Kobo Start Menu

[tshering]

I will check the package again.

Edit: I checked. The package contains exactly what I have on my Touch.
I will think about a way to test the package with less danger.

[trekk]

Originally Posted by tshering

I will think about a way to test the package with less danger.

Thanks a lot for your efforts!

[tshering]

I uploaded a new version for FW 3.2.0.

For a newer package, with is compatible with FW 2.6.0 upto 3.4.1 and maybe above, see this post. It replaces all previous versions.


In order to minimize the risks, I added a further configuration file, runsettings.txt. Depending on the selected setting, the Kobo Start Menu will be launched after booting

• always
• only once [starting with the next boot, nickel will be launched]
• never
• alternating with nickel

The default setting is, that the menu will alternate with nickel. If one of the two does not work, we have still a chance to access the device via USB and try to repair it.
If the menu works, change the settings in .kobo\kbmenu\runsettings.txt to

runmenu=always

If the menu does not work, change the setting
to

runmenu=never

If you do some potentially dangerous tests, set the setting back to

runmenu=alternateMenu

Edit the configuration file with a unix-style editor. You can change the settings also with "scripts>activate>set runmenu settings.msh" (This requires of course that the menu is working.).
If nothing works, do a factory reset. Before triggering the reset, hold the power slider in the on/off position for 20 seconds, sometimes it needs even longer.
Some words of caution:
I have tested this package on a Touch. trekk reported already that the menu does not work correctly on Glo and Aura HD. Edit: Actually, the problem seems not to be related directly to the model, but rather one of the libraries used by the menu is not compatible with Giorgio's Two-fingers light control. Thanks again to Trekk for testing. Peyton reported that this version is working on Mini too.
The menu is supposed to work with all FWs from 2.6.2 (presumably also 2.6.0, but I did not check) to 3.2.0. You can however not easily downgrade from 3.2.0 (the menu will work, but nickel will not). You have first to factory reset or uninstall this version of the Start Menu. You can then install the version KBStartMenu_02.zip (post #1).


For install and uninstall see post #1.

USE THIS PACKAGE AT YOUR OWN RISK!

[tshering]

Originally Posted by trekk

I tested this on a Glo. The menu installs fine, I can tap various menu entries, which will be highlighted then. Nothing else happens.

As the Pinhole procedure or other ways for a factory reset won't work, I'm kind of stuck now with a useless device. I've bravely taken the risk, but sadly no award for me

Edit: If the device is turned off, it still shows the menu. If you tap the screen, no menu entry will be highlighted. Make sure the device is turned off, hold the light button, while pushing and holding the power button. This will cause a factory reset. In my case the device only resets, while pressing the buttons during a startup. This was a fast debricking!

Would it not be nice if we could make the start menu run on Glo with FW 3.2.0?
I cannot figure out what is happening here. Therefore, I would appreciate any help. Maybe, I should shortly explain how the menu works. Generally speaking, there is an executable file, kobomenu, that takes a number of arguments. When started, kobomenu displays these arguments in a list. If the user pokes on a list item, kobomenu echos the text of the selected item, and quits.
In the rcS file, kobomenu is called with every loop in a while do-done block. Each time kobomenu quits, the echoed value is read into a variable and based on its content some command or other is executed.

  while [ "$selection" != "EXIT" ]; do
    selection=$(kobomenu $moptions) # read the text echoed by kobomenu into selection
    case $selection in
      # execute some commands depending on the content of selection
      ...

    esac
  done

On the Glo, however, nothing seems to get executed, even so kobomenu seems to register the touch input. At the moment, I can think of two possibilities what could be happening here.
1) kobomenu echos the correct values, but does not quit. Therefore, the script does not continue at this point and the value is never read into selection, ....
2) kobomenu does quit, but it does not echo an expected value. Therefore, no command is executed and the while loop continues for ever.

In order to find out something more about it, you, brave owner of a Glo, could run a test (Be aware that there is alway a risk in testing!). If you like,

1) install FW 3.2.0
2) install KBStartMenu_03check.zip (previous post)

• after installation the Glo will show the behaviour reported by trekk
• slide the power slider to the right and hold it there for 20 seconds in order to force a power off
• after powering on, nickel will be started (if things go as planned)
• connect via usb to PC and replace .kobo/kbmenu/kobomenu.sh with the file provided in this post (unzip it first from the archive). Maybe you should preserve a copy of the original kobomenu.sh for later use.
• power circle
• now the menu gets started; poke several times on different menu entries
• force a power off, then power on again; now nickel should be running
• find the file .kobo\kbmenu\txt\seltest01.txt and post it here

3) restore your Glo to a usable reader; there a two options
3.1) (option 1) change in .kobo\kbmenu\runsettings.txt the line

runmenu=alternateMenu

to

runmenu=never

(and restore the original kobomenu.sh, if you like)
With this option, you are prepared to easily run further test in near future.
3.2) (option 2) copy uninstall\KoboRoot_3.2.0\KoboRoot.tgz to kobo.

Note: In certain situations, you cannot see on the screen whether the device is powered off or not. Sometimes powering off needs even more than 20 seconds, be patient. If for some unexpected reason your device gets totally unresponsive, do a factory reset (before that, however, you must power off).

[Cecell3000]

tested 2 times

[embryo]

Originally Posted by tshering

find the file .kobo\kbmenu\txt\seltest01.txt and post it here

Something strange: The first thing I pressed was the 'light on' script, and it worked.
After that, nothing...

