New and confused.

[Mykle1]

@mickyas said in New and confused.:

BUT i changed the screen configuration/layout and changed it to portrait…how do i undo it??? :-))))))))))) Also is there a way to change the 'compliments and to have the weather widget etc 'floating around the screen instead of being static???

All the info you need for changing the compliments is here:
https://github.com/MichMich/MagicMirror/tree/develop/modules/default/compliments

@SexyTrogg has given you good advice. The links he gave you are very informative. You can change the screen orientation by reversing the directions in the 2nd link that he gave you.

In lieu of disabling the screensaver directions on that page, I would do this instead. It’s just easier and it works like a charm.

My solution was to install xscreensaver and use the desktop control panel to disable the screensaver.
In your terminal:

sudo apt-get install xscreensaver
sudo reboot
On reboot open the desktop start menu (via the GUI, not the terminal) Preferences/Screensaver/Mode:/Disable Screen Saver.

[mickyas]

@SexyTrogg Thank you :-))) Only problem is the first link you posted doesn’t have any instruction as to what to do, or is it just an example of the only options available? If so, is there a link showing how to change the colours etc?
Mick

[mickyas]

@Mykle1 Thank you (again) mykle, but that link is as clear as mud to me :-)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) I have NO knowledge or experience of coding, terminology or anything even closely resembling this (ask anything you want about building work or fibre optic production facility set-ups and i’m your man, but this !!!..) :-))))

[SexyTrogg]

@mickyas Its an example of what options are available. Every module has to be placed into the Magic Mirror config file and inside of that file will be the settings for each module. For example:

modules: [
 {
	module: "compliments",
	position: "lower_third",	// This can be any of the regions.
								// Best results in one of the middle regions like: lower_third
	config: {
		// The config property is optional.
		// If no config is set, the default compliments are shown.
		// See 'Configuration options' for more information.
	}
}
]

Above is taken from the compliments module. As you can see there is the position:“lower_third” option. The link I gave you gives you all of the other options for where you can place your module.
As for colors, the link only used colors to help make each region stand out. Modules set their colors through their .css files so you can always go into that and change it to your needs.

[mickyas]

@SexyTrogg Just tried from the link you sent me…didn’t work.
I opened a terminal put in … sudo nano /boot/config.txt (pressed enter)
then added …display_rotate=1
avoid_warnings=1 (it already had the display_rotate=1 as the first line)
then i pressed ctrl x and saved, then rebooted, No difference still wrong orientation. :-((( I even tried changing the text ‘vertical’ to horizontal’ and still nothing. I’d already altered the screen orientation (playing around) from horizontal to vertical but i’d like to change it back but nowt happening :-(

Mick

[SexyTrogg]

@mickyas Id use the advice that @Mykle1 gave. The Xscreensaver is really easy to use and is much easier than editing a file through the terminal

[mickyas]

@SexyTrogg Just to clarify…every time i’d like to add a module i have to first open a terminal then enter … sudo nano /boot/config.txt … then (copy and paste?) enter the text/code (copy and paste?) for the module…where?..anywhere? Then ctrl x and save then reboot???
Mick

[SexyTrogg]

@mickyas That’s the hard way (in my opinion).
I use Filezilla to connect to my PI though FTP. That lets me easily click and drag new modules into the /modules folder. I also use FTP to download the config file to my PC and make edits there before I upload it back. But yes, every module needs for you to manually add it to the config. All modules on github follow a similar format where the Readme will give an example of the lines of code you need to put into the config.

[Mykle1]

@mickyas said in New and confused.:

I opened a terminal put in … sudo nano /boot/config.txt (pressed enter)
then added …display_rotate=1
avoid_warnings=1 (it already had the display_rotate=1 as the first line)
then i pressed ctrl x and saved, then rebooted, No difference still wrong orientation. :-((( I even tried changing the text ‘vertical’ to horizontal’ and still nothing. I’d already altered the screen orientation (playing around) from horizontal to vertical but i’d like to change it back but nowt

When I said “reverse the directions” I guess I wasn’t clear enough. The directions are telling to you to “add” display_rotate=1. You want to “remove” that line of code because that is telling your system to rotate the screen. If that line of code is there twice then you need to remove both instances for your screen to go back to landscape mode.

[Mykle1]

@mickyas said in New and confused.:

Just to clarify…every time i’d like to add a module i have to first open a terminal then enter … sudo nano /boot/config.txt … then (copy and paste?) enter the text/code (copy and paste?) for the module…where?..anywhere? Then ctrl x and save then reboot???

Mick, here’s an easier way to add a module and you only have to use the terminal once. Lets use my MMM-JEOPARDY module as test. Go to this page of modules https://github.com/MichMich/MagicMirror/wiki/MagicMirror²-Modules#3rd-party-modules and scroll down until you see MMM-JEOPARDY by Mykle1 . Click on it.
Now you’re at my repo for that module. Click on the green Clone or download button on the right. That shows you the url to get the module. Copy that url.

Now open a terminal and type cd MagicMirror/modules. Now you’re in the MagicMirror/modules directory. Now type git clone and one space and paste the url that you copied from my repo for the module. It should look like this:
git clone https://github.com/mykle1/MMM-JEOPARDY.git and press your Enter key. This will download the module into the modules folder where it belongs.

You’re now done with the terminal! (for now)

From your Pi desktop, click the File Manager folder. Double click the MagicMirror folder. Double click the config folder. Double click the config.js file. Your config.js file is now open in a text editor. You have to add an entry for the module you just downloaded so that MM knows to load it. Lets put MMM-JEOPARDY under your calendar module entry so that it appears under the calendar on your mirror. Modules that occupy the same postition load in the order they appear in the config.js file. Scroll down to the calendar entry in the config.js file. The entry “ends” at the last }, before the next module entry that begins with a single {.

Copy and paste this “between” the ending of the calendar module entry and the beginning of the next module. (It’s probably compliments)

             {
		disabled: false,
		module: "MMM-JEOPARDY",
		position: "top_left",
		config: {
			rotateInterval: 25 * 1000,         // New Clue Appears             
			useHeader: false,                  // true if you want a header
			header: "This is Jeopardy!",
			maxWidth: "250px",
			animationSpeed: 3000,              // Fades to next clue
		}
		},

SAVE!

Go back to your terminal, or open a new one, and type npm start in the MagicMirror directory.

From now on, you’ll find the entry you need to make in the README file of each module that you download. You now have a guide on how to do that.