iLiad Let's play with Qt Embedded for iLiad!

[ericshliao]

I just built QT/E 4.5.2 for iLiad and made it running on iLiad. It's Qt Embedded, not just Qt. Qt for iLiad is not a problem now, except not being able to respond to iLiad key-events. For me, I want Qt only because djvulibre and djview rely on Qt. QT/E provides more than Qt. QT/E does not need X, so theoretically, it should be more effective on iLiad. That's why I want to run QT/E on iLiad. If everything goes on, applications for Zaurus may be ported to iLiad by just re-compiling. Of course, the current contentlister and ipdf must be replaced (with what?) if X is removed from iLiad.

This is only a primitive start, and still far from working. I have lots of questions. Any advice or experience about tslib, keyboard, QT, QT/E, Zaurus should be helpful.

I built tslib downloaded from http://tslib.berlios.de/, and use this option to do configure:

./configure -opensource -nomake tools -nomake demos -nomake docs -nomake translations -qt-freetype -qt-mouse-tslib -no-qvfb -embedded arm -qt-kbd-tty -qt-kbd-usb

The attached image shows the result running a QT/E application. It's a small example bundled in QT/E package. All bundled examples are built and put in dir "examples" in the attached QT/E lilbs package. I leave them for people to try.

People who want to try can download the attached files. "QtEmbedded-4.5.2-arm.part1.rar" and "QtEmbedded-4.5.2-arm.part2.rar" are QT/E libs. qtedemo.rar is the demo program which should generate a screen just as the attached image.
To install:
1. unpack QT/E libs to MMC or CF. (I put it in MMC, so there will be a dir "QtEmbedded-4.5.2-arm" in /media/card)
2. cd /usr/local
3. mkdir Trolltech
4. cd Trolltech
5. ln -s /media/card/QtEmbedded-4.5.2-arm QtEmbedded-4.5.2-arm (you should modify "/media/card/QtEmbedded-4.5.2-arm" to fit your path if not unpacked to /media/card.)
6. unpack qtedemo.rar to anywhere and execute it from contentlister. Wait for several ten-seconds, you will see a screen just as the attached image.
7. Then you have to reset your iLiad because touch-screen is not working.

[ericshliao]

Some tiny tips:

If the desired screen does not show up after waiting for one or two minutes, try tap on the pagebar button. Don't tap the pagebar button too early.

tslib-0.0.so.0 in QtEmbedded-4.5.2-arm/lib can be removed if you do "ln -s /usr/lib/libts-1.0.so.0.0.0 /usr/lib/libts-0.0.so.0".
(Added: this sentence may be misleading. I meant tslib-0.0.so.0 in QtEmbedded-4.5.2-arm/lib is duplicated and you can remove it after you do "ln -s /usr/lib/libts-1.0.so.0.0.0 /usr/lib/libts-0.0.so.0".)

Added:
By the pagebar tapping action, I guess that on iLiad, even when a QT/E app does write screen data to fbramebuffer, iLiad stiil wait for a command to start drawing e-ink screen. It should be the most tough part. Maybe modifying Qt/E source code is required. I should take a look in the source code of liberdm.

[ericshliao]

Somebody has just started to port QT/E to Kindle DX. See https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56457. He has found where to modify QT/E source code to add controlling e-ink screen refreshing. Quite impressive.

[jonas]

I think you can have a look at http://www.onyxcommunity.com/developers
It seems they are using Qt/E.

[ericshliao]

The project porting QT/E on Kindle DX seems go on quite well. Here is the patched sourced code released by cdisou: http://code.google.com/p/qindle/
I should buy a USB keyboard and start playing with QT/E for iLiad.
With cdisou's pioneering efforts, I think it should be easier to port QT/E to iLiad than to Kindle DX, since iLiad has touch screen and attachable USB keyboard.

[Antartica]

I've just seen this fortuitously:

1. Qt Extended (discontinued by Qt/Nokia) has a unofficial continuation in "Qt Extended Improved", based on Qt Extended 4.4.3:
http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/Qt_Extended_Improved

2. QtMoko (a distribution for the OpenMoko Neo FreeRunner based on Debian and Qt Extended) manages to support both QtE apps and X apps.