[trekk]

Originally Posted by tshering

Would it not be nice if we could make the start menu run on Glo with FW 3.2.0?

And on the Aura HD too. I really got used to your start menu!

I installed 3.2.0 on my Aura HD and after applying your hack it behaves the same way as the Glo. So I can confirm the hack does not work on the Aura HD too, but that was to be expected as the firmware is the same.

Like embryo the first thing I pressed was the light on script, but in my case nothing happened.

Find attached the seltest01.txt.zip for the Aura HD (My son is reading on the Glo. So no experiments with this device or I would risk my life! )

[tshering]

Thank you all for testing. I am surprised about the results.

The first test of Cecell3000 seems to indicate that kobomenu is echoing the correct values and is quitting afterwards. From the seltest file I take that you pressed first info, then front light on, front light off, several times script, and so on. I should have asked you to remember the sequence of items you pressed and how this relates to the report in the file. The last item reported in the file is nickel. Do you remember whether this was really your last selection? Strangly, I cannot see an indication that you powered off. By chance, this could have happened exactly after kobomenu quit and befor it was called again. Another thing that strikes me is that in some cases the time passed between two selections is rather long (for instance 20140304_142002 before, and 20140304_142123 before). Is it possible that you paused for over a minute between two attempted selections, or did you touch the screen and it has not been registered? I would rather think the second alternative is the case.

Your second seltest file seems to indicate that you powered off immediatly after powering on. If this is not the case and you poked on the screen, the touches did not get registered.

Embryo, that the 'light on' worked is really strange. And this is also the last selection recorded in the seltest file. All your following selections seem to have been lost, either the touches have not been registered or the kobomenu did not quit for some other reason.


Trekk, strangely the record in your seltest file differs completely from the otheres. Your selection of 'light on' seems to be recorded in this way

20140304_175000 before

20140304_175000 after

the records of the Glos look like

20140304_SOMETIME before
info (or some other item)
20140304_SOMETIME after

So we have the strange case, that the kobomenu quit without echoing the selection. All subsequent selections did not get recorded.

Thank you all again for testing. Unfortunately, I have to confess that I am at a loss for an interpretation of the provided data. Maybe somebody has an idea?

[Ken Maltby]

I am still avoiding an "upgrade" from 3.1.1, in part because I don't wish to encounter the problems that 3.2.0 seems to have introduced. The problems that appear going into and out of Nickel are not an issue for me as I no longer use Nickel for anything.

I do need to establish when issues from the FW 3.2.0 are corrected or worked around, to keep the install guide up to date, for all the programs that I have recommended and provided links to. At the moment I am a little confused. I guess I will have to join those who have tried FW 3.2.0 to see if I can help work the issues out. Got one more in a series I am reading before I give it a try though.

Luck;
Ken

[tshering]

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

At the moment I am a little confused.

Me too. But one thing is pretty clear, the start menu as it is now is unusable on Glo and Aura HD with FW 3.2.0.

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

I guess I will have to join those who have tried FW 3.2.0 to see if I can help work the issues out. Got one more in a series I am reading before I give it a try though.

Thank you in advance.

[embryo]

5 more tests.
The second and fourth got the light on.

The way to make the light turn on, is to repeatedly press the 'turn on' button at a fast rate.
I tried the same with 'start nickel' but it didn't work.

[tshering]

Originally Posted by embryo

5 more tests.
The second and fourth got the light on.

The way to make the light turn on, is to repeatedly press the 'turn on' button at a fast rate.
I tried the same with 'start nickel' but it didn't work.

Thank you, embryo! From your file I see now one thing clearer than I did yesterday. Among the five runs you did, kobomenu echoed and quit only in two runs (nos. 2 and 5). I wonder whether, depending on I don't know what, kobomenu freezes at a certain point. Do you have the impression that the menu keeps staying responsive to touches? Or can you poke on the screen and nothing changes from a certain point onwards?
Even if kobomenu freezes sometimes, I still do not understand why (apart from some light_ons) no commands are executed when it does not freeze. I will try to prepare another test.

[tshering]

I have prepared another test. But maybe we should consider first something different. Does anybody of you start the vlasovsoft KoboLauchner from nickel? And does it work? If it does not work, could you please try the launcher.sh that I posted there. It works on my Touch for sure, but I would like to know whether it works on other models too. The reason why I am asking this is as follows: If the launcher is not working on Glo and Aura HD even with the modified launcher.sh, then there is more involved than the screen rotation. And if this is the case, Sergey will certainly address this problem. He was conspicuously silent recently. So maybe he is working out something (maybe a new touch driver) that we can use for the start menu.
If however the launcher works under 3.2.0 on Glo and Aura HD, then the problem is related to somewhat more specific to the start menu and we might consider running some further tests.

[embryo]

Originally Posted by tshering

Does anybody of you start the vlasovsoft KoboLauchner from nickel? And does it work?

No, it doesn't.
It starts in landscape and has no touch response.

If it does not work, could you please try the launcher.sh that I posted there. It works on my Touch for sure, but I would like to know whether it works on other models too.

This does not work either.
It does start better (portrait) but it's unresponsive to touch.

[tshering]

Originally Posted by embryo

No, it doesn't.
It starts in landscape and has no touch response.

This does not work either.
It does start better (portrait) but it's unresponsive to touch.

Thank you! So I am sure Sergey can solve this and I hope his solution is applicable to the start menu.