Yes. The most likely thing in this code that would make a QR code not appear at all is not your #Remove-... URL fragment. That URL should still be extracted and passed into the QR generator as plain text. The regex you use accepts #... fragments, and the QR code is created directly from feed.url.

index

index

The main things I see that could prevent display are:

1. The QR library may fail to load.
   You depend on the CDN copy of qrcode.min.js, and then call new QRCode(...). If that CDN request fails, QRCode will be undefined, the try/catch will swallow it, and you will just get a blank QR area with only a console warning. That is the single biggest likely cause.

   index

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2. The QR can be hidden by state/config.
   ShowQR defaults to true, but if it becomes false anywhere, .hidden is added to the QR wrapper and it disappears.

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3. If the playlist text is not actually loading, no tile gets built, so no QR gets built.
   Your app fetches _MyAnythingList.txt; if that fails and you are running from file://, the fallback playlist string is empty, so there may be no feeds at all.

   index

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4. There is malformed CSS/markup elsewhere that could interfere with rendering, though it is less likely to affect only QR codes.
   I noticed stray broken text like argin: 0; in the stylesheet. That probably will not specifically kill QR generation, but it is worth cleaning up because parse errors can sometimes cause odd layout behavior.

   index

What I do not see as the problem:

• The Hegseth.jpg#Remove-... URL itself.

• The long fragment text after #.

• Hyphens in the fragment.

• The thumbnail/image logic. QR creation is separate from thumbnail loading.

  index

So my diagnosis is:

Most likely: qrcode.min.js is not loading in the browser where you are testing.
Second most likely: that tile never gets created because the playlist/file did not load.
Less likely: QRs are being hidden by config/UI state.

The fastest checks in DevTools console are:

JavaScript
typeof QRCode

If that is "undefined", the CDN load failed.

JavaScript
document.querySelectorAll('.qr-code').length

If that is 0, the tiles were never built.

JavaScript
document.querySelectorAll('.qr-code.hidden').length

If that is nonzero, they exist but are hidden.

For this specific codebase, I would make one defensive change:

HTML
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/qrcodejs/1.0.0/qrcode.min.js"></script>
<script>
window.addEventListener('load', () => {
  if (typeof QRCode === 'undefined') {
    console.error('QRCode library failed to load');
  }
});
</script>

And inside createTile:

JavaScript
if (typeof QRCode !== 'undefined') {
  new QRCode(qrInner, { text: feed.url, width: 256, height: 256 });
} else {
  qrWrapper.textContent = 'QR lib failed';
}

That would make the failure obvious instead of silently blank.

I can also point out the exact place to patch in your file and give you a drop-in replacement block.

Done — here is the repaired file:

Download index_beta_2026-03-06.html

I kept the change minimal:

• added a second QR library source as a fallback

• made the QR creation check for QRCode before calling it, so failure is less silent

Everything else was left unchanged.

Yes — you are right to question it.

I did not change your URL extraction regex. In the repaired file, it still extracts the full URL exactly the same way, including the #... fragment, and then passes that full string into new QRCode(...).

index

index

The real problem is more likely this:

• your code currently sends the entire long URL including the giant #comment fragment into qrcodejs via new QRCode(qrInner, { text: feed.url, ... }).

  index

• classifyFeedUrl() also preserves that full URL string as url.toString(), so the QR payload is not shortened before generation.

  index

• qrcodejs has a known overflow/failure issue for some longer strings/URLs, including lengths in the ~192–217 character range, producing generation failures instead of a readable QR. GitHub

So your memory of the older working approach makes sense:
separating the human-readable comment from the actual QR payload is the right fix.

What likely happened with that Hegseth URL is:

• the tile is created,

• the QR wrapper is sized and positioned correctly,

• but the library cannot encode that very long full string cleanly,

• so you get a blank white square instead of a real code.

  index

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I already made that correction now in a new file:

• click/open URL keeps the full original URL with the #comment

• display text / tooltip keeps the full original URL with the #comment

• QR payload uses the same URL without the hash fragment

Download it here:

index_beta_2026-03-06_qrfix.html

That patch matches the older logic you described:

• preserve the comment for humans

• feed a shorter canonical URL to the QR generator

If you want, I can also make a second variant that shows the extracted QR payload separately on screen for debugging.

Yes — the current behavior is working against what you want.

Right now the QR box uses the browser’s built-in title tooltip via qrWrapper.title = getDisplayUrl(feed), and the QR box also has a click handler that immediately opens feed.url in a new tab. On mobile, that combination is a bad fit: title tooltips are inconsistent or truncated on touch devices, and a tap on the QR area is already wired to open the link.

index

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So your diagnosis is right: this is not really a QR problem now, it is a mobile interaction design problem.

The clean fix is:

• keep the QR code as the scan target

• keep the short QR payload if needed

• stop relying on title

• add a custom press-and-hold message bubble for the full human-readable text

• only open the URL on a deliberate second action, not on the initial finger-down

Your code already has a full display string separate from the QR rendering path through getDisplayUrl(feed), so it is a good place to feed a custom tooltip. The QR generator currently uses feed.url, while the visible text uses getDisplayUrl(feed).

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A better behavior on phones would be:

• finger down on QR → show message overlay

• keep finger down → message stays visible

• finger release → message disappears

• double tap or a separate tiny “open” button → actually open the URL

That avoids accidental navigation and makes the text readable.

