Coming back to my old #ProgrammableThings project, it's now called #ScriptableThings!
I've got the sign working again and embedded an "editor" (read as: monospace textarea) so you can directly edit the script on the device through the captive portal!
You join the sign's WiFi and get a popup browser to control the LEDs. Now you can go into advanced mode and edit the animation JavaScript. That script is loaded onto the ESP and runs straight away.