Developer Setup
As a new developer in the BrightSign ecosystem, there are several items that will help get you up and running as efficiently as possible. Mandatory items include everything listed in the earlier hands-on examples, listed again here for convenience:
- BrightSign player and associated power supply
- microSD or other storage device
- If using a microSD card as the storage device, you will also likely need microSD card adapter (computers with standard SD card readers typically require an adapter to access microSD cards)
- Mac or PC
- Display
- HDMI cable (connects the player to the display)
In addition, it is very useful to connect the player to the local network via an Ethernet cable or, if the player has the appropriate hardware, WiFi.
BrightSign Shell and BrightScript Debugger
Partners may also find the BrightSign Shell and BrightScript Debugger to be very useful for development purposes. The BrightSign Shell is a command-line interface (CLI) that enables interaction with the BrightSignOS (BOS), the operating system that powers all BrightSign players. The BrightScript Debugger is a CLI which enables interaction with the BrightScript Interpreter.
The BrightSign Shell page contains info about the various ways to access the Shell, specifics on the type of cable to use if you prefer a physical connection to the player, commands, troubleshooting, and more.
The BrightScript Debugger page contains info about how to enable and access the Debugger, commands, troubleshooting, and more.
Local Access to the DWS
Local access (i.e., access over the local network) of the Diagnostic Web Server (DWS) is disabled by default as of BrightSignOS 9.0.218 (on the 9.0 branch) and BrightSignOS 9.1.75 (on the 9.1 branch). In BrightSignOS versions prior to these, local access to the DWS was enabled by default. To enable local access to the DWS, see DWS: Local Access.
Note that some specially configured players have the external microSD card port and USB storage disabled at the factory (SKU: SVC-internal-storage-only). For these players, local access to the DWS remains enabled by default.
The Diagnostic Web Server (DWS) is a powerful tool that enables inspection of various player settings and diagnostic details. Both a Local Diagnostic Web Server (Local DWS, accessible over the local network via the player’s IP address) and Remote Diagnostic Web Server (Remote DWS, accessible via BrightSign Author) are available. General info about the DWS can be found Diagnostic Web Server (DWS).
Local DWS APIs also exist to enable direct access to DWS functionality.
VSCode
Visual Studio Code is a popular coding environment for BrightSign development. The BrightScript Language extension facilitates coding in BrightScript and is used by thousands of developers around the world.