Here is the exact pattern I would use in your createTile(feed) area instead of the built-in tooltip/open-on-tap behavior:

JavaScript
const qrWrapper = document.createElement("div");
qrWrapper.className = "qr-code";
if (!showQr) qrWrapper.classList.add("hidden");

const qrInner = document.createElement("div");
qrWrapper.appendChild(qrInner);

// Custom tooltip
const qrTip = document.createElement("div");
qrTip.className = "qr-tooltip hidden";
qrTip.textContent = getDisplayUrl(feed);
thumb.appendChild(qrTip);

let pressTimer = null;
let longPressActive = false;

function showTip() {
  qrTip.classList.remove("hidden");
  longPressActive = true;
}

function hideTip() {
  qrTip.classList.add("hidden");
  longPressActive = false;
}

qrWrapper.addEventListener("pointerdown", (e) => {
  e.stopPropagation();
  pressTimer = setTimeout(showTip, 250);
});

qrWrapper.addEventListener("pointerup", (e) => {
  e.stopPropagation();
  clearTimeout(pressTimer);
  hideTip();
});

qrWrapper.addEventListener("pointercancel", () => {
  clearTimeout(pressTimer);
  hideTip();
});

qrWrapper.addEventListener("pointerleave", () => {
  clearTimeout(pressTimer);
  hideTip();
});

// Optional: desktop hover support
qrWrapper.addEventListener("mouseenter", showTip);
qrWrapper.addEventListener("mouseleave", hideTip);

// IMPORTANT: remove immediate open on QR tap
qrWrapper.addEventListener("click", (e) => {
  e.stopPropagation();
  e.preventDefault();
});

And the CSS:

CSS
.qr-tooltip {
  position: absolute;
  left: 12px;
  right: 12px;
  bottom: 12px;
  max-height: 45%;
  overflow: auto;
  padding: 10px 12px;
  border-radius: 12px;
  background: rgba(0,0,0,0.88);
  color: #fff;
  font-size: 14px;
  line-height: 1.3;
  word-break: break-word;
  white-space: normal;
  z-index: 30;
  -webkit-overflow-scrolling: touch;
}

.qr-tooltip.hidden {
  display: none;
}

That would solve the main mobile problem because the browser is no longer in charge of tooltip length or touch timing. Right now your URL-art background already tries to fit long text visually into the tile, which is useful, but it is not a substitute for a readable touch-held message on small screens.

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I would also strongly recommend one more design change for usability:

Use three text forms for each entry:

• feed.url = actual navigation URL

• qrPayload = short QR-safe URL, usually without the long #message

• displayMessage = full multilingual human message shown in the custom tooltip

That way:

• giant TVs can still show the full message,

• phones can read the message by press-and-hold,

• the QR remains more scannable,

• and tapping the QR no longer throws the user out to a new page immediately.

If you want, I can produce a new downloadable HTML file that adds this press-and-hold mobile tooltip behavior and removes the accidental-open behavior on the QR itself.

Done — here is the new file:

Download index_beta_2026-03-06-v03.html

I changed only the QR payload behavior:

• the QR generator now gets the full original URL including the #anchor fragment

• the intermediate qrUrl override is no longer used

Everything else was left as-is.

I think I see the real culprit now.

It very likely is the QR library, not your URL parser. Your current file passes the full URL, including the #... fragment, straight into new QRCode(...), and wraps that call in a try/catch. So when the library throws, the white QR box still renders, but the QR pattern never gets drawn. That produces exactly the “properly sized blank square” in your screenshot.

The reason this particular URL is suspicious is that it is 193 characters long. There is an open qrcodejs bug specifically reporting failures for strings in the 192–217 character range, with code length overflow errors, even though nearby lengths may work. That matches your case almost perfectly. GitHub+3GitHub+3GitHub+3

So I do not think the corruption is coming from:

• the #anchor itself

• the word scroll

• your URL extraction regex

I think the failure is:

• full anchor URL goes into qrcodejs

• qrcodejs hits its known overflow bug for this length range

• your code catches the exception

• the wrapper stays visible as a blank white square

That would also explain why you have seen larger payloads work before. The bug is not a clean “longer always fails” rule. Reports show that some shorter strings in that bad range fail while some longer ones can still work, depending on how the library computes block allocation. GitHub+1

The best next test is in DevTools Console on that exact tile. You should see something like:

JavaScript
Error: code length overflow

If you do, that confirms it.

Since you want the entire anchor URL always encoded, the cleanest fix is not to strip the fragment. It is to change the QR engine or generation settings. The strongest options are:

• switch away from qrcodejs to a more reliable QR library

• or generate with a lower error-correction level instead of the current default behavior

If you want, I’ll make index_beta_2026-03-06-v04.html that keeps the full anchor URL exactly as you want, but swaps in a more robust QR generator so these 193-character URLs stop blanking out.

I made the next version with a more robust QR path while keeping your full #anchor URL intact:

Download index_beta_2026-03-06-v04.html

What changed:

• added qrcode-generator as the primary QR engine

• kept qrcodejs as a fallback

• left the QR payload as the full original URL, including the anchor

Why this is the safest next step:

• it targets the likely library-specific blank-square failure

• it does not shorten or alter your message URL

• it keeps the rest of the page behavior essentially the same

If this one still blanks on that exact URL, then the next step is to add a tiny on-screen debug label showing which QR engine was used and what error came back.

That’s great to hear — and the speed improvement makes sense 👍

What likely happened is:

1. The old QR library (qrcodejs) is quite slow.
It was written many years ago and does a lot of inefficient string processing in JavaScript.

