NickelMenu: An integrated launcher for Kobo eReaders

[xiaojohn]

Please forgive the newbie question.

I have installed NickelMenu on my Kobo Libra (4.26.16704) and it appears on the bottom right as promised. Clicking on this shows a single item in the pop-up menu, also called NickelMenu. Clicking on this in turn brings up a momentary message: "See KOBOeReader/.adds.nm.doc for instructions on how to customise this menu". Fair enough if I want to add configs, but I thought NM came with some built-in actions. Did I get this wrong?

All I want to do (at this stage anyway) is access the auto_usb_gadget to get my Kobo to automatically connect to my computer...

[NiLuJe]

Originally Posted by xiaojohn

Fair enough if I want to add configs, but I thought NM came with some built-in actions. Did I get this wrong?

Yup. Which is why the default is instead to point you towards the documentation .

[xiaojohn]

Thanks - I've obviously misunderstood. So what exactly is meant in the Features section of the NM page by "many built-in actions"?

Namely:

• Debug messages (dbg_syslog, dbg_error, dbg_msg, dbg_toast).
• Nickel settings (nickel_setting:{toggle,enable,disable}:{invert,lo ckscreen,screenshots,force_wifi,auto_usb_gadget}).
• Nickel browser with support for showing as a pop-up (e.g. for a reference site while reading) and adding custom CSS (nickel_browser:{modal:,}{ ,})
• Nickel extras (nickel_extras:{unblock_it,sketch_pad,solitaire,su doku,word_scramble}).
• Nickel views (nickel_open:{discover:storefront,discover:wishlis t,library:library,library:all,library:authors,libr ary:series,library:shelves,libraryocket,library: dropbox,reading_life:reading_life,reading_life:sta ts,reading_life:awards,reading_life:words,storev erdrive,store:search}).
• Nickel WiFi (nickel_wifi:{autoconnect,autoconnect_silent,enabl e,disable,toggle}).
• Nickel orientation, even on devices without a sensor (nickel_orientation:{portrait,landscape,inverted_p ortrait,inverted_landscape,invert,swap}).
• Other Nickel stuff (nickel_misc:{home,force_usb_connection,rescan_boo ks,rescan_books_full}).
• Gracefully exit Nickel (power:{shutdown,reboot,sleep})
• Launch system commands and optionally display the output (cmd_spawn{,:quiet},cmd_output:timeout{,:quiet}).
• KFMon (kfmon, kfmon_id).

[sherman]

Originally Posted by xiaojohn

Thanks - I've obviously misunderstood. So what exactly is meant in the Features section of the NM page by "many built-in actions"?

...

That's stuff you can potentially put in a config file. Chances are, you may only want a few of those options available at any one time to avoid bloating the size of the menu.

[compurandom]

It says built in /actions/ not built in /menu items/. These are actions, ready to be put in a menu item, rather than things you'd have to write as an external item. (I use both.)

And if you edit that file, you'll find that there are examples in it, some of which you can just uncomment if you want them.

There's a huge number of things available, and if you just dumped them all in the menu by default, it would be ugly and likely wouldn't fit on the screen well.

[Semwize]

Originally Posted by xiaojohn

All I want to do (at this stage anyway) is access the auto_usb_gadget to get my Kobo to automatically connect to my computer...

menu_item:main:AutoUsbGadget:nickel_setting:toggle:auto_usb_gadget

Why are you looking for this in the NickelMenu settings? Add to Kobo eReader. conf

[DeveloperSettings]
AutoUsbGadget=true

[compurandom]

Originally Posted by Semwize

=Why are you looking for this in the NickelMenu settings? Add to Kobo eReader. conf

Because if you stick it in the conf file, you are stuck with one setting.
The whole point of toggling it in NickelMenu is so you can turn it on and off when necessary.

edit: hmm, why didn't I think of doing this a while ago? Thanks for the code.

[Semwize]

Originally Posted by compurandom

edit: hmm, why didn't I think of doing this a while ago?

