Media in Messages

BinktermPHP can render rich media embedded in echomail and netmail messages. This covers both inline media URLs (images, video, audio, platform embeds) and text-based graphical formats (ANSI art, SIXEL, RIPscrip, Markdown).

---

Table of Contents

• How It Works
• Supported Media Types
  • Images
  • Video
  • Audio
  • Retro Audio (Tracker Modules, SID, MIDI)
  • Platform Embeds
• Text Art Rendering
  • ANSI Art
  • SIXEL Graphics
  • RIPscrip
  • Pipe Codes
• Markdown / Markup
• Message Attachments
• Render Modes
• Admin Configuration
• Architecture Reference

---

How It Works

When a message is opened in the web reader, the JavaScript media engine (public_html/js/media-player.js) scans all links in the rendered message body. For each link it identifies the media type and either:

• Renders it inline immediately (auto mode), or
• Intercepts clicks on the link and shows a small popup menu with Load player and Open in new tab options (click mode).

Client-side platform embeds (YouTube, Odysee, BitChute, Brighteon, PeerTube) are resolved directly in the browser from the URL. oEmbed providers (Rumble, SoundCloud, Twitter/X, TikTok, ReverbNation) are fetched client-side from the provider's oEmbed endpoint, with a fallback to the server-side proxy at GET /api/media/embed when CORS blocks the direct request. Bastyon video posts are always resolved server-side through GET /api/media/embed. Retro audio formats are proxied through GET /api/media/raw.

The scan runs via BinkMediaPlayer.scan() after every message render, including when switching messages and when viewing shared messages. The message API response includes a resolved allow_media boolean that the caller passes to BinkMediaPlayer.scan(container, { mediaEnabled: bool }) to suppress rendering when the feature is disabled at the network or area level.

---

Supported Media Types

Images

Direct image URLs ending in .png, .webp, .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, or .svg are rendered as inline <img> elements. Known image CDN prefixes are also recognized when the CDN path omits a file extension, currently including https://cdn.bsky.app/img/.

Video

Direct video file URLs ending in .mp4, .webm, or .ogv are rendered with an HTML5 <video> player.

Audio

Direct audio file URLs ending in .mp3, .flac, .ogg, .opus, .wav, .m4a, or .aac are rendered with an HTML5 <audio> player.

Retro Audio

Tracker module and legacy audio formats are handled by the retro audio player (public_html/js/retro-audio-player.js), which uses the server-side proxy to fetch the file cross-origin:

Format	Extensions
Tracker modules	.xm, .it, .s3m, .mod, .stm, .amf, .669, .mptm
Commodore SID	.sid
MIDI	.mid, .midi

The proxy endpoint (GET /api/media/raw) enforces a maximum file size of 8 MB and only allows the extensions listed above. It also validates that the target URL resolves to a public IP address.

Platform Embeds

Platform embeds are resolved by the server-side MediaLinkResolver (src/Media/MediaLinkResolver.php) via the GET /api/media/embed endpoint.

Provider	Method
YouTube	Client-side (deterministic URL pattern)
Odysee	Client-side
BitChute	Client-side
Brighteon	Client-side
PeerTube	Client-side
Rumble	oEmbed (server-side)
SoundCloud	oEmbed (server-side)
Twitter / X	oEmbed (server-side)
TikTok	oEmbed (server-side)
ReverbNation	oEmbed (server-side)
Bastyon	Server-side proxy resolution

Each provider can be individually enabled or disabled by the administrator (see Admin Configuration).

---

Text Art Rendering

ANSI Art

Messages containing ANSI escape sequences are rendered by public_html/js/ansisys.js. Detection is based on the render mode selected by the user (see Render Modes).

See ANSI Support for full details.

SIXEL Graphics

DEC Sixel bitmap graphics are decoded and drawn to an HTML5 Canvas by public_html/js/sixel.js. The decoder supports:

• 256-color palette with dynamic color definition
• HLS-to-RGB conversion
• Sixel escape sequences (ESC P … q … ESC \)
• .six and .sixel file formats

SIXEL rendering applies to echomail and netmail message bodies when a sixel payload is detected.

See Sixel Support for full details.

RIPscrip

RIPscrip vector graphics are detected server-side in MessageHandler::appendRipRendering() and rendered client-side by ripterm.js (imported in public_html/js/echomail.js). Detection looks for !| lines with recognized RIP command sequences (|c## color commands, |L######## image loads, |@#### other commands).