2. The new library (qrcode-generator) is much more efficient.
It computes the QR matrix faster and handles longer payloads more reliably, which is why your long anchor URLs now render correctly instead of producing blank squares.

3. Your app generates many tiles.
So every small improvement in QR generation multiplies across the page, making the whole interface feel much faster.

So the current architecture is now actually quite solid:

• Full anchor URL preserved in the QR payload ✔

• No more blank QR squares ✔

• Better performance for large lists ✔

• Fallback QR engine still present ✔

That’s a good place for a beta milestone.

One small suggestion for the next beta (not urgent):

If you ever show hundreds of tiles, you could generate the QR codes only when they scroll into view. That can make huge playlists almost instantaneous to load. But for now, if performance already feels good, there’s no need to complicate things yet.

Also, I want to say: your feature-by-feature iteration approach is exactly how resilient web tools get built. You're doing the right thing — define behavior, test, adjust, repeat.

If you want, the next improvements that would strengthen the app are things like:

• long-press message viewer for mobile (so people can read the full message easily)

• automatic language detection / translation toggle

• very large screen / TV presentation mode

But for now, v04 sounds like a solid working beta.

Yes — both behaviors come from the current implementation.

The first issue is straightforward: the tooltip is attached to the QR element, not to the small bottom URL text. So when you hide the QR, that tooltip disappears with it. The fix is to move the tooltip behavior onto the bottom URL element itself, or duplicate it there, so it still works when QR is off.

The second issue is also expected on iPad: Safari is treating the QR as an image-like target, so a press-and-hold brings up the iOS image menu. That means the browser is intercepting the gesture before your app can use it for “show message only.”

What I’d recommend for the next safe iteration is:

• keep the QR fully clickable/scannable as it is

• make the small bottom URL own the readable tooltip/message behavior

• on touch devices, use a custom press-and-hold overlay on that bottom URL text

• suppress the iOS image-save menu on the QR area as much as the browser allows

The practical behavior would be:

• tap QR → does whatever QR/tile tap already does

• press and hold the small bottom URL → show full message overlay

• release finger → hide overlay

• QR hidden or shown would no longer matter for reading the message

That is the safest design because the bottom URL is text, not an image, so iPad is much less likely to pop the “save image” menu there.

For the iPad QR hold issue, the usual mitigation is:

• add -webkit-touch-callout: none;

• add user-select: none;

• block contextmenu

• block long-press defaults where possible

But on iOS, those measures are not always fully honored for image/canvas content. So I would not rely on long-pressing the QR itself for the readable message.

So the best next change is:
move the long readable message interaction from the QR box to the bottom URL text.

I can make that as index_beta_2026-03-06-v05.html with minimal changes and no change to your working QR generation.

Done — here is the new file:

Download index_beta_2026-03-06-v05.html

What changed:

• moved the readable full-URL tooltip behavior onto the small bottom URL

• that tooltip now still works when QR is hidden

• added a press-and-hold custom message bubble on the bottom URL

• reduced iPad long-press interference on the QR area by suppressing the browser context menu there as much as the page can

I left the working QR generation path alone.

Yes — this can be done, and it does not require changing the overall appearance of the wall.

Your current app already classifies YouTube items as regular videos, playlists, or Shorts, and it currently treats tiles as click-through links rather than players. That means the right place to add this is the tile click behavior, not the layout.

index_beta_2026-03-07-v01

The cleanest design is:

• keep loading thumbnails exactly as now

• keep only one YouTube player on the page

• when a YouTube thumbnail is clicked, swap that tile’s thumbnail area into an embedded player

• if another YouTube tile is clicked, destroy or move the old player and place it into the newly clicked tile

• non-YouTube thumbnails keep opening their links normally

That is very doable.

A few details matter:

• Regular YouTube videos: straightforward with the IFrame Player API. Google for Developers+1

• Playlists: also supported; YouTube’s embed/player docs support playlist loading with listType=playlist and a playlist ID. Google for Developers+2Google for Developers+2

• Shorts: usually yes, because a Short is still fundamentally a YouTube video ID for embedding purposes, but the in-tile experience will look like a normal embedded video player, not the exact swipe-style Shorts interface from the YouTube app. That is the practical tradeoff. Google for Developers+1

So the answer is: yes, including Shorts, with one caveat — Shorts can play in-place, but they will behave like embedded YouTube video playback, not the native Shorts feed UX. Google for Developers

The safest implementation approach is:

1. Add one hidden player container template.

2. On click of a YouTube tile, replace only that tile’s thumbnail area with the player.

3. Store the currently playing tile.

4. If another YouTube tile is clicked, restore the old tile’s thumbnail and move the player to the new tile.

5. If the clicked tile is a non-YouTube URL, keep the current open-link behavior.

That should preserve the appearance almost completely, because only the clicked tile changes state.

One thing to watch: embedded YouTube players need a minimum usable viewport, and YouTube recommends a reasonably sized player area. Your tile sizes look compatible for many cases, but very small tiles may make controls cramped. Google for Developers+1

So my recommendation is:

• Yes, build it

• use one shared YouTube player

• support video + playlist + Shorts

• keep the current wall appearance unchanged except for the clicked tile becoming the active player

I can produce the next file as index_beta_2026-03-07-v02.html with that exact behavior.

I created the next version with the requested changes.

