Kobo Start Menu 07

[boriar]

In order to exit from nickel back into KSM (if you need this for your testing) you would have to have kbmenupngs with its content in /mnt/onboard, and follow step one of "First time installation" in the first post before actually installing KSM. Alternatively, you could call /adds/kbmenu/fmonsh/exit_nickel.sh via telnet, though I never tried this myself. I think this is better, since you use KSM only temporarily.

It's posible to install png after KSM (I always do this) if no other instance of fmon is installed.
1. Install KSM without kbmenupng directory.
2. Run nickel with tools>nickel_diverse.msh>start_nickel_no_fmon.sh
3. Connect to PC and copy kbmenupng directory.
4. Eject correctly from PC.
Now nickel process all new png. To prevent posible fault I open all pngs and also show they into self in cover and list mode.
For me always work like a charm and don't worry about copy anynthing before.

[tshering]

Originally Posted by boriar

It's posible to install png after KSM (I always do this) if no other instance of fmon is installed.
1. Install KSM without kbmenupng directory.
2. Run nickel with tools>nickel_diverse.msh>start_nickel_no_fmon.sh
3. Connect to PC and copy kbmenupng directory.
4. Eject correctly from PC.
Now nickel process all new png. To prevent posible fault I open all pngs and also show they into self in cover and list mode.
For me always work like a charm and don't worry about copy anynthing before.

Right, you can do this. You can even run nickel by "start nickel" without danger, if the database does not contain information on the concerning pngs from any previous session, cf. this post.
I prefer however people to install kbmenupngs, and make nickel process the images at an earlier time. If KSM is once running the first time, how many people will resist playing around, starting and exiting nickel, ... and forget to finish the necessary steps of the complete installation.

[frostschutz]

OK, I think I got it installed okay.

The first time I run check db integrity, everything's all-ok and not flipped (arrow showed top left corner). The second time I run check db integrity, it comes back flipped. From then on it flips every other page, e.g. I go to main menu, it's upside down. I go into wifi menu, it's correct. I enable wifi, it's upside down. And so on and so forth. So once it starts flipping, it keeps flipping.

I think this could be related to the effect I've noticed once before and described in another post.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...94#post3127194

Somehow the device has two possible behaviours. One where no flips occur, and another where flips do occur. So it may be pngshow kicks it into the "start flips" phase.

Although that can't be the whole story. I can trigger those flips in KSM only if the pngshow runs in the context of the db_chk_integrity script. If I enable WiFi, telnet in, run pngshow from the telnet console - everything is fine. pngshow shows its pic; navigating ksm does not flip. Running db_chk_integrity also does not flip anymore - probably because my running pngshow from telnet already created the correct /tmp/pngshow file. Somehow only the combination - rotation detection while ksm was executing the script - triggers the flipping.

It's a baffling issue, that's for sure.

Maybe if you add a transparent 1x1 pixel png and pngshow that as part of your startup script before KSM starts for seriously, would magically fix things. That's the stupidest thing I can think of right now.

To fix it properly KSM would have to detect the rotation behaviour somehow. You can see on telnet once it starts flipping the fb0/rotation is switching between 0 and 2 as you navigate the KSM

[boriar]

You are right! Not all people read all instructions before doing something.

[tshering]

Originally Posted by frostschutz

OK, I think I got it installed okay.

Thank you for installing and having a look at it.

Originally Posted by frostschutz

I think this could be related to the effect I've noticed once before and described in another post.

I read this post of course, but I was unable to use its information to do something meaningful.

Originally Posted by frostschutz

Somehow the device has two possible behaviours. One where no flips occur, and another where flips do occur. So it may be pngshow kicks it into the "start flips" phase.

I misunderstood your other post yesterday. I thought "detect rotation inversion behaviour" means whether the device is in a flipping state or not and pngshow acts somehow accordingly. I wondered anyway how testing once can suffice.

Originally Posted by frostschutz

Although that can't be the whole story. I can trigger those flips in KSM only if the pngshow runs in the context of the db_chk_integrity script. If I enable WiFi, telnet in, run pngshow from the telnet console - everything is fine. pngshow shows its pic; navigating ksm does not flip. Running db_chk_integrity also does not flip anymore - probably because my running pngshow from telnet already created the correct /tmp/pngshow file. Somehow only the combination - rotation detection while ksm was executing the script - triggers the flipping.