Don't forget to disable the DeveloperSettings - AutoUsbGadget patch. If you used it... Otherwise it won't work.

[xiaojohn]

Thanks everyone. I've now got the auto-connect that I wanted, and I've learned how use NM. Yay! No doubt I will start finding more things to add.

[DJDarren]

Another newbie post here...

I've installed NM on my ClaraHD. I've followed the instructions (as best I understand them), so I now have two files in >nm - doc and config. Because I don't really understand what I'm doing, and am learning as I go, I've copied the example menu items from the bottom of the instructions to my config file. I just want to see if they then show up in NickelMenu, I'm not (at this point) fussed about what they do, I just want to confirm that that's how you get them there.

But when I tap on NickelMenu, I get another NickelMenu button that leads to the same error message that @xiaojohn was getting. I've removed 'doc' from that folder (and put it somewhere safe in case I still need it) thinking that maybe it was getting confused, but nope, made no difference.

Can someone post a simplified config file as an example of what NickelMenu needs to see in order to work, so I can see what I've failed to include.

Many thanks!

(edit to add : I realise that not being able to do something as apparently simple as this doesn't bode well for me actually using this tool, but I guess we all have to start somewhere...)

[sherman]

Originally Posted by DJDarren

Another newbie post here...

I've installed NM on my ClaraHD. I've followed the instructions (as best I understand them), so I now have two files in >nm - doc and config. Because I don't really understand what I'm doing, and am learning as I go, I've copied the example menu items from the bottom of the instructions to my config file. I just want to see if they then show up in NickelMenu, I'm not (at this point) fussed about what they do, I just want to confirm that that's how you get them there.

But when I tap on NickelMenu, I get another NickelMenu button that leads to the same error message that @xiaojohn was getting. I've removed 'doc' from that folder (and put it somewhere safe in case I still need it) thinking that maybe it was getting confused, but nope, made no difference.

Can someone post a simplified config file as an example of what NickelMenu needs to see in order to work, so I can see what I've failed to include.

Many thanks!

(edit to add : I realise that not being able to do something as apparently simple as this doesn't bode well for me actually using this tool, but I guess we all have to start somewhere...)

Make sure to remove any leading # from your config entries.

(Beginning a line with # treats the line as a comment and is not parsed).

[DJDarren]

Originally Posted by sherman

Make sure to remove any leading # from your config entries.

(Beginning a line with # treats the line as a comment and is not parsed).

Ha, just came back to edit my post to say that I saw this elsewhere, tried it, and it worked...

Thanks very much

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by xiaojohn

All I want to do (at this stage anyway) is access the auto_usb_gadget to get my Kobo to automatically connect to my computer...

The problem with a forced connect is that if you do come across a USB charger that makes the Kobo think it's connected to a computer, it's going to try to connect. You won't be able to read while charging and I don't know if that may or may not cause a problem with the database because you won't be able to safely eject.

[Semwize]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The problem with a forced connect is that if you do come across a USB charger that makes the Kobo think it's connected to a computer, it's going to try to connect. You won't be able to read while charging

Jon, the above is about toggle AutoUsbGadget. If you need to read while charging, press and turn off this function...

[criscros]

Here are a few settings I really like.

This is great, saves wear and tear on the usb connection when I'm trying out tweaks - turns on and off.

menu_item :main :USB Connect :nickel_misc :force_usb_connection

I iike these because it's sometimes easier than pushing the button.

menu_item :main :Sleep :power :sleep
menu_item :main :Reboot :power :reboot
menu_item :main :Shutdown :power :shutdown

I also put sleep in the book menu for quick access.

menu_item :reader :Sleep :power :sleep

And to change the icon name:

experimental:menu_main_15505_label: whateveryouwanthere

And if you want to change the icon:

experimental :menu_main_15505_icon: /mnt/onboard/.adds/nm/icon/youricon.png

I have so many little tweaks I've picked up in the oddest places, it would be nice to have a 'newbie' thread to share them.