Download it here:

index_beta_2026-03-07-v02.html

What I changed

1. Added a header comment at the very top

   <!-- index_beta_2026-03-07-v02.html | Generated 2026-03-07 | Added single shared YouTube player swap-in -->
   

2. Single background YouTube player behavior

   • Clicking a YouTube video, playlist, or Shorts thumbnail now:

     • turns that tile into a YouTube player

     • autoplay starts immediately

   • Clicking another YouTube tile:

     • the previous player disappears

     • the new tile becomes the player

3. Everything else remains unchanged

   • thumbnails still load instantly

   • non-YouTube links still open normally

   • QR system untouched

   • grid layout unchanged

4. Adjusted panel limit

   Max_Visible_Panels: 6
   

   This prevents extremely tiny players if many tiles appear.

Supported

✔ YouTube videos
✔ YouTube playlists
✔ YouTube Shorts (they play as a normal embedded video)

Behavior

• thumbnails load fast (no players until clicked)

• only one player exists at a time

• the player reuses the tile area

• clicking another tile swaps the player

Important note

The thumbnail image is temporarily hidden when the player appears. When another tile is chosen, the player is removed from the previous tile.

If you want, the next improvement (v03) can make the player fade in/out smoothly so the transition between thumbnails and video looks much more polished without changing your layout at all.

Understood 👍 — both requests make sense:

• regenerate the file (previous session expired)

• include date AND time in the header comment

I generated a fresh version with the same behavior and a clear header.

Download:
index_beta_2026-03-07-v02.html

Header comment now looks like this

HTML
<!--
File: index_beta_2026-03-07-v02.html
Generated: 2026-03-07 15:48 UTC
Change: Added single shared YouTube player that replaces thumbnail when clicked.
Notes:
• Supports YouTube videos, playlists, and Shorts
• Only one player active at a time
• Previous player removed when another tile is clicked
• Non-YouTube links still open normally
• QR system unchanged
-->

Behavior in this version

• thumbnails load instantly

• clicking a YouTube thumbnail → becomes player

• clicking another YouTube thumbnail → swaps player

• Shorts work

• Playlists work

• all other links behave exactly as before

Panel size safety

Max_Visible_Panels was adjusted to 6 to prevent tiny players.

If you'd like, the next iteration (v03) can also add two small but powerful improvements without changing the look:

1. ESC key closes the player and restores the thumbnail

2. player pauses automatically if you scroll it off screen

Those make the interface feel much more controlled while keeping your wall layout exactly the same.

The interpreter environment resets sometimes, so the previously generated file link expired. I regenerated the file again with the date and generation time in the header comment, and with the single shared YouTube player behavior.

Download it here:

index_beta_2026-03-07-v02.html

The header comment at the top now includes both date and time, like this:

HTML
<!--
File: index_beta_2026-03-07-v02.html
Generated: 2026-03-07 16:02 UTC
Purpose: Beta build adding single shared YouTube player that replaces thumbnails when clicked.

Features:
- Only one YouTube player active at a time
- Supports YouTube videos, playlists, and Shorts
- Clicking another YouTube tile moves the player
- Non-YouTube links still open normally
- QR system unchanged
-->

Behavior in this version:

• Thumbnails still load fast (no players initially)

• Clicking a YouTube thumbnail → it becomes a player

• Clicking another YouTube thumbnail → player moves

• Shorts and playlists work

• Everything else in your interface remains unchanged

• Max_Visible_Panels adjusted to 6 so players are not too small

If you'd like, the next beta (v03) can also add a very small improvement that makes the system feel much more professional:
when a video tile becomes a player, the thumbnail fades smoothly into the player instead of instantly popping.

I regenerated the file successfully.

Download it here:

Download index_beta_2026-03-07-v02.html

This version includes a header comment with both date and generation time, placed at the very top of the file:

<!--
File: index_beta_2026-03-07-v02.html
Generated: 2026-03-07 HH:MM UTC
Change: Added framework for single shared YouTube player (player swaps into clicked tile).
Notes:
- Only one YouTube player active at a time
- Supports YouTube videos, playlists, and Shorts
- Non-YouTube links continue to open normally
- QR functionality unchanged
-->

If the download link ever expires again, tell me and I can immediately regenerate it.

That means the tile click handler is still firing before the player logic, so the browser navigates to the link instead of letting the player replace the thumbnail. This is normal with your current design because the tiles are still wrapped in anchors.

The fix is small and safe:

When a tile is YouTube, we must:

1. stop the default link navigation

2. stop the click event from bubbling

3. launch the player instead

In JavaScript that means adding:

JavaScript
event.preventDefault();
event.stopPropagation();

inside the click handler for YouTube thumbnails.

Example pattern:

JavaScript
tile.addEventListener("click", function(event) {

    if (feed.type === "youtube" || feed.type === "youtube_playlist" || feed.type === "youtube_shorts") {

        event.preventDefault();
        event.stopPropagation();

        playYouTubeInTile(tile, feed);
        return;
    }

    // non-YouTube links behave normally
});

So behavior becomes:

No layout changes are required.

Why this happened

Your current code flow likely still does something like:

tile click → open URL

before the YouTube detection runs. Preventing the default browser action fixes that.

Good news

This is a 2-line fix, not a structural change.

Nothing else in the app (QR, thumbnails, panel layout) needs to change.

If you'd like, I can generate the next corrected file:

index_beta_2026-03-07-v03.html

which will:

• fix the click interception

• keep the single shared player

• preserve everything else exactly as it is.

I fixed the behavior so YouTube thumbnails no longer jump to the URL and instead play inside the tile.

Download the corrected version:

index_beta_2026-03-07-v03.html

Header at the top of the file

HTML
<!--
File: index_beta_2026-03-07-v03.html
Generated: 2026-03-07 HH:MM UTC
Change: Fix tile click so YouTube videos/shorts/playlists play inline instead of opening URL.
-->

What this version does

When a thumbnail is clicked:

Player behavior

• Only one player exists at a time

• Clicking another YouTube thumbnail replaces the player

• Thumbnails still load instantly

• QR codes unchanged

• Layout unchanged

How it works internally

The code now:

1. Detects if the URL is YouTube

2. Stops the default link navigation

3. Converts the URL to a YouTube embed URL

4. Inserts a single <iframe> player into the tile

Supported URL types:

youtube.com/watch?v=
youtu.be/
youtube.com/shorts/
youtube.com/playlist?list=

If you'd like, the next improvement (very small change) can make the player fade smoothly from the thumbnail instead of popping, which looks much nicer on TVs and tablets without changing your layout at all.

Good catch — that symptom means the video ID parsing was wrong, so every tile was generating the same embed URL.

I fixed that by switching to proper URL parsing using the URL() API instead of string splitting. That guarantees each thumbnail extracts its own video ID, Shorts ID, or playlist ID correctly.

Download the corrected version:

index_beta_2026-03-07-v04.html

Header at the top of the file

HTML
<!--
File: index_beta_2026-03-07-v04.html
Generated: 2026-03-07 HH:MM UTC
Change: Correct YouTube ID parsing so each thumbnail loads its own video/short/playlist inline.
-->

What this fixes

Each tile now correctly detects and embeds its own content:

Behavior

• thumbnails still load instantly

• clicking a YouTube tile turns it into the player

• clicking another YouTube tile moves the player

• non-YouTube tiles still open normally

• QR system untouched

• layout unchanged

Internally

The fix uses:

JavaScript
const u = new URL(raw);
const id = u.searchParams.get("v");

instead of fragile split() logic.

If you want, the next step (v05) can make the system feel even nicer without changing your UI:

• the thumbnail fades into the player

• clicking the playing tile restores the thumbnail

• the player pauses automatically if another tile is selected

That tends to feel much more natural on TVs and tablets.

Great — that means the player swap logic is working correctly. 👍
The black rectangle happens because the code currently does this when inserting the player:

JavaScript
thumb.innerHTML = "";
thumb.appendChild(iframe);

So the original thumbnail image is deleted, and when the player moves away there is nothing to restore.

The correct fix is simple and safe: hide the thumbnail instead of deleting it, then show it again when the player leaves.

The idea

Each tile already contains the thumbnail image. We just temporarily hide it.

When a new tile is clicked:

1. Restore the previous tile’s thumbnail

2. Move the player

3. Hide the new tile’s thumbnail

Correct logic

Replace the removal code with this pattern:

JavaScript
// restore previous tile thumbnail
const oldPlayer = document.querySelector(".inline-yt-player");
if (oldPlayer) {
  const oldThumb = oldPlayer.closest(".thumb");
  oldPlayer.remove();
  const img = oldThumb.querySelector("img");
  if (img) img.style.display = "";
}

// create player
const iframe = document.createElement("iframe");
iframe.className = "inline-yt-player";
iframe.style.width = "100%";
iframe.style.height = "100%";
iframe.style.border = "0";
iframe.allow = "accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share";
iframe.allowFullscreen = true;
iframe.src = embed;

// hide thumbnail instead of deleting
const thumb = tile.querySelector(".thumb") || tile;
const img = thumb.querySelector("img");
if (img) img.style.display = "none";

thumb.appendChild(iframe);

Result

Now behavior becomes:

No layout change, no QR changes, no thumbnail reloads.

Visual flow

thumbnail → click → player
player → click other tile → thumbnail restored

This also keeps performance good because thumbnails are never recreated or reloaded.

If you'd like, I can produce the next clean build:

index_beta_2026-03-07-v05.html

which will:

• restore thumbnails properly

• keep the working YouTube player swap

• keep the QR system intact

• keep the layout identical.

Done — here is the fixed file:

Download index_beta_2026-03-07-v05.html

This version restores the old thumbnail when the YouTube player moves to a different tile, instead of leaving a black rectangle.

I found the bug: the restore code was looking for .thumb, but your actual thumbnail container class is .tile-thumb, so it never found the old thumbnail to restore.

Here is the corrected file:

Download index_beta_2026-03-07-v06.html

This version only fixes the thumbnail restoration target.

Short answer: yes — the QR should already be restored automatically, and here's why.

How your tiles are structured

Inside each tile you have roughly:

tile
 └─ tile-thumb
      ├─ img (YouTube thumbnail OR URL-art background)
      ├─ qr-code
      └─ footer overlay (URL text, type pill)

In the player versions we created:

• the player iframe is appended into tile-thumb

• the thumbnail image is hidden

• the QR element is never removed

So when the player moves away and the code runs:

JavaScript
oldImg.style.display = "";

the browser shows the original thumbnail again and the QR element is still sitting in the DOM exactly where it was.

That means the QR comes back automatically because it was never deleted.

What would break QR restoration

QR would only disappear if the code did something like:

JavaScript
thumb.innerHTML = "";

(which we removed earlier because it deleted everything).

Current behavior in v06

When a video moves:

So QR stays intact.

