Feature request: Add option to hide MagTag display status bar/header

[flavio-fernandes]

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.

Yes. On the Adafruit MagTag running WipperSnapper, the firmware currently draws a status bar/header at the top of the eInk display. This is useful as a default, but for some display use cases I would like to use the full MagTag screen area for my own content.

Right now I do not see a documented secrets.json option or Adafruit IO display setting that allows this header/status bar to be hidden.

From reading the current implementation, the status bar appears to be drawn from the display component path:

• src/components/display/controller.cpp

  • DisplayController::Handle_Display_AddOrReplace() calls display->drawStatusBar(WS._config.aio_user)
  • DisplayController::update() periodically calls hw_instance->updateStatusBar(rssi, 100, is_connected)

• src/components/display/hardware.cpp

  • DisplayHardware::drawStatusBar() forwards to _drvDisp->drawStatusBar()
  • DisplayHardware::updateStatusBar() forwards to _drvDisp->updateStatusBar()

• MagTag display drivers:

  • src/components/display/drivers/dispDrvThinkInkGrayscale4T5.h
  • src/components/display/drivers/dispDrvThinkInkGrayscale4Eaamfgn.h

Those drivers reserve STATUS_BAR_HEIGHT pixels, and writeMessage() starts below the status bar. So hiding the bar should also allow user content to use the full display area.

Describe the solution you'd like

Please add a supported option to hide the MagTag display status bar/header.

A possible implementation would be a boolean option such as:

{
  "display_status_bar": false
}

or, if the maintainers prefer grouping display settings:

{
  "display": {
    "status_bar": false
  }
}

Desired behavior:

• Default behavior remains unchanged.
• If the option is absent, the status bar is shown as it is today.
• If the option is set to false, WipperSnapper should:
  • skip the initial drawStatusBar()
  • skip periodic updateStatusBar()
  • let writeMessage() use the full screen, starting at y=0 or an appropriate small top padding instead of below STATUS_BAR_HEIGHT
• This should work for both pre-2025 and 2025 MagTag display drivers:
  • dispDrvThinkInkGrayscale4T5.h
  • dispDrvThinkInkGrayscale4Eaamfgn.h

Describe alternatives you've considered

• Covering the top part of the eInk display physically, which is not a real solution.
• Maintaining a custom local firmware patch, which would make normal WipperSnapper updates harder.
• Using smaller text/content to work around the reserved top area, but that still wastes display space.

Additional context

I am happy to help with a PR if the maintainers agree with the approach.

Potential PR scope:

1. Add a boolean config field, defaulting to current behavior.
2. Parse it from secrets.json, or from whichever config path the maintainers prefer.
3. Thread the setting into the display controller/hardware/driver path.
4. Update both MagTag eInk drivers so full-screen layout works when the bar is hidden.
5. Add documentation/examples showing the new option.
6. Verify the PlatformIO build for magtag.

Related context I found:

• Existing MagTag display lifecycle issue: v121 Re-adding "MagTag" component doesn't work, shows blank screen. IO page gets displayAdded acknowledge. #852
• Existing precedent for user-configurable status UI behavior: Ability to turn off and modify status pixel #365
• Display implementation PRs: Feature: Add TFT and E-Ink Displays #824, Fixes - Display Component #827, Displays v2 #875

[tyeth]

Thanks for the feedback and write-up!
It's been planned to include a device setting for status bar in v2 of WipperSnapper (due Q3/4 2026), and the initial protobuf support has been added in this PR:
adafruit/Wippersnapper_Protobuf#198

It's unlikely to be backported to v1, but if it is then we would consider the json settings option as well as including the protobuf support so the IO website can toggle the feature.

[tyeth]

If the v1 codebase is not updated with the desired support, then it would still be possible / relatively easy to maintain a fork that does not include statusbar support. The one issue would be that the IO user interface knows the available space and restricts input to a known number of lines / size (pixels divided by monospace font size), but that can be ignored if you only send display data via feeds instead of the user interface.

[tyeth]

Linking #877

[flavio-fernandes]

TYSM @tyeth !

Beside the ability to have additional screen space, I find it would also be beneficial to have this feature for

• saving battery usage and;
• reducing redraw on e-ink displays. I am already looking forward to WipperSnapper v2!

[T-Mosher]

You can certainly clone the repo for that library and make your own modifications.

[tyeth]

TYSM @tyeth !

Beside the ability to have additional screen space, I find it would also be beneficial to have this feature for

• saving battery usage and;
• reducing redraw on e-ink displays. I am already looking forward to WipperSnapper v2!

Thanks for the extra feedback.

There will be a sleep mode and interval setting in V2 and non sleeping devices will still effectively light-sleep to help power drawer.

eInks have been capped to 60s updates unlike TFTs etc, but we can look at that being configured instead of fixed per display (larger eInks want longer intervals than 60s potentially, as well as user preferences).