It's a baffling issue, that's for sure.

Right! I was rather shocked that the test version has this issue (and that it was already there in KSM 7, as reported yesterday by Ken). In case you did not see the previous posts: KSM 7 and the test version used pickel to show the animation, only after boriar reporting the rotation issue, did I replace pickel by pngshow. Under KSM 7 people run test scripts that called pickel to display images and start nickel and logged the rotation values at those points. At that time, they did not suffer a rotation problem.

Originally Posted by frostschutz

Maybe if you add a transparent 1x1 pixel png and pngshow that as part of your startup script before KSM starts for seriously, would magically fix things. That's the stupidest thing I can think of right now.

Even if you consider it the stupidest thing, could you please hint at the reasoning behind the magic?

Here is some further information, that might possible be useful:

Spoiler:

When a KSM (Qt) application runs the very first time after boot on a Aura HD or H20, it is upside down, but from then on KSM applications start properly orientated. Therefore, at start up, I run a KSM application without user interaction:

#(extract from /onstart/ksmhome.sh)
if [ "$PRODUCT" == "dragon" ] || [ "$PRODUCT" == "dahlia" ]; then
  $ksmroot/kobomenu.sh -autoselectafter=0
fi

After that the rotation value is set to 2.
After running the on-animator.sh (involving pickel), the value stays at 2.
After running nickel, the value is 1.

I then set it back (in onstart/start_nickel.sh) to 2 by,

if [ "$fbrotatevalue" != "$(cat /sys/class/graphics/fb0/rotate)" ]; then
  echo "$fbrotatevalue" > /sys/class/graphics/fb0/rotate
  cat /sys/class/graphics/fb0/rotate > /sys/class/graphics/fb0/rotate
fi

$fbrotatevalue is set to 2 in ksmhome.sh
after echo "$fbrotatevalue" > /sys/class/graphics/fb0/rotate the value is 0
after cat /sys/class/graphics/fb0/rotate > /sys/class/graphics/fb0/rotate the value is 2

On Glo HD the first running KSM application is correctly orientated from start. The rotation value is 0.
After running the on-animator.sh (involving pickel), the value is 3.
After running nickel, the value is still 3.

I then set it back (in onstart/start_nickel.sh) to 0 by,

if [ "$fbrotatevalue" != "$(cat /sys/class/graphics/fb0/rotate)" ]; then
  echo "$fbrotatevalue" > /sys/class/graphics/fb0/rotate
  cat /sys/class/graphics/fb0/rotate > /sys/class/graphics/fb0/rotate
fi

$fbrotatevalue is set to 0 in ksmhome.sh
after echo "$fbrotatevalue" > /sys/class/graphics/fb0/rotate the value is 0
after cat /sys/class/graphics/fb0/rotate > /sys/class/graphics/fb0/rotate the value is 0.

Kobo Touch (and Mini and Glo, I guess) behaves like Glo HD, with the exception, that the value after on-animator.sh is still 0, and only after nickel 3.

Not sure what exactly one can undestand from that (written in the spoiler). I guess my question is whether to call pngshow 1x1pixel.png before

if [ "$PRODUCT" == "dragon" ] || [ "$PRODUCT" == "dahlia" ]; then
  $ksmroot/kobomenu.sh -autoselectafter=0
fi

or after. Or does it not matter?

Originally Posted by frostschutz

To fix it properly KSM would have to detect the rotation behaviour somehow. You can see on telnet once it starts flipping the fb0/rotation is switching between 0 and 2 as you navigate the KSM

There are mainly two problems: The first is that I do not have the necessary knowledge, and then, I do not have a flipping device, fbo/rotation stays alway at 0.

[frostschutz]

Where exactly is framebuffer handled in KSM itself? Or is it that Qt does it all for you and you have no framebuffer code whatsoever in it? (Is the KSM sourcecode available anywhere? Sorry if I've missed it.)

[tshering]

Originally Posted by frostschutz

Where exactly is framebuffer handled in KSM itself? Or is it that Qt does it all for you and you have no framebuffer code whatsoever in it? (Is the KSM sourcecode available anywhere? Sorry if I've missed it.)