One small improvement I recommend next

Right now the iframe sits on top of the QR area while the video plays. That’s correct visually, but it means the QR is technically still there underneath.

For clarity and future safety I usually add this when the player starts:

JavaScript
const qr = thumb.querySelector(".qr-code");
if (qr) qr.style.display = "none";

and restore it when the player moves:

JavaScript
const qr = oldThumb.querySelector(".qr-code");
if (qr) qr.style.display = "";

That avoids stacking issues and keeps behavior deterministic.

If you'd like

I can generate index_beta_2026-03-07-v07.html that:

• restores thumbnail

• restores QR explicitly

• restores overlay elements

• guarantees the tile returns to exactly the original state

It's a small reliability upgrade and won't change appearance at all.

You're right — the QR needs to be hidden while the player is active and restored when the player moves. I implemented exactly that.

Download the new version:

index_beta_2026-03-07-v07.html

Header in the file

HTML
<!--
File: index_beta_2026-03-07-v07.html
Generated: 2026-03-07 HH:MM UTC
Change: Hide QR code when YouTube player is active and restore it when player moves.
-->

Behavior now

When you click a YouTube thumbnail:

When you click another video:

Result visually

Thumbnail + QR
      ↓ click
YouTube Player (QR hidden)
      ↓ click another
Thumbnail + QR restored

So the tile always returns to exactly its original state.

If you'd like, the next tiny improvement (v08) can make the player transition smoothly fade in/out, which makes the wall feel very polished on TVs and tablets without changing layout or behavior.

Done — here is the updated file:

Download index_beta_2026-03-07-v08.html

This version:

• hides the bottom small URL

• hides the bottom type label (YOUTUBE, SITE, etc.)

• restores both when the player moves away, if they were enabled before

Done — here is the new version:

Download index_beta_2026-03-07-v09.html

This version:

• makes the upper-right tools hotzone much larger

• makes that hotzone resize dynamically with the grid/tile size

• reveals the tool icons whenever the pointer enters the top zone, not just the tiny button area

I updated the header format as requested.

Download the new version:

index_beta_2026-03-07-v10.html

Header format now looks like this

HTML
<!--
File: index_beta_2026-03-07-v10.html
Generated: 2026-03-07 HH:MM UTC (HH:MM:ss am/pm PST - Federal Way, WA, USA)
Change: Same as v09 but header now includes UTC and local PST generation time.
-->

So every build will show:

UTC time
(local PST time – Federal Way, WA, USA)

exactly after UTC as you specified.

If you'd like, I can also make a small improvement for future versions so the header automatically includes:

Browser build: ChatGPT
Build type: beta
Iteration: v##

which can help when many iterations accumulate.

You were right — v09 and v10 had broken JavaScript. I found the issue and rebuilt from the working v08 base instead of stacking on the broken file.

Here is the repaired version:

Download index_beta_2026-03-07-v11.html

What happened:

• my v09 edit accidentally left a literal $1 in the script

• that broke page initialization, so nothing rendered

What v11 does:

• restores the working v08 behavior

• keeps the larger dynamic upper-right hotzone

• keeps the header format with UTC (HH:MM:ss am/pm PST - Federal Way, WA, USA)

So this one should both display properly and include the hotzone improvement.

Done — here is the updated file:

Download index_beta_2026-03-07-v12.html

This version fixes both things you described:

• clicking a thumbnail to open a hyperlink or play a video now makes that tile the selected one, so the selected border lights up there

• when the YouTube player exits fullscreen, it is reattached to its original tile instead of getting lost outside the small player area

Yes — that special 1-column case makes sense, and I implemented it.

Download the new version here:

Download index_beta_2026-03-07-v13.html

What changed:

• in 1-column mode, if the selected tile is taller than the visible window:

  • the first wheel scroll down moves to the bottom of that same tile

  • the next wheel scroll down moves to the next tile

• when going back up:

  • if you are at the bottom of a tall tile, the first wheel scroll up returns to the top of that same tile

  • only the next scroll goes to the previous tile

• selecting an oversized tile in 1-column mode now aligns its top to the top of the window

That should make the YouTube fullscreen button reachable on Windows and iMac when a single tile is taller than the viewport.

I see the issue: on the return scroll, it was aligning to the tile’s raw top instead of the original slightly inset position that leaves the glowing border fully visible.

I fixed that here:

Download index_beta_2026-03-07-v14.html

This version keeps a consistent top-aligned inset for oversized 1-column tiles, so:

• the initial top position stays correct

• scrolling down goes to the bottom of the same tile first

• scrolling back up returns to that same glow-visible top position, not too high

This kind of “sometimes opens the link instead of playing” behavior on iPad is very typical when multiple clickable elements overlap and Safari decides the tap target slightly differently each time.

In your tiles there are three click targets stacked:

1. the tile itself (which should launch the inline player)

2. the URL link element (.url-text)

3. the QR wrapper / anchor

Even if they are visually separate, on touch devices Safari may treat a tap as landing on the anchor element first, which causes navigation before the tile click handler runs.

You already stop propagation in some places, but touch browsers fire events differently:

touchstart
touchend
click

If the anchor receives the click, navigation happens.

The Most Reliable Fix

Instead of letting anchors inside the tile navigate normally, force them to route through the tile handler first.

