Setting up the software Rasberry Pi is much like any other Linux setup instructions although there is a slightly different process for configuring the software to automatically start when the device boots,
There are a few different ways we can setup VuePilot on a Raspberry Pi, depending on what you prefer.
The easiest way to get up and running is by installing VuePilot using the snap package. This will handle all the download and configuration for you. It simply requires you to install the snapd package manager.
If you prefer a completely standalone executable you can opt for using the AppImage version.
Using The Snap Version
Using the snap version of the software ensures you are automatically updated to the most recent versions when they become available. It’s also very easy to rollback to previous versions if you need to.
To install VuePilot using snap simply follow the instructions found at “Installation Using Snap”
Once done, you can skip ahead to the “Automatic Startup” section
Using The AppImage Version
The AppImage is a self contained executable and does not require any installation. You can simply download the file and run it like as a standalone executable. You only need to grant the file execute permission and you’re good to go.
The top level steps are essentially
- Download the software and store the file in a permanent location (like /usr/local/bin or the users home directory)
- Grant the AppImage file execute rights.
- Set the AppImage to automatically start when the OS boots up and logs in.
Automatic Setup
To make this easier, we have a one liner script you can run that will perform all these steps in one simple command. Simply run
curl -s https://assets.vuepilot.com/scripts/install_pi.sh | bash
The whole script should only take a minute or so and you’ll be done. You can reboot your machine to test it out.
Please note this script assumes that you are using a standard Rasberry Pi setup, using the standard “pi” user and a current version of Rasbian
Manual Setup
If you would prefer to manually configure the setup steps we would still recommend you download the script above and edit it to suit your needs although here’s a few pointers.
Execute Permissions
The .AppImage file must be given execute permissions in order to run, otherwise you will see an error about not finding relevant software to use to open the file.
You can run the following to do so
sudo chmod +x vuepilot.AppImage
Automatic Startup
Rasbian has a number of ways to automatically start applications on boot, however it’s important to note that you must start the application AFTER the desktop environment has booted, as VuePilot has an interface and essentially runs a browser for you.
So in other words you can’t use your standard rc.local or .bash_profile files, instead you must use the Rasbian autostart file to load a program once the UI has come up.
Simply edit the /etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart file to run VuePilot by specifying the path to the AppImage file.
Example
@/usr/bin/vuepilot.AppImage
Here’s a simple one liner to add the line to the file
echo @/usr/bin/vuepilot.AppImage | sudo tee -a /etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart