Xournal note taking app ported

UtterInanity · 02-20-2009, 01:01 PM

Official xournal website

It took more than a week to finally get this working. Not that it was hard, in the end, but more because I didn't know what I was doing.

There are some problems, of course. One, the refresh is inconsistent. Two, don't click the "print" menu item. I took out all the printing code because a) it seemed useless and b) it required a bunch more libraries for something that wouldn't get used. I'll look at taking out the menu item, although I might look at how "Print to PDF" works, and putting it back in there. Seems like it would be useful, if it's possible to implement.

I haven't done a lot of testing so far, just enough to confirm that it runs. You, mobileread readers, are the guinea pigs for this experiment. Let me know what sorts of issues you run into and I'll try to fix them. Also, I see that iRex has posted some more comprehensive documentation, including putting icons in the taskbar and such, so I'll look into that.

Download: Here

Installation: Unzip to the root folder of the device. When you disconnect from the computer you'll find two new shortcuts on the Home screen: InstallXournal and Xournal. Run InstallXournal first. It should take 30 seconds or so. Then run Xournal and enjoy.

pthwaite · 02-20-2009, 01:50 PM

Oh this looks useful. The Print to pdf if it could get done would be nice. As I've just sent my DR back for fixing, it will be a couple of weeks before I can try this though

I look forward to other member reviews.

regards
Howard

GEMITO138 · 02-20-2009, 01:50 PM

Downloading... many thanks.

Adam B. · 02-20-2009, 02:34 PM

How's the refresh when writing? Is it as quick as the default writing app?

That was the biggest issue when I tried porting it to the iLiad...

UtterInanity · 02-20-2009, 02:50 PM

Heh, there is no refresh when writing. you have to actually click a button to refresh the writing, unfortunately. I'm not sure how to fix that, and it remains the biggest problem with the app at the moment.

I'm thinking of checking the scribble code from iRex to see if there's any useful information in there as to how the refreshes are done, but I have a feeling it's all done in the background, and there's no way to manually refresh.

UtterInanity · 02-20-2009, 03:28 PM

From liberscribble's driver.c:

Code:

void erscribble_driver_update_display()
{
    // Send update message to display manager
    //
    //   Syntax: !I,cmd,pid,x,y,w,h,ignore,window,type,widget,focus
    //   - paint full screen (w=768,h=1024)
    //   - skip the normal rules (ignore=1)
    //   - special widget (widget=erscribble)
    //   - rest unused (0)
    const char *msg = "!I,0,0,0,768,1024,1,0,0,erscribble,0";
    sendto(fd, msg, strlen(msg), 0, (struct sockaddr*) &server_addr, sizeof(server_addr));
    LOGPRINTF("Sent message `%s` to display manager", msg);
}

So it seems as though it wouldn't be horribly difficult to send a refresh to the framebuffer. If I could figure out where the pen is pointing, it looks as though it could even be a small local refresh. Maybe I'll look at that this weekend.

Mackx · 02-20-2009, 03:42 PM

Hi,

Quote:

Originally Posted by UtterInanity

Also, I see that iRex has posted some more comprehensive documentation, including putting icons in the taskbar and such, so I'll look into that.

See also the modified sudoku code here as an example how to use the toolbar and set your own icons. It seems you can also drag the icons from your own items in the popupmenu/taskbar to the toolbar. However, you will not see a picture on the toolbar... but they still work. I think it is a bug in the toolbar code that does not handle the full-path names to custom icons correctly.

I see if I can find some time to play with it coming week.

bazmi · 02-20-2009, 06:04 PM

fantastic news! thanks a lot UtterInanity!
just tried the app, still some way to go but almost there!

windspeedo · 02-27-2009, 12:51 AM

Thanks UtterInanity.

smp_iliad · 02-27-2009, 02:30 AM

wow, this app is really promising..much better than iRex's notetaking app. If refresh is solved, it should be the perfect notetaking app for DR. Thanks UtterInanity.

