viralcode/openwhale/trmnl

TRMNL Content Generator

Generate HTML content for TRMNL e-ink display devices.

Quick Start Workflow

1. Check for $TRMNL_WEBHOOK environment variable
2. If missing, prompt user for webhook URL
3. Ask user to verify TRMNL display markup is set to: <div>{{content}}</div>
4. Confirm device type (default: TRMNL OG, 2-bit, 800x480)
5. Read relevant reference docs based on content needs
6. Generate HTML using TRMNL framework classes
7. Send via POST to webhook (use temp file method)
8. Send minimal confirmation only - Do NOT echo content back to chat

Device & Setup

Default target: TRMNL OG (7.5" e-ink, 800x480px, 2-bit)

Display markup required:

<div>{{content}}</div>

Webhook:

export TRMNL_WEBHOOK="https://trmnl.com/api/custom_plugins/{uuid}"

Sending content (temp file method):

cat > /tmp/trmnl.json << 'EOF'
{"merge_variables":{"content":"<div class=\"layout\">HTML</div>"}}
EOF
curl "$TRMNL_WEBHOOK" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/trmnl.json -X POST

Webhook Limits

Check payload size before sending:

python3 scripts/check_payload.py /tmp/trmnl.json

Tips to reduce payload size:

• Minify HTML (remove unnecessary whitespace)
• Use framework classes instead of inline styles
• Use short class names the framework provides
• Remove comments from HTML
• Use deep_merge strategy for incremental updates

Reference Documentation

Read these files as needed:

Scripts:

Standard Plugin Structure

Every plugin follows this pattern:

<div class="layout layout--col gap--space-between">
  <!-- Content sections separated by dividers -->
</div>
<div class="title_bar">
  <img class="image" src="icon.svg">
  <span class="title">Plugin Name</span>
  <span class="instance">Context</span>
</div>

• layout + layout--col = vertical flex container
• gap--space-between = push sections to edges
• title_bar = always at bottom, outside layout
• divider = separate major sections
• CRITICAL: Only ONE .layout element per view (no nesting)

Grid System (10-Column)

Column spans should sum to 10:

<div class="grid">
  <div class="col--span-3">30%</div>
  <div class="col--span-7">70%</div>
</div>

Simple equal columns: grid--cols-2, grid--cols-3, etc.

Item Component

Standard data display pattern:

<div class="item">
  <div class="meta"><span class="index">1</span></div>
  <div class="content">
    <span class="value value--xlarge value--tnums">$159,022</span>
    <span class="label">Total Sales</span>
  </div>
</div>

Value Typography

Always use `value--tnums` for numbers.

Auto-fit: <span class="value" data-fit-value="true">...</span>

Columns (for Lists)

<div class="columns">
  <div class="column" data-overflow="true" data-overflow-counter="true">
    <span class="label label--medium group-header">Section</span>
    <div class="item">...</div>
  </div>
</div>

Grayscale Dithering

Use dithered classes, not inline gray colors:

• bg--black, bg--gray-60, bg--gray-30, bg--gray-10, bg--white
• text--black, text--gray-50

Data Attributes

Label & Title Variants

<span class="label label--small">Small</span>
<span class="label label--medium">Medium</span>
<span class="label label--underline">Underlined</span>
<span class="label label--gray">Muted/completed</span>
<span class="title title--small">Compact title</span>

Gap Utilities

gap--space-between | gap--xxlarge | gap--xlarge | gap--large | gap--medium | gap | gap--small | gap--xsmall | gap--none

Typography Guidelines

Recommended: Georgia serif font for e-ink readability.

Content-aware sizing:

• Short content = bigger fonts (24-28px body)
• Long content = smaller fonts (20px body)
• Headings: 36-48px

User Experience

Critical: Do NOT echo content back to chat. Just confirm "Sent to TRMNL".

Anti-Patterns

1. Tiny fonts for short content
2. Center-aligning columns with different lengths (use layout--start)
3. Spoiling content in chat confirmation
4. Missing value--tnums on numbers
5. Missing title_bar
6. Not using data-fit-value on primary metrics
7. Skipping data-overflow on variable lists
8. Using inline gray colors instead of bg--gray-*
9. Forgetting dividers between sections

Best Practices

1. Verify <div>{{content}}</div> display markup
2. Use layout + title_bar structure
3. Always value--tnums for numbers
4. Use data-fit-value on primary metrics
5. Use data-overflow on variable lists
6. Use item component pattern
7. Use divider between sections
8. Use bg--gray-* dithered classes
9. Content-aware font sizing
10. Top-align columns (layout--start)
11. Temp file method for curl
12. Minimal confirmations

Mashup Layouts (Multi-Plugin)

For dashboard views with multiple plugins:

See references/layout-systems.md for all 7 layouts.

Troubleshooting