Layout Transparency

Hi

I am trying to implement a foursquare check in notification solution for xibo. I wrote an external crud app for 4square oauth and notifications receive to the designated page whenever a user checks in. Then i tried to add this page to xibo layout with webpage module. The module covers the entire layout and as you can guess the pop-up does not display properly. Mainly because of the windows client region transparency problem.

Is there a way to modify the windows client at github repository to accept transparent region. As a read, ‘smil’ protocol accepts transparency. I dont have any experience with .net. I just want to know if it is possible to modify source code.

You are free to modify the source code, but the Windows Player as it stands cannot show transparency on a Webpage because it’s built on Windows Forms. You would need to do a complete rewrite based on WPF or similar to get what you want.

Xibo doesn’t use or have any basis in SMIL so the specification of that has no bearing on what Xibo can do.

Your code will likely work as you expect on the Android Player however

Are you planning a rewrite for the windows client for upcoming version?

Yes, we want to have cross platform player (Windows/Linux), can’t give you any ETA on it for now.
Check this topic for more details

I explained the necessity for this feature in first post. Do you think there is a workaround for this. With or without player modification? I am not familiar with c#, but looks like there may be some possibility with the involvement of some .net classes. Correct me if i am wrong? I dont want to search for something that does not exist:)

Sorry there isn’t a workaround with the current code.

The windows player has a workaround transparency for core modules, so if you developed your dynamic updating thingy as an Xibo Module you’d probably be OK. It is very hard to say yey or ney without understanding what you are doing in more detail.

I havent created a module, just a simple page receiving 4square checkins. I intended to display this page via webpage module. But no luck.

By the way you mentioned transparency workaround for core modules. I have been experimenting with core modules for overlaping region transparency but same issue goes for core modules. Region gets background attribute from the layout.

As dan suggested a rewrite with wpf seems the way to go but its seems hard work. + i cant code in c#.

Any suggestions on creating a pop up region?

The only way to do it without a player rewrite is by writing a proper xibo module to serve the HTML to the Player - if you do that then the player will artificially impose the background image (in the same way as Tickers, Twitter, Forecast, etc).

If you want that to appear over existing content, then you are out of luck at present as overlapping regions are not supported either.

If there were a simple workaround to this, we would have done it quite some time ago :wink:


:bulb: perhaps you could do it via an embedded module, provided you made sure your own webpage specified a transparent background.

Embedded modules are essentially iframe's which I believe will respect the background of the parent if the child specifies transparent

Thanks for reply. I already handled the region background issue with css(backgroud:transparent) I can see the layout texture. My issue is about overlaping regions and as you put, it is not an option.

How about a pop up region? Do you have an exit point for that?

If anyone is interested i can share the crud application for foursquare. As Dan said it can work on android clients as expected.

Sorry, but I don’t understand why you need overlapping regions.

I’m afraid the Windows Player can’t (and won’t in its current form) display overlapping regions of any sort, popup or otherwise.

If you have some visual example of what you’re trying to achieve showing why overlapping is important, I might be able to offer a suggestion.

Overlapping regions is necessary for a pop up notification to display foursquare checkins. As i mentioned i have a little web app that displays certain checkins. I currently using this app in a webpage modulet in my displays without any overlapping. I was hoping to have tiis module to be displayed fullscreen. Thats why overlapping is important.

But as you said winforms doesnt truly support transparency. So i am waiting for your next client release.

I see, so its is a region that sits on top and most of the time displays nothing at all - when there is a check-in it (i.e. the module) displays that check-in and then returns to displaying nothing.

I understand now - thank you.

I’m sure your CRUD application would still be interesting to some, I can see a use case for having it alongside a non-full screen region - and of course on android.

Is there any chance that an overlay transparency and filterable FX?
FXs like darken, lighten or inverse along with opacity settings.

I’m trying to move away from the Media Signage player, but its layered opacity FX have been very useful.
Especially during Halloween when I had videos of ghosts overlayed walking around on my regular campaigns.