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Overview

Scroller is a personalized Reddit feed viewer that combines content from multiple subreddits into a single, continuous scrolling experience. Perfect for curating custom content streams with autoscroll functionality for hands-free browsing.

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Getting Started

1

Add Subreddits

Build your custom feed by adding your favorite subreddits. The app supports autocomplete suggestions as you type.
2

Configure Filters

Choose which media types to display (images, videos, GIFs) and set your preferred sort order.
3

Start Browsing

Your personalized feed loads automatically, combining content from all selected subreddits.
4

Optional: Enable Autoscroll

Turn on autoscroll for a hands-free viewing experience with customizable speed.

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Subreddit Management

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Adding Subreddits

1

Enter Subreddit Name

Type a subreddit name in the input field (without the “r/” prefix).
The app provides autocomplete suggestions as you type to help you find subreddits.
2

Add to Feed

Press Enter or click the + button to add the subreddit to your feed.
3

Repeat as Needed

Add as many subreddits as you want to build your custom feed.

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Managing Your List

  • Remove Subreddit: Click the X button next to any subreddit chip
  • View Active Subreddits: All added subreddits appear as chips below the input field
  • Favorites: Frequently used subreddits can be saved for quick access
You must have at least one subreddit in your feed. The app will display an error if you try to load content without any subreddits configured.

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Feed Configuration

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View Settings

Control how content is displayed:
  • Large: Full-size media with detailed post information
  • Compact: Condensed layout showing more posts per screen
Large view is ideal for enjoying media in detail, while compact view is better for quickly browsing through many posts.
Choose how posts are sorted:
  • Hot: Currently trending and popular posts
  • New: Most recent posts in chronological order
  • Top: Highest-rated posts within a time period
The sort order applies to all subreddits in your feed.
When using “Top” sorting, select the time range:
  • Hour: Top posts from the last 60 minutes
  • Day: Top posts from the last 24 hours
  • Week: Top posts from the last 7 days
  • Month: Top posts from the last 30 days
  • Year: Top posts from the last 12 months
  • All Time: All-time highest-rated posts

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Media Filters

Control which types of media appear in your feed:
  • Images: Static images (JPEG, PNG, WebP)
  • Videos: Video content (MP4, WebM, Reddit videos)
  • GIFs: Animated GIFs and GIF-like content (Gfycat, RedGIFs)
Smart Detection: The app automatically classifies content from Gfycat, RedGIFs, and Giphy as GIFs, even though they’re technically videos. This matches how users naturally think about content types.
At least one media type must be enabled. If you disable all types, the app will automatically re-enable images to prevent an empty feed.

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Autoscroll Feature

Scroller includes a powerful autoscroll system for effortless browsing:

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Controls

  • Toggle Switch: Turn autoscroll on/off
  • Speed Slider: Adjust scrolling speed from 1 (slowest) to 20 (fastest)
  • Pause Button: Temporarily pause without disabling autoscroll
  • Status Indicator: Shows current autoscroll state (Active/Paused)

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Speed Presets

Pre-configured speed settings for different browsing styles:
  • Slow (10): Relaxed browsing pace - perfect for reading titles and enjoying media
  • Medium (15): Moderate speed for general browsing
  • Fast (20): Quick scrolling for rapid content discovery

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Automatic Pausing

Autoscroll intelligently pauses when you:
  • Click on a post or media item
  • Open a media modal/fullscreen view
  • Interact with any post actions
  • Manually scroll the feed
Autoscroll automatically resumes when you close modals or stop interacting with the feed.

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Feed Behavior

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Initial Load

When you first load or refresh your feed:
  1. Scroller fetches posts from all configured subreddits
  2. Posts are combined and sorted according to your settings
  3. Media types are filtered based on your selections
  4. The feed displays with skeleton placeholders during loading

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Infinite Scrolling

As you scroll down:
  • More posts automatically load when you reach near the bottom
  • A “Loading more…” indicator appears during fetch
  • New posts are deduplicated to prevent showing the same content twice
  • Up to 400 previously shown URLs are excluded from new loads

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Manual Loading

When autoscroll is disabled:
  • A “Load More” button appears at the bottom of the feed
  • Click to manually fetch the next batch of posts
  • Button is disabled during loading to prevent duplicate requests

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End of Feed

When no more content is available:
  • An “End of feed” indicator appears
  • The message suggests refreshing or trying different sort settings
  • Refresh the page to start fresh with new content

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Post Interactions

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Viewing Media

  • Click Post: Opens media in fullscreen modal
  • Navigation: Use arrow keys or on-screen buttons to move between posts
  • Close: Click outside, press Escape, or use the close button
  • Auto-pause: Autoscroll pauses while modal is open

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Post Actions

  • View on Reddit: Opens the original post in a new tab
  • View Subreddit: Navigates to the post’s subreddit
  • Fullscreen: Expands media to fill your screen

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Settings Persistence

All your preferences are automatically saved:
  • Subreddit list
  • View mode (large/compact)
  • Sort order and time filter
  • Media type filters
  • Autoscroll state and speed
Settings are stored in browser localStorage and persist across sessions. Your configuration is remembered when you return to Scroller.