I've read two versions: that "QtMoko x4" simply starts both X server and QTE:
http://lists.openmoko.org/pipermail/...ly/050679.html

the other version is that when in QTE , if you launch an X app using QX (a helper program), it launchs a X server for the program:
http://github.com/radekp/qtmoko/blob...ions/qx/qx.cpp

3. The touchscreen problem may be because the env variable TSLIB_TSDEVICE is not correctly adjusted before launching QTE, as in

export TSLIB_TSDEVICE=/dev/ttyS0
export TSLIB_CONFFILE=/etc/ts.conf
export TSLIB_PLUGINDIR=/usr/lib/ts

See this thread http://forum.irexnet.com/viewtopic.p...7e9654e0b785d5

Also, see "Get touchscreen working" (it's for X, but should also be relevant for QTE) in http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/Manual_Debian

Hope this helps .

[ericshliao]

Antartica, thanx for the above info. I will try the tslib config first.

Just found that QT/E 4.5.3 come out.

[ericshliao]

Well, I guess that the problem of touch screen not available for QT/E is not caused by wrong tslib config, since I didn't alter the original setting of iLiad. Besides, even after I added the three "export" commands into "run.sh", touch screen is still not available for my QT/E demo application.

Maybe the problem is caused by touch screen events are preempted by X, so that QT/E won't get any touch screen signal.

To make a test, I am going to create a bootable CF with no X. The CF will start a QT/E application after booted. The problem is that I don't have a program to call screen refresh. I think that I for now just need to wait for the demo application loaded and then call a screen-refresh once to see the result. If I can get screen refreshed and touch-screen working, I will try to add screen-refresh code into QT/E. Besides, I am not familiar with the boot script of embedded Linux. I know that I have to edit those script files in /etc/init.d and /etc/rc0.d~rc6.d, but further instructions will be very helpful to me.

[Antartica]

I though that you were doing the experiments using a ssh shell from another computer...
To disable X from getting the events first, you have to send a SIGSTOP to the X server in the run.sh, and when you are done a SIGCONT.

ps -efa | grep Xfbdev | sed 's/ */ /g' | cut -d ' ' -f 2 | xargs kill -STOP

or something like that

[ericshliao]

Originally Posted by Antartica

I though that you were doing the experiments using a ssh shell from another computer...

I put the QT/E demo program (including run.sh) in MMC card and executed it on iLiad.

Originally Posted by Antartica

To disable X from getting the events first, you have to send a SIGSTOP to the X server in the run.sh, and when you are done a SIGCONT.

ps -efa | grep Xfbdev | sed 's/ */ /g' | cut -d ' ' -f 2 | xargs kill -STOP

By my very limited knowledge of shell script, I think that "ps -efa | grep Xfbdev | sed 's/ */ /g' | cut -d ' ' -f 2 | " will get certain process list from "ps" command. Pipes are still unsolved mystery for me.

What does "xargs kill -STOP" do? Killing xserver process? I don't understand what does "xargs kill -STOP" do even after reading man.

To make things simpler, I sshed into iLiad and ran "ps". I got:

