JavaFX Scoreboard v1.1 README

Overview
How to Run the Application
Command-line Switches
The Organization of the Souce Code
A Little more Detail on the scoreboard.fx2.framework Package
Additional Notes
What's New

Overview
This archive contains the source code required to build an electronic scoreboard.  It is written in Java utilizing the JavaFX 2.x API, and is packaged as a NetBeans project.  The type of scoreboard chosen for this implementation pertains to ice hockey.  With an understanding of the overall organization and structure of the code, it should be straightforward to extend scoreboard functionality to include other sports.

 At start up, the scoreboard executes in one of two modes: as a master (the default), or as a slave.  In master mode, the scoreboard user interface is active.  When a user moves his/her pointing device over an editable part of the scoreboard (a scoreboard digit), that component will, via JavaFX animation, increase in size.  This provides the user a visual cue about what component is in focus.  By either clicking on the focused digit, or by utilizing keyboard input, the user can change the value of the focused digit.  Each time a scoreboard digit is modified, an XML packet is created describing the modification, and sent out over an IP socket.

In slave or remote scoreboard mode, the scoreboard UI is inactive.  That is to say, it will not respond to any mouse or keyboard input.  Its display can only be updated by listening in on an agreed-upon IP socket (configurable by command-line switch) for XML scoreboard update packets.  Upon receiving those packets, the remote scoreboard instance will parse the XML data and change the scoreboard display accordingly.  To start up a scoreboard in slave mode, use the -slave command-line switch.  It is possible (and desirable) to have multiple slave scoreboards simultaneously receiving updates from one master scoreboard.
How to Run the Application
The easiest way to run the scoreboard in either slave or master mode is to utilize the pre-built Main classes provided in the scoreboard.fx2 package directory.  Here's a partial list of those classes and their meanings:
To see how a master scoreboard can update a slave scoreboard, just start up the first of these two main classes, Main and MainRemote on the same system.
The following main classes demonstate different remote scoreboard clients
The following main classes use multicast sockets rather than IP sockets.  In general, using multicast sockets is not recommended as experience has shown, they tend to be filtered out by all sorts of networking equipment.

Command-line Switches
By running any of the main classes found in the scoreboard.fx2 package directory with the -help or --help argument, the following description of command-line switches is displayed to standard output.  As we progress through this document, the meaining of certain options will become more evident:
Command-line options:

  -ConfigURL:URL (default: scoreboard/config/config.xml in Scoreboard.jar)
	 URL pointing to XML file describing remote client configuration
  -DisplaySocket
         Show socket connection info at bottom of scoreboard display
  -DumpConfig:[true or false] (default false)
         Dump layout of scoreboard in XML (for client customization)
  -help or --help
         Print this screen for command-line argument options and exit
  -host:IP_ADDRESS (default: localhost)
         Specify IP Address of socket
  -master (default)
         Run as a scoreboard controller (server)
  -MulticastAddr:IP_ADDRESS (default: 227.27.27.27)
         Use multicast socket and specify its IP address
  -port:PORT_NUMBER (default 2011)
         Specify port for socket connection
  -slave
         Run as a remote scoreboard client
  -tv
         Run in full screen mode for a TV (with padding for overscan)
  -unlitOpacity:[0-100] (default 10)
         Change opacity of unlit scoreboard bulbs
  -UseIPSocket (default)
         Use IP sockets (with defaults) for scoreboard updates
  -UseMulticastSocket
         Use multicast sockets (with defaults) for scoreboard updates

The Organization of the Source Code
Here's a list of the relevant packages, and a brief description of their contents

A Little More Detail On the scoreboard.fx2.framework Package
 
The figure below represents a class hierarchy diagram of the following packages:
  1. The abstract classes found in scoreboard.fx2.framework - of which most are directly or indirectly derived from the JavaFX base Parent class.  In order to create an alternate scoreboard implementation, the following lowest level abstract classes must be extended: Digit, SingleDigit, TwoDigit, Penalty, Clock and HockeyScoreboard.  The last class, HockeyScoreboard, could be replaced with another abstract class (e.g. BasketballScoreboard) that has a different look and behavior.
  2. The implementation classes found in scoreboard.fx2.impl.bulb - These are the emboldend classes named with a "Bulb" prefix, found at the bottom of the diagram.  They represent the classes used to implement scoreboard digits with a light bulb look and feel.
  3. The implementation classes found in scoreboard.fx2.impl.led - These are the emboldend classes named with an "LED" prefix, found at the bottom of the diagram.  They represent the classes used to implement scoreboard digits with an LED segment look and feel.



Additional Notes
  1. There is some keyboard input support for this version of the application.  For example, the user can press the <SPACE> bar to toggle starting and stopping the clock.  Additionally, the user can use the left and right arrow keys to switch focus between digits of the same component.
  2. This source was derived originally from a project written in the now defunct JavaFX Script.  At the time of the original writing, JavaFX Script was still in its early stages and the work on layout managers was still in a state of flux.  Hence, the decision was made not to use any JavaFX LayoutManager and instead rely on absolute coordinate positioning of scoreboard components.  The JavaFX 2.x version of the Scoreboard application that exists here still has those constraints.  The unfortunate consequences are that a lot of tedious positioning and sizing of components must take place.
  3. There are two sets of defined XML attributes used for this application. One is used to describe and configure the layout of a remote (slave) scoreboard client, where an informal description of the specification can be found in the scoreboard.config.ConfigXMLSpec.xml file. As referenced above, no JavaFX LayoutManager was used, so some very primitive layout semantics are part of this spec.  The second set of XML attributes describe what a scoreboard update looks like.  A sample of possible scoreboard update attributes can be found at scoreboard.config.UpdateXMLSpec.xml.
  4. The scoreboard.images directory/package contains JPEG images of scoreboard digits.  Not used for this version of the source,  the images could be used to implement yet another version of the scoreboard that simply displays an image associated with a digit value.  A old version of this application originally written in JavaFX Script has an implementation with images, because it was much faster than the rendered bulb and LED components.  With JavaFX 2.x, performance is much improved and the need for image based displays was no longer needed.


What's New

Version 1.1
Bug Fixes
Enhancements