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Practical Examples

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Example 1: News and Current Events Feed

Subreddits: worldnews, news, technology, science
Sort: Hot
Media: Images + Videos
Autoscroll: Slow (10)
Ideal for staying updated on current events with a steady browsing pace.

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Example 2: Photography and Art Collection

Subreddits: earthporn, itookapicture, art, pics
Sort: Top - Week
Media: Images only
View: Large
Autoscroll: Medium (15)
Perfect for enjoying high-quality photography and artwork.

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Example 3: Entertainment and Memes

Subreddits: funny, memes, videos, unexpected
Sort: Hot
Media: All types
View: Compact
Autoscroll: Fast (20)
Great for quick entertainment and discovering viral content.

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Example 4: Niche Hobby Feed

Subreddits: woodworking, diy, homeimprovement
Sort: Top - Month
Media: Images + Videos
View: Large
Autoscroll: Disabled
Best for in-depth browsing of specific interests with manual control.

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Technical Details

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Deduplication System

Scroller implements smart deduplication to prevent showing the same content multiple times:
  • URL Normalization: Media URLs are normalized (lowercased hostname, removed trailing slashes, etc.)
  • Composite Keys: Posts are tracked using a combination of subreddit and post ID
  • Server-Side Exclusion: Up to 400 previously seen URLs are sent to the server to exclude from new fetches
  • Cross-Load Persistence: Deduplication works across multiple load-more operations

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Performance Optimizations

  • Parallel Fetching: Posts from all subreddits are fetched simultaneously
  • Efficient Filtering: Media type filtering happens client-side after fetch
  • Skeleton Placeholders: Shown during initial load for better perceived performance
  • Ref-Based State: Prevents race conditions during concurrent fetch operations
  • Cancel on Unmount: Pending API requests are cancelled when navigating away

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API Integration

  • Uses the same /api/fetch-reddit endpoint as Gaslighter
  • Supports excludeUrls parameter for deduplication
  • Implements rate limiting and retry logic
  • Handles transient failures with exponential backoff

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Usage Tracking

When autoscroll is enabled, usage is tracked via:
  • POST /api/scroller/track-autoscroll: Increments autoscroll usage counter
  • Helps improve the feature based on actual usage patterns

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Troubleshooting

Possible Causes:
  • No subreddits added to the feed
  • All media types disabled
  • Network connectivity issues
Solutions:
  • Add at least one subreddit
  • Enable at least one media type
  • Check your internet connection
  • Try refreshing the page
Possible Causes:
  • Autoscroll is paused
  • Speed set too low
  • Browser window not focused
Solutions:
  • Check the pause button state
  • Increase the speed slider value
  • Ensure the browser tab is active
  • Close any open media modals
Possible Causes:
  • Browser cache issues
  • Rapid refresh/reload actions
Solutions:
  • Clear browser cache and reload
  • Wait a few seconds between refreshes
  • Try different sort settings
Possible Causes:
  • Already fetching new posts
  • Reached end of available content
  • API rate limiting
Solutions:
  • Wait for current load to complete
  • Try different sort settings or subreddits
  • Wait a few minutes before retrying
Possible Causes:
  • Browser localStorage disabled
  • Private/incognito mode
  • Browser storage quota exceeded
Solutions:
  • Enable localStorage in browser settings
  • Use a regular browser window
  • Clear some browser data to free up space

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Tips for Best Experience

Group similar subreddits together for focused browsing. Create separate sessions for different interests (news, entertainment, hobbies, etc.).
Enable all media types (images, videos, GIFs) for the most diverse and engaging feed experience.
Use compact view on mobile for better performance. Large view works great on desktop with high-resolution displays.
Try different combinations:
  • Hot + Images for trending visual content
  • Top + Week for the best recent posts
  • New + All media for discovering fresh content
Start with the Slow preset and gradually increase speed until you find the right balance between browsing and content absorption.

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