I completely depend on Serge's libraries, the code is available here, (QtKoboPlugins/KoboFb).

[tshering]

New test version available!

[boriar]

I installed the new version (2e) an did all the tests of previous versions and all perfect. YOU DID IT

Also tested some situations that caused problems in other versions 06 and 07, and no problems at all.
If you want some specific test tell me what to do.


As a side effect... NO MORE WINDOWS DISPLACED

[frostschutz]

Originally Posted by tshering

I completely depend on Serge's libraries, the code is available here, (QtKoboPlugins/KoboFb).

It uses an ioctl I'm unfamiliar with, and code search on GitHub only finds Kobo stuff for it. Basically it's another way to set display rotation, might be that is the solution to [or the cause of] all the rotation mysteries. I'll have to experiment with it sometime...

[tshering]

Originally Posted by frostschutz

It uses an ioctl I'm unfamiliar with, and code search on GitHub only finds Kobo stuff for it. Basically it's another way to set display rotation, might be that is the solution to [or the cause of] all the rotation mysteries. I'll have to experiment with it sometime...

Thank you very much for looking into it and for your help. Presently, I am very happy with pngshow.

[tshering]

Originally Posted by boriar

I installed the new version (2e) an did all the tests of previous versions and all perfect. YOU DID IT

Also tested some situations that caused problems in other versions 06 and 07, and no problems at all.
If you want some specific test tell me what to do.


As a side effect... NO MORE WINDOWS DISPLASCED

Thank you for testing and for the pleasing report. If you use the device for some more days, you might discover the one or other further bug. I just discovered one. No idea how this bug crept in. I do not upload the whole package again because of the one wrong letter. Therefore, please install KSM08prep02_update003.zip (from this post).

After you have applied update 3, you can do another test if you like. I just did it myself (and discovered the now fixed bug):

• enable wifi (maybe with "wifi > wifi enable dhcp. sh"; if your network is not yet know to the device, and you cannot log in with "wifi ap scan.sh" because of the limited character set of the keyboard, please log in via nickel [KSM uses the same wpa_supplicant.conf as nickel does])
• select "tools" > "kobo FW update.msh" > "check FW url.sh" (after a long delay, I was shown the download link, I read it and decided that I will download it)
• select "download FW.sh" (the animation with its fullscreen updates is a little disturbing, maybe I should slow it down for processes that will certainly run for several minutes)
• select "unzip FW to kobo.msh" (here was the bug that is fixed by update 3)
• select "mark5 3.17.3.zip" (this shoud be the only option apart from return and return home, in my case it was "mark4 3.17.3.zip")
• select "extract" (there are three options: extract, extract only tgz, delete. Since it is the correct mark FW for the device, choose "extract")
• select "return home"
• select "handle update" > "install partial update" (curiously the background color of the animation screen is now gray)
• after the reboot: start nickel and see how you like it (sickel did not yet bite, so I let it live for now)

The procedure is a little long, I know. But you can control each step, and this is what I like.

[boriar]

After you have applied update 3, you can do another test if you like. I just did it myself (and discovered the now fixed bug).

I will do it tomorrow because here I can't access to a wifi network for my device. Sorry.
...Or is there some way to do it with a sideload firmware?

[tshering]

Originally Posted by boriar

I will do it tomorrow because here I can't access to a wifi network for my device. Sorry.
...Or is there some way to do it with a sideload firmware?

Do not worry! This test is not so important. I only thought since there is a new FW and you will possible want to install it anyway, we could turn it into a test. There is really no need to do this test.

[norbusan]

Hi Tshering,

Originally Posted by tshering

Did you change anything else since the last time vlasovsoftlauncher did work? I just renamed my /mnt/onboard/.adds/kbmenu/ directory, and vlasovsoftlauncher is still supported.

Edit: Is it possible that you deleted /mnt/onboard/.adds/vlasovsoft/launcher, and that KSM tries to start an older version that is in /mnt/onboard/.kobo/vlasovsoft/launcher?

I don't have anything vla related in .kobo anymore. I removed the vlasovsoft folder and copied it a new from the pbchess/KoboRoot.tgz (only the vlasovsoft folder), and then it worked again ... don't ask me what it was!

Thanks

Norbert