Scoreboard Autostart Setup Guide¶

Quick Start Guide (Begin Here)¶

Step 1: Install required tools¶

sudo apt update
sudo apt install wmctrl

Step 2: Configure the scoreboard URL¶

Edit the config file to set your scoreboard URL:

nano config/scoreboard_url

The default URL is:

http://localhost:3000/locations/1/scoreboard_reservations

Change it to your actual scoreboard URL if needed.

Step 3: Make scripts executable¶

chmod +x bin/start-scoreboard.sh
chmod +x bin/exit-scoreboard.sh
chmod +x bin/restart-scoreboard.sh

Step 4: Test the startup script manually¶

./bin/start-scoreboard.sh

Step 5: If it works, add to autostart¶

nano ~/.config/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart

Add this line at the end (adjust path to your Rails app location):

@/path/to/your/rails/app/bin/autostart-scoreboard.sh

For example, if your Rails app is in /var/www/carambus/current:

@/var/www/carambus/current/bin/autostart-scoreboard.sh

Note: Use the autostart-scoreboard.sh wrapper script instead of start-scoreboard.sh directly for better autostart compatibility.

Step 6: Reboot to test¶

sudo reboot

Complete Setup (Advanced)¶

Configure Keyboard Shortcuts (Optional)¶

nano ~/.config/labwc/rc.xml

Add inside <keyboard> section (adjust paths to your Rails app location):

<keybind key="F12">
  <action name="Execute">
    <command>/path/to/your/rails/app/bin/exit-scoreboard.sh</command>
  </action>
</keybind>

<keybind key="F11">
  <action name="Execute">
    <command>/path/to/your/rails/app/bin/restart-scoreboard.sh</command>
  </action>
</keybind>

For example, if your Rails app is in /home/pi/carambus_gernot:

<keybind key="F12">
  <action name="Execute">
    <command>/home/pi/carambus_gernot/bin/exit-scoreboard.sh</command>
  </action>
</keybind>

<keybind key="F11">
  <action name="Execute">
    <command>/home/pi/carambus_gernot/bin/restart-scoreboard.sh</command>
  </action>
</keybind>

Alternative: Systemd User Service (Recommended)¶

If window manager autostart doesn't work, use systemd user service instead:

Step 1: Create systemd user service for www-data user¶

# Switch to www-data user
sudo -u www-data bash

# Create systemd user directory in www-data's home
mkdir -p /var/www/.config/systemd/user
nano /var/www/.config/systemd/user/scoreboard.service

Add this content:

[Unit]
Description=Scoreboard Autostart
After=graphical-session.target

[Service]
Type=oneshot
Environment=DISPLAY=:0
ExecStart=/var/www/carambus/current/bin/autostart-scoreboard.sh
RemainAfterExit=yes

[Install]
WantedBy=graphical-session.target

Step 2: Enable and start the service as www-data¶

# Still as www-data user
systemctl --user enable scoreboard.service
systemctl --user start scoreboard.service

Step 3: Check service status¶

systemctl --user status scoreboard.service

Step 4: Test autostart¶

sudo reboot

Step 5: Check if it worked¶

# As www-data user
cat /tmp/scoreboard-autostart.log
systemctl --user status scoreboard.service

Remote management as www-data user¶

# SSH as www-data user
ssh www-data@raspberrypi

# Then use systemctl commands
systemctl --user restart scoreboard.service
systemctl --user status scoreboard.service
systemctl --user stop scoreboard.service
systemctl --user start scoreboard.service

# View logs
cat /tmp/scoreboard-autostart.log
journalctl --user -u scoreboard.service

Troubleshooting systemd service¶

# Check service logs (as www-data user)
journalctl --user -u scoreboard.service

# Restart service
systemctl --user restart scoreboard.service

# Disable service
systemctl --user disable scoreboard.service

Alternative: System-wide Service (Recommended for www-data)¶

Since www-data user doesn't have display access, use a system-wide service instead:

Step 1: Create system-wide service¶

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/scoreboard.service

Add this content:

[Unit]
Description=Scoreboard Autostart
After=graphical-session.target

[Service]
Type=oneshot
User=pj
Environment=DISPLAY=:0
Environment=XAUTHORITY=/home/pj/.Xauthority
Environment=HOME=/home/pj
ExecStartPre=/bin/bash -c "sleep 15"
ExecStart=/var/www/carambus/current/bin/autostart-scoreboard.sh
RemainAfterExit=yes

[Install]
WantedBy=graphical-session.target

Step 2: Enable and start the service¶

sudo systemctl enable scoreboard.service
sudo systemctl start scoreboard.service

Step 3: Check service status¶

sudo systemctl status scoreboard.service

Step 4: Remote management as www-data¶

# SSH as www-data user
ssh www-data@raspberrypi

# Then use systemctl commands (with sudo)
sudo systemctl restart scoreboard.service
sudo systemctl status scoreboard.service
sudo systemctl stop scoreboard.service
sudo systemctl start scoreboard.service

# View logs
cat /tmp/scoreboard-autostart.log
sudo journalctl -u scoreboard.service

Step 5: Test autostart¶

sudo reboot

This approach runs the service as the pi user (who has display access) but can be controlled by the www-data user via sudo.

