feat(dashboard): ✨ Add notification tips (#1865)

* feat(dashboard): ✨ Add notification tips

* Add more tips

Cargo.lock

@@ -270,6 +270,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "gloo-net",
  "ico",
  "instant",
+ "rand",
  "serde",
  "serde_json",
  "settings-schema",

alvr/dashboard/Cargo.toml

@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ chrono = "0.4"
 eframe = "0.23"
 env_logger = "0.10"
 ico = "0.3"
+rand = "0.8"
 serde = { version = "1", features = ["derive"] }
 serde_json = "1"
 settings-schema = { git = "https://github.com/alvr-org/settings-schema-rs", rev = "676185f" }

alvr/dashboard/src/dashboard/components/notifications.rs

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ use eframe::{
     emath::Align,
     epaint::{Color32, Stroke},
 };
+use rand::seq::SliceRandom;
 use std::time::Duration;
 
 #[cfg(target_arch = "wasm32")]
@@ -13,30 +14,77 @@ use instant::Instant;
 #[cfg(not(target_arch = "wasm32"))]
 use std::time::Instant;
 
-const NO_NOTIFICATIONS: &str = "No new notifications";
 const TIMEOUT: Duration = Duration::from_secs(5);
+const NO_NOTIFICATIONS_MESSAGE: &str = "No new notifications";
+const NOTIFICATION_TIPS: &[&str] = &[
+    // The following tips are ordered roughtly in the order settings appear
+    r#"If you started having crashes after changing some settings, reset ALVR by deleting "session.json"."#,
+    r#"Some settings are hidden by default. Click the "Expand" button next to some settings to expand the submenus."#,
+    r#"It's highly advisable to keep audio setting as default in ALVR and modify the default audio device in the taskbar tray."#,
+    r#"Increasing "Maximum buffering" may reduce stutters at the cost of more latency."#,
+    r#"Turning off "Optimize game render latency" may improve streaming smoothness."#,
+    r#"Sometimes switching between h264 and HEVC codecs is necessary on certain GPUs to fix crashing or fallback to software encoding."#,
+    r#"If you're using NVIDIA gpu, best to use high bitrate H264, if you're using AMD gpu, HEVC might look better."#,
+    r#"If you experience "white snow" flickering, reduce the resolution to "Low" and disable "Foveated encoding"."#,
+    r#"Increasing "Color correction"->"Sharpness" may improve the perceived image quality."#,
+    r#"If you have problems syncing external controllers or trackers to ALVR tracking space, add one element to "Extra openvr props", then set a custom "Tracking system name"."#,
+    r#"To change the visual appearance of controllers, set "Controllers"->"Emulation mode"."#,
+    r#"ALVR supports custom button bindings! If you need help please ask us in the Discord server."#,
+    r#"ALVR supports hand tracking gestures. Use thumb-index/middle/ring/pinky to activate different buttons. Joystick is enabled by moving the thumb on a closed fist."#,
+    r#"If hand tracking gestures are annoying, you can disable them in "Controllers"->"Gestures". Alternatively you can enable "Gestures"->"Only touch"."#,
+    r#"You can fine-tune the controllers responsiveness with "Controllers"->"Prediction"."#,
+    r#"If the visual controller/hand models does not match the physical controller, you can tweak the offset in "Controllers"->"Left controller position/rotation offset" (affects both controllers)."#,
+    r#"When using external trackers or controllers you should set both "Position/Rotation recentering mode" to "Disabled"."#,
+    r#"You can enable tilt mode. Set "Position recentering mode to "Local" and "Rotation recentering mode" to "Tilted"."#,
+    r#"If you often experience image glitching, you can trade that with stutter frames using "Avoid video glitching"."#,
+    r#"You can run custom commands/programs at client connection/disconnection using "On connect/disconnect script"."#,
+    r#"In case you want to report a bug, to get a log file enable "Log to disk". The log will be inside "session_log.txt"."#,
+    r#"For hacking purposes, you can enable "Log tracking", "Log button presses", "Log haptics". You can get the data using a websocket at ws://localhost:8082/api/events"#,
+    r#"In case you want to report a bug and share your log, you should enable "Prefer backtrace"."#,
+    r#"You can quickly cycle through tips like this one by toggling "Show notification tip"."#,
+    r#"If you want to use body trackers or other SteamVR drivers together with ALVR, set "Driver launch action" to "Unregister ALVR at shutdown""#,
+    r#"It's handy to enable "Open and close SteamVR with dashboard"."#,
+    r#"If you want to share a video recording for reporting a bug, you can enable "Rolling video files" to limit the file size of the upload."#,
+    // Miscellaneous
+    r#"If your headset does not appear in the clients list it might be in a different subnet. Try "Add client manually"."#,
+    r#"For audio setup on Linux, check the wiki at https://github.com/alvr-org/ALVR/wiki/Installation-guide#automatic-audio--microphone-setup"#,
+    r#"ALVR supports wired connection using USB. Check the wiki at https://github.com/alvr-org/ALVR/wiki/ALVR-wired-setup-(ALVR-over-USB)"#,
+    r#"You can record a video of the gameplay using "Start recording" in the "Debug" category in the sidebar."#,
+];
 
