mttaggart / schoolcast

Digital signage generator for schools

Schoolcast

Digital signage generator for schools

Schoolcast is an all-in-one server for easy digital signage. This system allows you to create custom display layouts, connect regions of the layout to specific sources of information.

• Schoolcast
  • Getting Started
    • Linux/macOS Installation
      • Optional (Linux): Create a systemd service
    • Docker Installation
    • Using the app
    • Displays
    • Portals
    • Feeds
    • Items

Getting Started

This repository is ready for deployment either natively on a Linux/macOS server, or in a Docker container.

Linux/macOS Installation

Before beginning, please ensure you have Node and, by extension, npm. You might also consider installing the Yarn package manager.

1. Clone this repo

$ git clone https://github.com/mttaggart/schoolcast

2. Enter the directory

$ cd schoolcast

3. EDIT THE schoolcast.conf FILE WITH YOUR INFO. The settings currently there are just examples and MUST be changed before deployment!

4. Run the installer. This will use Yarn or NPM to install all requisite dependencies. NOTE: IF NODE_ENV is already set to production, the build will fail!

$ chmod 755 install.sh
$ ./install.sh

This may take some time to install all the dependencies and build the app into the build/ directory.

5. Run the app!

You now have a ready-to-go Node app.

$ chmod 755 ./run.sh
$ ./run.sh

Optional (Linux): Create a systemd service

You might want to consider running a systemd service for Node server to keep it running and start it on boot:

$ nano /etc/systemd/system/schoolcast/service

Use the following template to create the service file:

[Unit]
Description=SchoolCast: A Node-based signage solution
Documentation=https://github.com/mttaggart/schoolcast
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=root
ExecStart=/path/to/repo/run.sh
Restart=on-failure

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Then enable/start the service.

$ sudo systemctl enable schoolcast.service
$ sudo systemctl start schoolcast.service

Docker Installation

This one's simple.

1. Build the Docker image from the Dockerfile

$ cd schoolcast
$ sudo docker build -t "schoolcast" .

2. Run the container

$ sudo docker run -d -p $PORT:$PORT --restart=always --name=schoolcast schoolcast

Using the app

The default admin account is [e-mail], with a password of adminpassword. Please delete this account on login and after creating new Admin credentials.

Upon logging in, you'll be able to create Displays, Portals, Feeds, and Items.

Displays

Displays are composites of multiple Portals. These are what actually comprise your signage. When editing displays, you'll see a preview of the Portal layout below the form.

Portals

Portals are sections of a Display. Each Portal has a Portal Type, defining what type of media (Image, Video, Text, Embed) the Portal will display. Each Portal is also associated to a single Feed, from which it pulls its content.

Feeds

Feeds are simply groups for content. They can contain any media types; the Portals will sort through those later. Feeds contain Items.

Items

Your content. Items have a type, which matches a given Portal's Type. Items are connected to Feeds.

Depending on the Item Type, different types of information are expected in the content field. It goes:

• Image/Video: URL to image (we don't host media)
• Text: Plain text or HTML
• Embed: URL to website. SchoolCast makes the <iframe> for you.

Items have a start/end date, which is the only window during which they'll be visible on Displays.