0

I am developing a viewing station on which multiple users (many without computer experience) can watch video files. I'm not a programmer, so I'm using HTML/CSS, along with what JavaScript I can piece together, to open XSPF playlists in VLC Player 3.0.11 Vetinari on a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B running Raspbian 10. The browser these systems are using is Chromium 78.0.3904.108. I have encountered the following two roadblocks to completing this project.

Issue One: I need the HTML interface to open in a fullscreen viewport, on top of even the Debian taskbar. I imagine this can be done with JavaScript but have not been able to figure out how.

Issue Two: VLC Player is currently configured to play fullscreen whenever a user clicks a link in the HTML file, then close when either (1) the user clicks Stop or (2) the playlist ends, thereby returning the user to the HTML interface. There will be no keyboard hooked up to this Pi, so the mouse will offer the sole possible source of system access. Therefore, to limit users' potential mischief-making, I want to disable the menu that appears when a user right-clicks in VLC Player.

Any suggestion for a solution to either or both of these would be very much appreciated.

byroncase
  • 7
  • 1
  • I devised a few inelegant solutions to these issues. The exit-fullscreen "X" button that drops from the top part of the screen in Chromium only appears once per browser session if you're using a dual-screen setup. I started the Raspberry Pi viewing station hooked up to a second monitor, positioned HDMI-1 on top, HDMI-2 on bottom. Next I shrank my taskbar to a width of 2 pixels, to keep users from monkeying around with anything they shouldn't. I opened my HTML page in the browser, hit F11 for fullscreen, moved my cursor around the top of the screen to summon the "X" button, then let it retract. – byroncase Jan 19 '21 at 16:59
  • Unhooking the second display does let users lose their cursors beyond the top of the screen for a moment now and again, but they report being generally happy with the setup. Then only problem is the minor inconvenience of hooking up another monitor whenever the Pi reboots. We leave it on for a week or more at a stretch in the educational-resources area of the prison's recreation building. As for the issue of VLC's right-click menu, a little mouse surgery with a screwdriver and pliers neutered right-button functionality altogether. – byroncase Jan 19 '21 at 17:01
  • I've heard a little about Pointer Lock API, which allows one to confine the cusor to a given window or onscreen area, but I haven't really done my homework on it. This might be the solution for future refinements. Of course, if anyone has potentially better solutions than the ones mentioned in this update, I always welcome suggestions. – byroncase Jan 19 '21 at 17:01

0 Answers0