 pub struct NotificationBar {
     message: String,
     current_level: LogSeverity,
     receive_instant: Instant,
     min_notification_level: LogSeverity,
+    tip_message: Option<String>,
     expanded: bool,
 }
 
 impl NotificationBar {
     pub fn new() -> Self {
         Self {
-            message: NO_NOTIFICATIONS.into(),
+            message: NO_NOTIFICATIONS_MESSAGE.into(),
             current_level: LogSeverity::Debug,
             receive_instant: Instant::now(),
             min_notification_level: LogSeverity::Debug,
+            tip_message: None,
             expanded: false,
         }
     }
 
     pub fn update_settings(&mut self, settings: &Settings) {
         self.min_notification_level = settings.logging.notification_level;
+
+        if settings.logging.show_notification_tip {
+            if self.tip_message.is_none() {
+                self.tip_message = NOTIFICATION_TIPS
+                    .choose(&mut rand::thread_rng())
+                    .map(|s| format!("Tip: {s}"));
+            }
+        } else {
+            self.tip_message = None;
+        }
     }
 
     pub fn push_notification(&mut self, event: LogEntry) {
@@ -53,7 +101,10 @@ impl NotificationBar {
     pub fn ui(&mut self, context: &egui::Context) {
         let now = Instant::now();
         if now > self.receive_instant + TIMEOUT {
-            self.message = NO_NOTIFICATIONS.into();
+            self.message = self
+                .tip_message
+                .clone()
+                .unwrap_or_else(|| NO_NOTIFICATIONS_MESSAGE.into());
             self.current_level = LogSeverity::Debug;
         }
 

alvr/session/src/settings.rs

@@ -975,21 +975,31 @@ pub struct RawEventsConfig {
 #[schema(collapsible)]
 pub struct LoggingConfig {
     pub client_log_report_level: Switch<LogSeverity>,
+
     #[schema(strings(help = "Write logs into the session_log.txt file."))]
     pub log_to_disk: bool,
+
     #[schema(flag = "real-time")]
     pub log_tracking: bool,
+
     #[schema(flag = "real-time")]
     pub log_button_presses: bool,
+
     #[schema(flag = "real-time")]
     pub log_haptics: bool,
+
     #[schema(flag = "real-time")]
     pub notification_level: LogSeverity,
+
     #[schema(flag = "real-time")]
     pub show_raw_events: Switch<RawEventsConfig>,
+
     #[schema(strings(help = "This applies only to certain error or warning messages."))]
     #[schema(flag = "steamvr-restart")]
     pub prefer_backtrace: bool,
+
+    #[schema(strings(help = "Notification tips teach you how to use ALVR"))]
+    pub show_notification_tip: bool,
 }
 
 #[derive(SettingsSchema, Serialize, Deserialize, Clone)]
@@ -1506,6 +1516,7 @@ pub fn session_settings_default() -> SettingsDefault {
                 },
             },
             prefer_backtrace: false,
+            show_notification_tip: true,
         },
         steamvr_launcher: SteamvrLauncherDefault {
             gui_collapsed: false,