root@ereader:~# ps
  PID  Uid     VmSize Stat Command
    1 root        524 S   init [5]
    2 root            SW  [keventd]
    3 root            SWN [ksoftirqd_CPU0]
    4 root            SW  [kswapd]
    5 root            SW  [bdflush]
    6 root            SW  [kupdated]
    7 root            SW  [kUCB1x00d]
    8 root            SW  [khubd]
   15 root            SW  [tffs1]
  252 root        580 S   /sbin/cardmgr
  280 root        532 S   /usr/bin/displayMgr -p
  281 root        608 S   /usr/bin/erbusyd
  284 root        608 S   /usr/bin/erbusyd
  285 root       2260 S   /usr/bin/Xfbdev -screen 768x1024x8 -3button -dpi 160
  286 root        608 S   /usr/bin/erbusyd
  288 root       4048 S   /usr/bin/matchbox-window-manager -use_titlebar no -us
  289 root       6436 S   /usr/bin/pageBar
  292 root       3876 S   /usr/bin/matchbox-panel --size 39 --no-menu --bgcolor
  333 root            SW  [wlan_main_servi]
  334 root            SW  [wlan_reassoc_se]
  432 root       3568 S   mb-applet-icon-container
  441 root        592 S   /bin/sh /etc/rc5.d/S99start start
  442 root       2332 S   /usr/bin/powerMgr
  444 root      12256 S   /usr/bin/newLister --items 12 --sync
  453 root       2332 S   /usr/bin/powerMgr
  454 root       2332 S   /usr/bin/powerMgr
  486 root            SW  [mmcblockd]
  593 root      12256 S   /usr/bin/newLister --items 12 --sync
  598 root      12256 S   /usr/bin/newLister --items 12 --sync
  607 root            SW  [usbplugd]
  608 root        512 S   /sbin/getty -L ttyS2 115200 vt100
  609 root      12256 S   /usr/bin/newLister --items 12 --sync
  610 root      12256 S   /usr/bin/newLister --items 12 --sync
  611 root      12256 S   /usr/bin/newLister --items 12 --sync
  683 root        580 S   udhcpc -n -p /var/run/udhcpc.eth0.pid -t 4 -i eth0
  686 root        624 S   ./dropbear -d ./dropbear_dss_host_key -r ./dropbear_r
  689 root        448 S   msdisk /dev/tffsa6
  690 root       1148 S   ./dropbear -d ./dropbear_dss_host_key -r ./dropbear_r
  691 root        612 S   -sh
  856 root       1160 S   ./dropbear -d ./dropbear_dss_host_key -r ./dropbear_r
  857 root        768 S   -sh
  864 root        708 R   ps

Using the above output as example, I suppose that I should execute a "xargs kill 285 -STOP" (to send SIGSTOP to Xserver) in console before starting QT/E demo and execute a "xargs kill 285 -CONT" (to send SIGCONT) after QT/E demo quitted. Right? So, my run.sh will go as:

export scriptdir=`/usr/bin/dirname $0`
export QTDIR=/usr/local/Trolltech/QtEmbedded-4.5.3-arm
export PATH=$QTDIR/bin:$PATH
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$QTDIR/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH
export HOME=$scriptdir
cd $scriptdir
kill 285 -STOP
./application -qws
kill 285 -CONT

[ericshliao]

My above experiement failed. My iLiad just reboot if I execute the above "run.sh".

Another problem:
I think that I can't refresh screen manually by tapping on the pagebar icon after X server stopped. Can I?

[Antartica]

Originally Posted by ericshliao

My above experiement failed. My iLiad just reboot if I execute the above "run.sh".

The kill command should be

kill -STOP 285

IIRC, if you put first the PID, it sends a SIGTERM, terminating the X, and reboting the iliad in our case.

Another problem:
I think that I can't refresh screen manually by tapping on the pagebar icon after X server stopped. Can I?

Contentlister may be "paused" because of the stopped X. It depends on its internal implementation.

[ericshliao]

Originally Posted by Antartica

Contentlister may be "paused" because of the stopped X. It depends on its internal implementation.

Can I manualy refresh the screen through command in ssh? I guess I have to create a program to do the task.

Added:
Is it possible to use xepdmgr as a shell command to manually refresh eink screen? I guess that "EinkUpdateFull(sEink *EinkParam, int UseTyping, int Fast)" in xepdmgr_einkfb.c is just what I need. It will make iLiad draw its eink screen based on data in framebuffer, right?

[Antartica]

Originally Posted by ericshliao

Can I manualy refresh the screen through command in ssh? I guess I have to create a program to do the task.

Added:
Is it possible to use xepdmgr as a shell command to manually refresh eink screen? I guess that "EinkUpdateFull(sEink *EinkParam, int UseTyping, int Fast)" in xepdmgr_einkfb.c is just what I need. It will make iLiad draw its eink screen based on data in framebuffer, right?

You can do what you are requesting using "displayMgrClient", it's a command-line tool from iRex to interface with the displayMgr. You have it already installed on your iliad .

For full refresh:

# /usr/bin/displayMgrClient

For typing refresh:

# /usr/bin/displayMgrClient -p

With "displayMgrClient -h" it shows some help text.

If you want to integrate that functionality directly into QTE, what it does is as simple as to send the text "!0,1,0" to UDP port localhost:50555 (original thread with this info).

[ericshliao]

Ah! Thanx. I think that MgrClient is just what I need.