RobbieClarken · 02-27-2009, 12:48 PM

Great work UtterInanity - this app is amazing! It does so many things that I didn't even realise would be possible on the DR1000S. I hope you can get the ink refresh bug fixed but I love Xournal just for the text input and Save As functions.

jbui · 03-02-2009, 08:38 AM

Just a question, when you say unzip to the root device folder you mean the root folder of the SD card?

smp_iliad · 03-02-2009, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbui

Just a question, when you say unzip to the root device folder you mean the root folder of the SD card?

Yes I think so..it will unzip every files into the corresponding directories. It won't remove any files in the sd card (it can replace files with same name though).

chrisf · 03-03-2009, 05:21 PM

This is (almost) amazing - just what I'm after. Many, many thanks for taking the time to make this available to all of us.

Is there any news on the code to automatically refresh the text?

UtterInanity · 03-05-2009, 11:24 AM

Refreshing is certainly possible, but there's a problem.

The code I posted earlier works, but it seems to interrupt everything else. This means that, if you're drawing a circle, you get maybe a quarter of the way through before it decides to refresh. For some reason, it seems to want to refresh the whole screen, no matter what variables I use in the message. So when it refreshes, it stops drawing for the amount of time it takes to refresh. Of course, your pen is still moving during this time, so by the time it's done and the app takes over again, you've finished drawing the circle. So it picks up from there, and you end up with a straight line from where the pen was when the refresh started to where the pen was when the refresh ended, instead of a nice circle.

I have no ideas at the moment as to how to get around that. Some possibilities:
1) Only refresh a small section - say 5x5 or 2x2 pixels. However, I don't know how to do that, and I don't know how to get the position of the pen so that I know where to update. This also might still take too long, resulting in more delays.
2) Run the refresh separately from the main program. This way, the main program wouldn't get interrupted by the refresh. But again, no ideas how to do this.
3) Somehow send a refresh call to the system, like the text box does. Even if it's a slow update speed, at least it would be better than nothing, and when the text box refreshes, it doesn't interrupt the typing (as far as I know).

I'd post the version with the updated refresh, but it's actually far more usable without it.

02-20-2009, 01:01 PM	#1
UtterInanity Member Posts: 24 Karma: 58 Join Date: Aug 2008 Device: Sony PRS-505, iRex DR1000S	Xournal note taking app ported Official xournal website It took more than a week to finally get this working. Not that it was hard, in the end, but more because I didn't know what I was doing. There are some problems, of course. One, the refresh is inconsistent. Two, don't click the "print" menu item. I took out all the printing code because a) it seemed useless and b) it required a bunch more libraries for something that wouldn't get used. I'll look at taking out the menu item, although I might look at how "Print to PDF" works, and putting it back in there. Seems like it would be useful, if it's possible to implement. I haven't done a lot of testing so far, just enough to confirm that it runs. You, mobileread readers, are the guinea pigs for this experiment. Let me know what sorts of issues you run into and I'll try to fix them. Also, I see that iRex has posted some more comprehensive documentation, including putting icons in the taskbar and such, so I'll look into that. Download: Here Installation: Unzip to the root folder of the device. When you disconnect from the computer you'll find two new shortcuts on the Home screen: InstallXournal and Xournal. Run InstallXournal first. It should take 30 seconds or so. Then run Xournal and enjoy.

03-02-2009, 08:38 AM	#12
jbui Member Posts: 14 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2007 Device: DR1000S	Xournal installation Just a question, when you say unzip to the root device folder you mean the root folder of the SD card?

03-03-2009, 05:21 PM	#14
chrisf Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: irex 1000s	Almost amazing This is (almost) amazing - just what I'm after. Many, many thanks for taking the time to make this available to all of us. Is there any news on the code to automatically refresh the text?