RIPscrip rendering is only available in echomail.

See RIPScrip Support for full details.

Pipe Codes

BBS pipe color codes are rendered by the pipe code renderer. See Pipe Code Support for details.

---

Markdown / Markup

Messages can carry a ^AMARKUP: kludge line (LSC-001 Draft 2) that declares the body format. A legacy ^AMARKDOWN: kludge is also recognized. MessageHandler::appendMarkdownRendering() detects these kludges and pre-renders the body server-side before sending it to the client.

Supported formats declared via the kludge:

• markdown — rendered by MarkdownRenderer::toHtml()
• stylecodes — rendered by StyleCodesRenderer::toHtml()

The pre-rendered HTML is returned in the markup_html field of the message API response. The client uses this HTML directly when available.

See Markdown and Markup Formatting for the full compose editor reference, StyleCodes syntax, the MARKUP kludge specification, and rendering details.

---

Message Attachments

Files attached to a message (for both echomail and netmail) are retrieved by FileAreaManager::getMessageAttachments() and returned in the attachments array of the message API response. Access control respects file area privacy settings.

Attachment files are stored via FileAreaManager::storeNetmailAttachment() for netmail. The netmail reader displays attachments below the message body.

---

Render Modes

The web reader supports multiple render modes that the user can cycle through with the render mode button:

Mode	Description
auto	Detect and apply the most appropriate renderer automatically
rip	Force RIPscrip rendering
ansi	Force ANSI rendering
amiga_ansi	Amiga ANSI variant
plain	Plain text only, no art rendering
raw	Display raw message bytes (useful for debugging encoding issues)

The user's preferred mode is stored via UserStorage so it persists across sessions without affecting other users on the same browser.

---

Admin Configuration

Media player settings are managed in src/AppearanceConfig.php under the media_player key and can be changed through the admin interface.

Global toggle: Media rendering is disabled by default on fresh installs. Enable it system-wide with media_player.enabled = true in the admin panel. Disable it again with media_player.enabled = false to suppress all inline rendering across every network and area.

Per-network toggle: Each row in the networks table has an allow_media boolean, managed through Admin → Networks. Enable it on a network to allow inline media for messages received from or associated with that network. New networks default to denying media until enabled.

Per-area toggle: Each echo area has an allow_media column in the echoareas table. The value can be true (always allow), false (always deny), or NULL (inherit from the network setting). The area setting is configured in the echo area management interface.

Resolution order (first match wins):

1. Global disabled → media suppressed everywhere
2. Area allow_media = false → media suppressed for that area
3. Area allow_media = true → media allowed regardless of network setting
4. Area allow_media = NULL → network allow_media setting (default: deny)

Per-provider toggles: Each embed provider (youtube, odysee, rumble, bitchute, brighteon, peertube, soundcloud, twitter, tiktok, bastyon, reverbnation, raw_media) can be individually enabled or disabled.

API keys: Some oEmbed providers (SoundCloud, Twitter/X) require API keys configured under media_player.api_keys.

When GET /api/media/embed is called, it checks the global flag and the per-provider configuration before resolving the URL. Disabled providers return an error and the link is left as plain text.

The resolved allow_media boolean is included in every message API response. The client passes this value to BinkMediaPlayer.scan(container, { mediaEnabled: bool }) so that suppressed areas render links as plain text without any player UI.

---

Architecture Reference

Component	Path	Role
Media player engine	public_html/js/media-player.js	URL detection, inline rendering, popup menu, embed loading
Retro audio player	public_html/js/retro-audio-player.js	Tracker/SID/MIDI playback
SIXEL decoder	public_html/js/sixel.js	DEC Sixel bitmap rendering
ANSI renderer	public_html/js/ansisys.js	ANSI escape sequence rendering
Server embed resolver	src/Media/MediaLinkResolver.php	Coordinates all embed provider classes
Embed API endpoint	GET /api/media/embed in routes/api-routes.php	Returns embed HTML for a URL; used as CORS fallback for oEmbed providers
Raw media proxy	GET /api/media/raw in routes/api-routes.php	Proxies retro audio files
Message enrichment	src/MessageHandler.php	Attaches markup HTML, RIP detection, raw bytes, area allow_media
Appearance config	src/AppearanceConfig.php	Reads/writes global media player admin settings
Network media config	src/Binkp/Config/BinkpConfig.php (isMediaAllowedForDomain())	Per-network allow_media lookup from the networks table