Typescript player for HTML5

I wrote this to make an in-browser demonstration of Primer Pooler. It uses code from DOStoy to display a typescript in an HTML5 canvas.

Advantages:

The Javascript is entirely self-contained. It does not require any special setup on the server side and you don’t have to rely on a third-party server.

Reduces data transfer without blurring the text (although HTML5 Canvas can be blurred under *some* circumstances)

New text stays entirely within the canvas and is not added to the web page, thus avoiding bad interactions with screenreaders and accessibility CSS

Canvas appears only on wide screens, won’t clutter mobile devices (I’m assuming the demonstration is non-essential)

Animation does not start until clicked on (to avoid annoying anyone who’s not looking at it), and can be paused/resumed at any time by clicking again

The typescript can be viewed in the Javascript source.

Disadvantages:

No rewind control

Won’t stop the screensaver

Can’t copy/paste or change the font without looking at the source

The terminal program must be simple: think *line-mode interaction with some colours*. Full-screen editors etc will not work properly (at least not without further work on the converter)

No screen-reader accessibility. But as mentioned above I’m assuming the demonstration is entirely optional; people who don’t think visually shouldn’t need it (I know I don’t; I’m just doing this because apparently some sighted people want it).

Download: script2canvas.py (License: MIT)

script2canvas.py

Usage:

1. On a GNU/Linux terminal, do script -t log2 2>log1 and record as appropriate

2. Do python script2canvas.py >demo.js

3. Optionally edit the resulting demo.js file if you want to ‘airbrush’ your mistakes

4. In your HTML, put:

<span id="DOStoyPlace"></span><script src="demo.js"></script>

5. Test

Legal

All material © Silas S. Brown unless otherwise stated. Javascript is a trademark of Oracle Corporation in the US. Linux is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries. Any other trademarks I mentioned without realising are trademarks of their respective holders.