Desktop Control Tablet

A Desktop Companion Tablet built to control my Windows 10 home computer with a Raspberry Pi and touch screen. Focuses on modularity and customizability to allow easy addition and swapping of "modules" and other components. Pairs with the Companion Server.

Features

Live Spotify current track display and playback control
Built in remote volume mixer control for any desktop program
Change current audio output device
Live desktop performance(CPU, memory) display
Modular, which allows any practically any control-feature to be implemented and inserted easily
Wireless Smart Bulb control and synchronization with f.lux
Live current weather display and updates

Set up and usage

Install node.js/npm on your Raspberry Pi.
Clone the repository in the folder of your choosing. For ease of use, I'd suggest putting it in the /home/pi/ or desktop folder.
After the entering repo folder, run npm install to install all of the relevant packages.
Due to an Electron/npm permission error, you will need to change the installation location of node modules. To do this, run npm config edit and insert prefx=/home/pi/.npm-global.
Install Electron by running npm install -g electron@3.0.13.
Set the local IP of your Pi in the host-ip field of view-settings.json.
If you want to use the Volume Mixer and Performance Stats modules, download and install the Windows 10 companion server on your host computer.
Optionally, in view-settings.json swap out the included modules that you want to use by first adding/removing their id's in the modules array, then by adding/removing their information in currentModules.
For ease of use, create a .sh file on the Pi and add this:

  cd /absolute/path/Desktop-Control-Tablet/ # Navigate to the repository location, using its absolute path so we can run it on startup
  export DISPLAY=:0 # Set the current display to the touch screen
  xhost +SI:localuser:root # Give sudo(root) access to the display
  sudo npm start & # Start the server(as root, to give access to rpi_backlight package)

On first launch, you will be redirected to authenticate with Spotify. If you do not have a Spotify account and/or want to disable Spotify integration, set "music-service":"spotify" to "music-service": "nil".

Included Modules

Spotify
Volume Mixers
Desktop Performance Stats
Smart Light Control
Weather

How to add a module

Create a view file(.pug), and optionally a .js, .css and settings(.json) file in their respective folders

public
   |  css
       | yourmodule.css
   | scripts
       | yourmodule.js
   | views
       | modules
       | yourmodule.pug
       | yourmodule.json

In your pug view file, the only requirement is to label the top-most/parent div the id you specifiy in view-settings.json

   #yourmodule
      (content)

Add the module to view-settings.json. The webpage will automatically include the script and style sheet files, as well as collect all of the json objects in yourmodule.json and send them alongside the rest of the settings data to the pug file and when retrieving settings from sockets in the script files(such as in display.js).

  "modules" = [..., "yourmodule"],
  "currentModules: [
    ...,
    {
      "name": "Your Module",
      "id": "yourmodule",
      "script": "yourmodule.js",
      "css": "yourmodule.css",
      "settings": "yourmodule.json"
    }
  ]

Add the module to the view middle-row.pug

  each module in currentModules
    if(module.id == "volume-mixer")
      include ../modules/volume-mixer
    ...
    else if(module.id == "yourmodule")
      include ../modules/yourmodule

Screenshots

Performance Stats Module

Smart Bulb Control Module

Libraries used

Server side

Express
Socket.io
Spotify Web Api for receiving current tracks
os-utils for easy access to CPU & memory usage
querystring
body-parser
nircmd for access to more functions through the command line

Client Side

jQuery
jQuery Transit for smooth transformations in jQuery for the performance dials
Handlebars for templating/modularity
Muuri for draggable components
Socket.io

gannonprudhomme / Desktop-Control-Tablet