Troubleshooting system-wide service¶

# Check service status (as pi user or with sudo)
sudo systemctl status scoreboard.service

# Check detailed logs (as pi user or with sudo)
sudo journalctl -u scoreboard.service -f

# Check if the script works manually (as pi user)
sudo -u pi /var/www/carambus/current/bin/autostart-scoreboard.sh

# Check if www-data can run sudo commands
sudo -l

# Add www-data to sudoers if needed
sudo visudo
# Add this line: www-data ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/systemctl

Remote Management¶

The systemd user service enables powerful remote management capabilities:

Remote commands¶

# Restart scoreboard remotely
ssh pi@raspberrypi 'systemctl --user restart scoreboard.service'

# Check status remotely
ssh pi@raspberrypi 'systemctl --user status scoreboard.service'

# View logs remotely
ssh pi@raspberrypi 'cat /tmp/scoreboard-autostart.log'

# Stop scoreboard for maintenance
ssh pi@raspberrypi 'systemctl --user stop scoreboard.service'

# Start scoreboard
ssh pi@raspberrypi 'systemctl --user start scoreboard.service'

Exit Methods¶

The scoreboard runs in fullscreen mode, and there are several ways to exit:

Primary Exit Methods¶

Physical Keyboard: ALT+F4 or ESC (most reliable)
Remote SSH: systemctl --user restart scoreboard.service

Fallback Exit Method¶

"Try Resize Window" Button:
Click the refresh/resize button in the top menu
This refreshes the Chromium window state
Restores the circled X button in the top-right corner
Click the X to exit to desktop

Why This Works¶

The "Try Resize Window" function refreshes the Chromium window state
This restores window controls that get hidden during scoreboard interactions
Provides a reliable mouse/touch-based exit method
Works when other exit methods fail

Button Location¶

Table Monitors: Top-right refresh button
Scoreboard Pages: Top-right refresh button
All scoreboard interfaces: Consistent exit method

This gives users a reliable way to exit the scoreboard even without a keyboard!

Troubleshooting¶

Check if wmctrl is installed¶

which wmctrl

Check if scripts are executable¶

ls -la bin/start-scoreboard.sh
ls -la bin/exit-scoreboard.sh
ls -la bin/restart-scoreboard.sh

Check the scoreboard URL configuration¶

cat config/scoreboard_url

Check autostart file¶

cat ~/.config/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart

Check system logs¶

journalctl -u lxsession

Test panel hiding manually¶

wmctrl -l
wmctrl -r "panel" -b add,hidden
wmctrl -r "panel" -b remove,hidden

Check if browser starts correctly¶

ps aux | grep chromium

Test scripts manually¶

# Test startup
./bin/start-scoreboard.sh

# Test exit (in another terminal)
./bin/exit-scoreboard.sh

# Test restart
./bin/restart-scoreboard.sh

Check log files¶

# Debug test log (from test-startup.sh)
cat /tmp/scoreboard-debug.log

# Autostart wrapper log (from autostart-scoreboard.sh)
cat /tmp/scoreboard-autostart.log

# Chromium output (if you ran with nohup)
cat nohup.out

# LXDE autostart logs
tail -f ~/.cache/lxsession/LXDE-pi/run.log

# System logs
journalctl -u lxsession

Troubleshooting for /var/www/carambus/current setup¶

If your Rails app is in /var/www/carambus/current and runs as www-data:

1. Check script permissions¶

sudo ls -la /var/www/carambus/current/bin/start-scoreboard.sh

2. Make scripts executable for all users¶

sudo chmod +x /var/www/carambus/current/bin/start-scoreboard.sh
sudo chmod +x /var/www/carambus/current/bin/exit-scoreboard.sh
sudo chmod +x /var/www/carambus/current/bin/restart-scoreboard.sh

3. Check if the autostart user can read the config file¶

sudo ls -la /var/www/carambus/current/config/scoreboard_url
sudo chmod 644 /var/www/carambus/current/config/scoreboard_url

4. Test the script manually as the autostart user¶

/var/www/carambus/current/bin/start-scoreboard.sh

5. Check LXDE autostart logs¶

tail -f ~/.cache/lxsession/LXDE-pi/run.log

6. Alternative: Use absolute paths in autostart¶

Edit the autostart file:

nano ~/.config/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart

Make sure it contains:

@/var/www/carambus/current/bin/start-scoreboard.sh

7. Check if wmctrl is available for the autostart user¶

which wmctrl
sudo apt install wmctrl  # if not found

8. Test with debug output¶

Create a test script to see what's happening:

sudo nano /var/www/carambus/current/bin/test-startup.sh

Content:

#!/bin/bash
echo "Starting test at $(date)" >> /tmp/scoreboard-debug.log
echo "Current user: $(whoami)" >> /tmp/scoreboard-debug.log
echo "Current directory: $(pwd)" >> /tmp/scoreboard-debug.log
echo "wmctrl available: $(which wmctrl)" >> /tmp/scoreboard-debug.log
echo "Config file content: $(cat /var/www/carambus/current/config/scoreboard_url)" >> /tmp/scoreboard-debug.log
/var/www/carambus/current/bin/start-scoreboard.sh
echo "Test completed at $(date)" >> /tmp/scoreboard-debug.log

Make executable:

sudo chmod +x /var/www/carambus/current/bin/test-startup.sh

Test it:

/var/www/carambus/current/bin/test-startup.sh

Check the debug log:

cat /tmp/scoreboard-debug.log

Workflow¶

Boot → Panel hidden, scoreboard starts in fullscreen
F12 → Exit to desktop (panel visible)
F11 → Restart scoreboard (panel hidden again)

Notes¶

The scripts are now in your Rails app's bin/ directory and tracked by git
The scoreboard URL is configurable via config/scoreboard_url
If the panel doesn't hide, try different panel names: panel, lxpanel, lxpanel-pi
The 2>/dev/null || true prevents errors if the window doesn't exist
Make sure your Rails server is running before testing
Update the paths in autostart and keyboard shortcuts to match your actual Rails app location