This timeclock app is built on Electron, an open-source framework developed and maintained by GitHub. Electron allows you to build cross-platform desktop apps using web technologies. It uses Chromium, an open-source version of Google Chrome, for the user interface and Node.js, an open-source, cross-platform JavaScript run-time environment.
The app technically works fine on Windows, but is specifically designed and intended for use on a Raspberry Pi with touchscreen.
Used as-is, this app is intended to run on a Raspberry Pi with touchscreen LCD, so the following is the recommended hardware.
- Raspberry Pi Model 3 B or B+ (not yet tested on Raspberry Pi 4)
- 7" Raspberry Pi LCD
- SD card (32 GB or more recommended)
- USB keyboard and mouse (at least for initial setup)
- (Optional) Pimoroni Speaker pHAT
The app has been fully tested on Raspbian Stretch version 4.14 (with Desktop). Some testing has been done on Raspbian Buster, but not complete.
You're recommended to use the install bash script in the config folder. The script assumes a fresh Raspbian installation.
- Copy the install.sh file to the boot folder on the SD card
- (Optional) Create a file key.txt in the boot folder on the SD card that contains the private encryption key
- Boot the Raspberry Pi and after intial OS configuration, run the install script
/boot/install.sh
(Ensure the install.sh file is used as-is from GitHub or ensure it uses LF only, not CRLF which is common if modified and saved in Windows.)
Should you want to manually perform any of the steps, see the Installation Instructions.
Whether performing manual installation and setup, or accessing the RPi for long-term maintenance and application modifications, please review the Build and Deploy Workflow documentation, notably the Useful Tools section.