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02-20-2009, 01:50 PM	#2
pthwaite Fanatic Posts: 597 Karma: 430 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Ellesmere Port, UK Device: DR1000S Sony PRS505 iPad iPhone	Oh this looks useful. The Print to pdf if it could get done would be nice. As I've just sent my DR back for fixing, it will be a couple of weeks before I can try this though I look forward to other member reviews. regards Howard

02-20-2009, 01:50 PM	#3
GEMITO138 Member Posts: 10 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: dr1000s	Downloading... many thanks.

02-20-2009, 02:34 PM	#4
Adam B. Addicted to Porting Posts: 1,697 Karma: 7194 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Indianapolis, IN Device: iRex iLiad, Nokia 770, Samsung i760	How's the refresh when writing? Is it as quick as the default writing app? That was the biggest issue when I tried porting it to the iLiad...

02-20-2009, 02:50 PM	#5
UtterInanity Member Posts: 24 Karma: 58 Join Date: Aug 2008 Device: Sony PRS-505, iRex DR1000S	Heh, there is no refresh when writing. you have to actually click a button to refresh the writing, unfortunately. I'm not sure how to fix that, and it remains the biggest problem with the app at the moment. I'm thinking of checking the scribble code from iRex to see if there's any useful information in there as to how the refreshes are done, but I have a feeling it's all done in the background, and there's no way to manually refresh.

02-20-2009, 06:04 PM	#8
bazmi Enthusiast Posts: 40 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: zurich, switzerland Device: irex dr 1000s, sony prs 700, 505, iliad BE. N800, SL6000, SL3200...	fantastic news! thanks a lot UtterInanity! just tried the app, still some way to go but almost there!

02-27-2009, 12:51 AM	#9
windspeedo Enthusiast Posts: 31 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: iRex DR1000, Kindle 3G, Kobo Glo	Thanks UtterInanity.

02-27-2009, 02:30 AM	#10
smp_iliad Connoisseur Posts: 70 Karma: 816 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: KindleDX, iPhone3Gs	wow, this app is really promising..much better than iRex's notetaking app. If refresh is solved, it should be the perfect notetaking app for DR. Thanks UtterInanity.

02-27-2009, 12:48 PM	#11
RobbieClarken Addict Posts: 371 Karma: 1002274 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Australia Device: Kindle	Great work UtterInanity - this app is amazing! It does so many things that I didn't even realise would be possible on the DR1000S. I hope you can get the ink refresh bug fixed but I love Xournal just for the text input and Save As functions.

03-05-2009, 11:24 AM	#15
UtterInanity Member Posts: 24 Karma: 58 Join Date: Aug 2008 Device: Sony PRS-505, iRex DR1000S	Refreshing is certainly possible, but there's a problem. The code I posted earlier works, but it seems to interrupt everything else. This means that, if you're drawing a circle, you get maybe a quarter of the way through before it decides to refresh. For some reason, it seems to want to refresh the whole screen, no matter what variables I use in the message. So when it refreshes, it stops drawing for the amount of time it takes to refresh. Of course, your pen is still moving during this time, so by the time it's done and the app takes over again, you've finished drawing the circle. So it picks up from there, and you end up with a straight line from where the pen was when the refresh started to where the pen was when the refresh ended, instead of a nice circle. I have no ideas at the moment as to how to get around that. Some possibilities: 1) Only refresh a small section - say 5x5 or 2x2 pixels. However, I don't know how to do that, and I don't know how to get the position of the pen so that I know where to update. This also might still take too long, resulting in more delays. 2) Run the refresh separately from the main program. This way, the main program wouldn't get interrupted by the refresh. But again, no ideas how to do this. 3) Somehow send a refresh call to the system, like the text box does. Even if it's a slow update speed, at least it would be better than nothing, and when the text box refreshes, it doesn't interrupt the typing (as far as I know). I'd post the version with the updated refresh, but it's actually far more usable without it.

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