pages, scrolling tickers, blinking text, and date/time overlays.

{{ :projects:544358890-0b34ef26-b0d3-416f-ad5a-1b2915091dc7.png?600 |}}
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===== Project Links =====

  * **GitHub Repository**  
    https://github.com/mobbyg/Community-Bulletin-TV

  * **Live Demo (GitHub Pages)**  
    https://mobbyg.github.io/Community-Bulletin-TV/

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===== Core Concepts =====

Community Bulletin TV is driven entirely by a single JSON file:

  * Screens rotate automatically
  * Each screen contains one or more "bands"
  * Bands render text, colors, alignment, blink state, and size
  * A global ticker scrolls continuously along the bottom
  * Macros allow live date/time and spacing substitutions

No database is required for playback.

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===== Key Features =====

  * Multiple rotating screens
  * Band-based layout with fixed pixel heights
  * Global scrolling ticker
  * Date & time macros (strftime-style)
  * Spacing macros for formatting text
  * 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratio support
  * Fullscreen playback (ESC to exit)
  * CRT-style scanlines overlay
  * JSON-based configuration
  * Editor UI for building bulletins (local / server-based)

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===== File Layout (Typical) =====

<code>
/community-bulletin-tv
├── play.html              # Playback screen
├── editor.html            # Bulletin editor UI
├── css/
│   └── bulletin.css
├── js/
│   ├── bulletin.js        # Playback logic
│   └── editor.js          # Editor logic
├── data/
│   └── bulletin.json      # Main configuration
└── save.php               # Optional server-side save endpoint
</code>

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===== bulletin.json Overview =====

The system is controlled via a JSON file with the following major sections:

  * **settings**
  * **screens**
  * **ticker**
  * **macros**

Example structure:

<code json>
{
  "settings": {
    "aspectRatio": "4:3",
    "screenDuration": 10
  },
  "screens": [ ... ],
  "ticker": { ... },
  "macros": { ... }
}
</code>

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===== Band Properties =====

Each screen contains one or more bands with properties such as:

  * text
  * height (pixels)
  * bgColor / textColor
  * fontSize (small, medium, large, xlarge)
  * align (left, center, right)
  * blink (true/false)

Bands stack vertically from top to bottom.

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===== Macros =====

Macros allow dynamic replacement inside band and ticker text.

==== Date / Time ====

Macros are defined in JSON using strftime-style format strings:

<code json>
"macros": {
  "date": "%Y-%m-%d",
  "time": "%H:%M:%S",
  "datetime": "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S"
}
</code>

Usage in text:

  * {date}
  * {time}
  * {datetime}

These update live every second.

==== Spacing Macros ====

Built-in spacing helpers:

  * **{space}** → single space
  * **{tab}** → three spaces
  * **{linef}** → line feed

These help with alignment and formatting in fixed-width layouts.

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===== Playback Behavior =====

  * Screens rotate every N seconds (screenDuration × 1000 ms)
  * Ticker scrolls continuously using requestAnimationFrame
  * Date/time macros refresh once per second
  * Ticker does NOT reset when screens change
  * Aspect ratio scaling preserves original resolution feel

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===== Editor Notes =====

The editor allows:

  * Creating screens
  * Adding, removing, and reordering bands
  * Editing band properties
  * Editing global ticker text and speed
  * Saving JSON via save.php (server required)

GitHub Pages demo is playback-only.

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===== Planned / Future Upgrades =====

  * Macro registry system (extensible macros)
  * Additional date/time tokens
  * Per-screen ticker overrides
  * Screen transition effects
  * Editor UI cleanup & grouping
  * Preset templates
  * Read-only "demo mode" toggle
  * Optional audio support
  * Raspberry Pi kiosk mode guide

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===== Personal Notes =====

This project is ideal for:

  * Community access TV
  * Retrocomputing displays
  * Museum exhibits
  * Hacker spaces
  * LAN party signage
  * Always-on TVs

The design intentionally favors predictability, legibility, and nostalgia over modern responsiveness.

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Last updated: %%DATE%%