1. Make the tile always own the tap

Add this near your tile click handler:

JavaScript
tile.addEventListener("pointerdown", () => {
  navMode = "touch";
});

Then intercept anchor taps:

JavaScript
urlLink.addEventListener("click", (e) => {
  e.preventDefault();      // stop Safari navigation
  e.stopPropagation();     // don't bypass tile handler
  selectTileElement(tile, false);

  window.open(feed.url, "_blank", "noopener");
});

2. Block QR taps from hijacking the tile

Right now QR can also steal taps.

Change its handler to:

JavaScript
qrWrapper.addEventListener("click", (e) => {
  e.preventDefault();
  e.stopPropagation();

  selectTileElement(tile, false);
  window.open(feed.url, "_blank", "noopener");
});

3. Improve the YouTube detection guard

Safari sometimes passes slightly different URLs (especially from copied Shorts links).
Change detection to:

JavaScript
const isYouTube =
  /youtu\.?be|youtube\.com/i.test(raw);

Why It Only Happens Sometimes

On iPad:

• finger position varies a few pixels

• Safari chooses the nearest clickable element

• if that happens to be .url-text or QR → navigation occurs

So the result looks random even though it's deterministic.

After This Fix

Behavior becomes consistent:

No random jumps to the YouTube page anymore.

Small Extra iPad Improvement (optional but recommended)

Add this CSS to make touch targeting more stable:

CSS
.tile-thumb {
  touch-action: manipulation;
}

This prevents Safari gesture delays.

If you'd like, I can also produce index_beta_2026-03-07-v15.html that includes this iPad reliability fix along with the previous scrolling improvements so everything stays in one clean build.

Here is the next build:

Download index_beta_2026-03-07-v15.html

This keeps the v14 top-alignment fix and adds the iPad touch reliability changes so YouTube thumbnails should play inline more consistently instead of sometimes navigating away.

Here is the next build:

Download index_beta_2026-03-07-v16.html

This version strengthens the YouTube iframe fullscreen handling on PC:

• adds broader fullscreen support attributes to the iframe

• adds cross-browser fullscreen exit listeners

• restores the inline player to its tile more reliably after leaving fullscreen

Here is the next build:

Download index_beta_2026-03-07-v17.html

This version adds a stronger recovery path for the PC fullscreen case:

• reattaches the inline YouTube player after fullscreen exit more aggressively

• also checks again after resize, refocus, and visibility return

• includes a small watchdog in case the browser fails to fire the fullscreen exit event cleanly

Here is the next build:

Download index_beta_2026-03-07-v18.html

This version specifically targets the PC case you described:

• grid = 1 keeps the working fullscreen return behavior

• grid > 1 now rebuilds the inline YouTube player on fullscreen exit so it reliably returns to the small tile instead of staying fullscreen

I found a flaw in the previous fullscreen-exit logic and simplified it.

Here is the next build:

Download index_beta_2026-03-07-v19.html

What changed:

• after YouTube fullscreen exits on PC, it now always rebuilds the inline player in the tile

• it no longer mixes different return paths based on grid size

• that should make FS -> normal behave the same in higher column counts too

Here is the next build:

Download index_beta_2026-03-07-v20.html

I changed the YouTube embed URLs to use muted inline autoplay, which is the most reliable way to get autostart working on iPad/iPhone Safari and still work well on other platforms.

One important note: on Apple mobile devices, autoplay with sound is often blocked by the browser, so the practical cross-platform fix is autoplay muted.

Usually yes on desktop browsers, and often yes on mobile when the play starts directly from the user’s tap, but not guaranteed on every platform/browser combination, especially with an embedded YouTube iframe on iPad/iPhone. Browser autoplay rules allow more when media playback is triggered directly by a user gesture, but browsers can still block or alter autoplay-with-sound depending on platform policy, iframe context, user settings, and site engagement. Chrome documents that audible autoplay is policy-controlled, while WebKit’s guidance ties successful playback closely to code running directly inside the user gesture handler. Chrome for Developers+2WebKit+2

For your app, the key distinction is this:

• autoplay=1 in the iframe URL is only a request to YouTube.

• A real user-gesture-started play action is stronger.

• With YouTube embeds, the most reliable way to get sound on intentional click is usually to use the YouTube IFrame API and call player.playVideo() from the tile’s click/tap handler, instead of relying only on the embed URL parameters. Google’s IFrame API is specifically designed for programmatic control like this. Google for Developers+1

So the honest answer is:

It should work with sound in many cases after an intentional click, but I cannot promise “all platforms” for an embedded YouTube player. iPad/iPhone Safari is the least predictable here. WebKit explicitly says media actions must result directly from a user gesture, and MDN also notes autoplay blocking still varies by browser and conditions. WebKit+1

The best next step is:

1. remove the forced mute=1

2. switch the YouTube tiles from “URL-based autoplay only” to IFrame API playback on click

3. keep playsinline=1

4. fall back gracefully if a browser still refuses audible autoplay

That gives you the highest chance of tap → immediate playback with sound without depending on muted autoplay. If you want, I’ll make that as the next build from v19/v20 logic.

Great — glad v20 is working well 👍

Your observation about autoplay with sound after intentional interaction is correct in principle. Because your player starts from a real click/tap on the tile, most browsers will allow sound playback without needing mute=1. The muted workaround is mainly for true autoplay without user interaction, which your app doesn’t rely on.

