RSVP Reader

A Svelte-based Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) reader for speed reading with PDF and EPUB support.

Online version / DEMO

Link: https://rsvp.n0name.eu/

What is RSVP?

Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) is a technique where text is displayed one word at a time at a fixed focal point. This eliminates the need for eye movements (saccades) during reading, potentially allowing for significantly faster reading speeds.

The app uses Optimal Recognition Point (ORP) highlighting - the red letter in each word indicates the point where your eye naturally focuses for fastest word recognition. This is calculated based on word length:

• 1-3 letter words: 1st letter
• 4-5 letter words: 2nd letter
• 6-9 letter words: 3rd letter
• 10+ letter words: 4th letter

Features

• PDF & EPUB Support: Upload PDF documents or EPUB e-books directly
• Adjustable reading speed: 50-1000 words per minute (WPM)
• ORP highlighting: Red-highlighted focal letter for faster recognition
• Monospace display: Fixed-width font keeps the focal point stable
• Focus mode: Minimal UI during reading for distraction-free experience
• Fade effect: Optional smooth transitions between words
• Punctuation pauses: Configurable extra pause on sentence-ending punctuation
• Periodic pauses: Optional pause every N words for comprehension
• Progress tracking: Visual progress bar and time remaining
• Save progress: Save your reading session and resume later
• Jump to position: Skip to any word number or percentage in the text
• Clickable progress bar: Click anywhere on the progress bar to jump to that position
• Keyboard shortcuts: Full keyboard control for hands-free reading
• Dark theme: Easy on the eyes with black background

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/rsvp.git
cd rsvp

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start development server
npm run dev

Docker

Run the app using Docker Compose:

cd docker
docker compose up -d

The app will be available at http://localhost:8080

To rebuild after changes:

docker compose up -d --build

Usage

Running the App

# Development mode with hot reload
npm run dev

# Build for production
npm run build

# Preview production build
npm run preview

Loading Content

From Files:

1. Click the document icon in the header
2. Click "Upload PDF or EPUB"
3. Select your PDF or EPUB file
4. The text will be extracted and loaded automatically

From Text:

1. Click the document icon in the header
2. Paste or type your text in the textarea
3. Click "Load Text"

Controls

Buttons:

• Play: Start reading from the beginning or current position
• Pause: Pause reading (UI enters focus mode with minimal controls)
• Resume: Continue from where you paused
• Stop: Stop and reset to beginning
• Restart: Stop and immediately start from beginning

Keyboard Shortcuts:

Key	Action
Space	Play/Pause/Resume
Escape	Exit focus mode (or close dialogs)
Arrow Up	Increase speed (+25 WPM)
Arrow Down	Decrease speed (-25 WPM)
Arrow Left	Go back one word
Arrow Right	Skip forward one word
G	Open jump to position dialog
Ctrl+S / Cmd+S	Save current progress

Saving and Resuming Progress

Save Progress:

• Click the save icon in the header (floppy disk icon)
• Or press Ctrl+S (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+S (Mac)
• Your current position, text, and all settings are saved to browser storage

Resume Reading:

• When you return to the app, you'll be prompted to resume your saved session
• Click "Resume" to continue from where you left off
• Click "Start Fresh" to begin with the default text

Jump to Position

Using the Jump Dialog:

1. Click the code bracket icon in the header, or press G
2. Enter a word number (e.g., 150) or percentage (e.g., 50%)
3. Click "Go" or press Enter

Quick Jump Buttons:

• Use the preset buttons (Start, 25%, 50%, 75%) for quick navigation

Clickable Progress Bar:

• When not playing, click anywhere on the progress bar to jump directly to that position
• The progress bar expands on hover to make clicking easier

Settings

Click the gear icon to access settings:

• Words Per Minute: Reading speed (50-1000 WPM)
• Enable Fade Effect: Smooth fade transition between words
• Fade Duration: Duration of fade effect (50-300ms)
• Pause on Punctuation: Extra pause at sentence endings
• Punctuation Pause Multiplier: How much longer to pause (1-4x)
• Pause Every N Words: Take a break every N words (0 = disabled)
• Pause Duration: Length of periodic pauses (100-2000ms)

