About Wheel in the Sky

Wheel in the Sky is a wheel-based solution for randomly choosing from set list of options. Created by Brian Sokol.

Wheel configuration is stored entirely in the URL so you can share your wheels with anyone. You don't need an account. We only use cookies to store local configuration (like if you want the wheel to attempt play sounds in your browser). We do not use cookies to track you across websites, and we do not have ads.

This app is built with React, Next.js, and Greensock. Hosted on Heroku and Cloudflare.

© 2024 Brian Sokol. All rights reserved.

Changelog

  • Add ability to persist some wheel state in local storage by giving each wheel a unique ID behind the scenes.
    • You will need to edit and re-save any existing wheels to get access to features that require the unique ID.
  • Add ability to remove previous winners from the wheel using unique ID to persist winners.
  • Node version updated to 20.
  • Dependencies updated to fix vulnerabilities.

  • Fix missing background on home page.
  • Updates some dependencies to fix vulnerabilities.

  • Replaces color picker component. You can now get exact RGB colors with the picker or using hex values.
  • Adds customizable background colors.

  • Adds option for fully custom color pattern.

  • Improves font and image optimization.

  • Adds actual home page (mostly for SEO purposes).
  • Added more disclaimers to the About Page.
  • Separated wheel and browser settings on the Options Page.
  • Improving performance of Bootstrap SSR.
  • Stopped the background cloud from animating for pErFoRmAnCe.
  • Fixed issue with canceling editing wheel config without an existing config to return to.
  • Added ability to copy the winner banner directly to the clipboard in browsers that support this.
    • There is now a 2 step process to get the banner. You must click the image icon to generate the banner, then choose download or copy.
    • This was necessary to comply with clipboard security in Safari.

  • Added ability to customize colors of wheel using different methods.
  • Clarified explanation of "Randomizing names" option to be more specific and yet somehow also more vague.
  • Added client side routing/rendering between pages after the first page load.
  • Disabled links to other pages while the wheel is spinning to avoid ref errors when the wheel component unmounts. This was necessary with client-side routing.
  • Changed order of options in the configuration page for clarity.

  • Updated layout of downloadable banner to be more readable.
  • Added Lato font to both site and banner for consistency.
  • Fixed favicon rendering.
  • Added language attribute to html document.
  • Added additional clarifying meta tags.

  • Added "About" page with changelog.
  • Added version number to the bottom of every page.
  • Replaced "Change Wheel Options" button with a link and added a link to the about page.
  • Added app name to banner download.

  • Rewritten using Next.js.
  • Moved from Netlify to Heroku, added Cloudflare for caching and DNS.
  • Added feature to download a banner image of the winner that can be posted to chat rooms (available when the wheel stops spinning).
  • Added consistent emoji icons across all platforms and browsers.
  • Switched design system from Mantine to Bootstrap.
  • Options page has been completely rewritten.
  • Url now contains the config as a URL segment and not a query param (should automatically convert old style to new style).
  • Minor visual tweaks to text and backgrounds.
  • Added option to hide the names on the wheel. Useful if you have a lot of wheel segments or just want to be extra surprised.

  • Changing the default selection for sounds to "off".

  • Major style refactor using Mantine.

  • Updated accessibility of checkboxes on options page.
  • Fixed audio crash in Safari.

  • Added sound to wheel spin (click while spinning and celebration horn for the winner).
  • Added click to spin. You can still drag to spin if you want.
  • Replaced gradient wheel with SVG-based wheel. Looks nicer.
  • Added animated cloud in the background that occasionally floats by.
  • Moved options to the bottom of the page.

  • Added Favicon.
  • Removed duplicate meta tag.

  • Adjusted colors.
  • Better error handling.
  • Lazy loading routes for faster initial render.

  • Initial release proof of concept.
  • The wheel spins!