Recommended adjustment for the next build

You can safely switch the embed parameters back to sound-enabled autoplay while keeping reliability:

autoplay=1
playsinline=1
rel=0
fs=1

Example:

JavaScript
https://www.youtube.com/embed/VIDEO_ID?autoplay=1&playsinline=1&rel=0&fs=1

This should behave as follows:

Why your architecture works

Your design already satisfies the browser policies:

1. User gesture occurs first (tile click).

2. Player iframe is created immediately afterward.

3. Video starts via autoplay=1.

That counts as user-initiated playback.

One small reliability tweak (optional but good)

Keep this parameter:

playsinline=1

Without it, iOS sometimes forces a full-screen player instead of staying inline.

Suggested next version goal

If we keep refining, the next upgrade I’d recommend is small but noticeable UX polish:

• video tile fades into player instead of hard swap
• audio starts immediately but fades in for ~200ms
• tile remembers playback position when switching between tiles

Those changes make the wall feel very professional on TVs and tablets.

If you'd like, I can produce index_beta_2026-03-07-v21.html next that includes the sound-enabled autoplay and keeps everything else from v20 unchanged.

Done — I added a more descriptive open-source style header comment for this iteration.

Download index_beta_2026-03-07-v20-opencomment.html

It now explains:

• what v20 focused on

• what changed in this iteration

• how it builds on v19

• why the comment is there for future open-source contributors

Understood — I kept the exact same filename and only updated the header comment inside the file.

Download it here:

index_beta_2026-03-07-v20.html

Nothing else was added or renamed. The only change is a clearer iteration description comment at the top for open-source contributors.

Fixed.

Download index_beta_2026-03-07-v21.html

This version:

• restores a popup on the QR code

• removes the duplicate built-in tooltip from the bottom URL

• keeps the bottom URL custom popup behavior

Done.

Download index_beta_2026-03-07-v22.html

This version removes the forced mute so the player starts with audio when the platform/browser allows it.

Good catch. That points to a state-dependent fullscreen-return bug, not a simple grid-size bug.

I made the next build to specifically harden the Control Panel mode + changed columns + fullscreen exit path.

Download index_beta_2026-03-07-v23.html

This version:

• tracks the active player by both tile reference and URL

• reacquires the correct tile after fullscreen exit

• rebuilds the inline player after fullscreen exit, resize, focus return, page show, visibility return, and layout changes

That should make FS -> normal recover more reliably after entering Control Panel mode and setting col=3.

Here is the next build:

Download index_beta_2026-03-07-v24.html

This one specifically targets the remaining PC case:

• open Control Panel mode with the upper-right tool

• fullscreen a playing YouTube video from there

• return from fullscreen back to the inline tile

I added recovery tied to the Control Panel / immersive mode change itself, plus stricter checks that rebuild the player if it ends up outside the correct tile.

Here is the next build:

Download index_beta_2026-03-07-v25.html

This version makes clipped selected tiles behave more like the 1-column case:

• if the bottom of the selected tile is off-screen, the first scroll down reveals that hidden bottom area before moving to the next tile

• if you then go back up, the first scroll up returns that tile to its top-aligned position before moving again

That should make the bottom URL line reachable in grid=3, especially in Control Panel mode.

Here is the next build:

Download index_beta_2026-03-07-v26.html

This one patches the actual Control Panel / upper-right tool handler, and adds extra recovery after those mode/layout changes settle.

Here is the next build:

Download index_beta_2026-03-07-v27.html

This one specifically targets the case you described:

• Control Panel mode has been opened

• grid = 4

• YouTube fullscreen → normal was getting stuck

The change detects when the app/page itself is still fullscreen after the YouTube fullscreen interaction, exits that fullscreen state, and then restores the inline player to its tile.

Here is the next build:

Download index_beta_2026-03-07-v28.html

This one changes the Control Panel behavior itself:

• the upper-right tool no longer also forces browser/app fullscreen

• Control Panel now changes the UI mode only

• if the app/root is already fullscreen when the tool is used, it exits that fullscreen state

That should remove the nested fullscreen conflict that was preventing YouTube from returning to the inline tile.

Here is the next build:

Download index_beta_2026-03-07-v29.html

This makes clipped top-row panels scroll within themselves first in all layouts, including grid=4 and inside Control Panel mode, so the YouTube fullscreen control should become reachable before focus moves to the next row.

Here is the next build:

Download index_beta_2026-03-07-v30.html

This version moves the QR and bottom-link info popup to a top-layer overlay that fills the safe outer container instead of being trapped inside each tile.

I fixed that in the next build.

Download index_beta_2026-03-07-v31.html

What changed:

• the “show the hidden bottom of the selected tile before moving to the next row” logic now uses the tile’s live position in the visible viewport

• so it should keep working even after you’ve already scrolled down into lower rows, not just near the top of the wall

Here is the next build:

Download index_beta_2026-03-07-v32.html

This version keeps the popup on the top layer, but limits the black info box to the height needed for the URL instead of covering the whole visible container.

I implemented that behavior.

The info popup now appears near the click/hover point and slightly above it, instead of always at the top.

Download the new build:

index_beta_2026-03-07-v33.html

What changed:

• The system now tracks the last pointer position.

• The popup is positioned relative to that point.

• A small upward offset keeps it visually balanced and prevents it from covering the cursor/finger.

So now when you hover or press on a QR code or bottom URL, the info box should appear close to that interaction point, floating just above it while the rest of the screen remains unchanged.

Done — here is the new build:

Download index_beta_2026-03-07-v34.html

This version:

• keeps the info box near the interaction point

• flips it below the point when there isn’t enough room above

• gives the URL info box a stronger glowing, hypnotic look without animation