Project Structure

rsvp/
├── src/
│   ├── App.svelte              # Main application component
│   ├── app.css                 # Global styles
│   ├── main.js                 # Application entry point
│   ├── lib/
│   │   ├── rsvp-utils.js       # Core RSVP utility functions
│   │   ├── file-parsers.js     # PDF and EPUB parsing utilities
│   │   ├── progress-storage.js # Session save/load utilities
│   │   └── components/
│   │       ├── RSVPDisplay.svelte   # Word display component
│   │       ├── Controls.svelte      # Playback controls
│   │       ├── Settings.svelte      # Settings panel
│   │       ├── TextInput.svelte     # Text/file input panel
│   │       └── ProgressBar.svelte   # Progress indicator (clickable)
│   └── tests/
│       ├── setup.js                 # Test setup
│       ├── rsvp-utils.test.js       # RSVP utility tests
│       ├── file-parsers.test.js     # File parser tests
│       └── progress-storage.test.js # Progress storage tests
├── index.html
├── package.json
├── vite.config.js
└── README.md

Testing

# Run tests in watch mode
npm test

# Run tests once
npm run test:run

# Run tests with coverage
npm run test:coverage

API Reference

Utility Functions (src/lib/rsvp-utils.js)

parseText(text)

Parses input text into an array of words.

parseText('Hello world') // ['Hello', 'world']

getORPIndex(word)

Calculates the Optimal Recognition Point index for a word.

getORPIndex('hello') // 1 (second letter 'e')

getActualORPIndex(word)

Gets the actual character index for ORP, accounting for leading punctuation.

getActualORPIndex('"hello') // 2 (skips the quote)

getWordDelay(word, wpm, pauseOnPunctuation, multiplier)

Calculates the display delay for a word based on WPM and punctuation.

getWordDelay('hello', 300) // 200 (ms)
getWordDelay('end.', 300, true, 2) // 400 (ms)

formatTimeRemaining(remainingWords, wpm)

Formats remaining time as MM:SS.

formatTimeRemaining(300, 300) // '1:00'

splitWordForDisplay(word)

Splits a word into parts for ORP display.

splitWordForDisplay('hello')
// { before: 'h', orp: 'e', after: 'llo' }

shouldPauseAtWord(wordIndex, pauseAfterWords)

Checks if reading should pause at the current word.

shouldPauseAtWord(10, 10) // true
shouldPauseAtWord(5, 10)  // false

File Parsers (src/lib/file-parsers.js)

parsePDF(file)

Extracts text content from a PDF file.

parseEPUB(file)

Extracts text content from an EPUB e-book.

parseFile(file)

Auto-detects file type and parses accordingly.

getSupportedExtensions()

Returns supported file extensions (.pdf,.epub).

Progress Storage (src/lib/progress-storage.js)

saveSession(session)

Saves the current reading session to localStorage.

saveSession({
  text: 'Your text content...',
  currentWordIndex: 150,
  totalWords: 500,
  settings: { wordsPerMinute: 300 }
}) // true

loadSession()

Loads a saved reading session from localStorage.

const session = loadSession()
// { text: '...', currentWordIndex: 150, totalWords: 500, settings: {...}, savedAt: 1234567890 }

hasSession()

Checks if a saved session exists.

hasSession() // true or false

clearSession()

Removes the saved session from localStorage.

clearSession() // true

getSessionSummary()

Gets session info without loading the full text.

getSessionSummary()
// { currentWordIndex: 150, totalWords: 500, savedAt: 1234567890, hasText: true }

percentageToWordIndex(percentage, totalWords)

Converts a percentage to a word index.

percentageToWordIndex(50, 100) // 50
percentageToWordIndex(25, 200) // 50

wordIndexToPercentage(wordIndex, totalWords)

Converts a word index to a percentage.

wordIndexToPercentage(50, 100) // 50
wordIndexToPercentage(25, 50) // 50

Browser Support

Works in all modern browsers:

• Chrome (recommended)
• Firefox
• Safari
• Edge

Dependencies

• pdfjs-dist: PDF parsing
• epubjs: EPUB e-book parsing
• Svelte 5: UI framework
• Vite: Build tool

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

License

This project is open source and available under the MIT License.

Acknowledgments

• Based on RSVP research in cognitive psychology
• Inspired by various speed reading applications
• Built with Svelte and Vite
• PDF parsing powered by PDF.js
• EPUB parsing powered by Epub.js