Kobo-Adding alternative readers using Kobo Start Menu

[Ken Maltby]

Originally Posted by Radium

I have some experience with Ruby and Python, I noticed the KOreader is written in Lua, the code looks familiar to me, looks like it's times to get my hands dirty.

This might be of interest.

There is already a "Radium(something)" at Github but if you want to join the effort I am sure they would welcome anything you can offer.

Luck;
Ken

[Radium]

Yeah I'm RadiumAlchemist @ github.
I really like programming, and I've read many books, and I'm right now in the middle of coding my first program (a cross-platform personal finance app, the best ever...).
But I'm also a pharmacy student, and currently finals are ahead, and just have to study study and study.

I feel I've read enough coding books, and it's better to get my hands dirty in real projects (like helping with KOreader).

Once the finals end, the summer will be my coding honeymoon.

BTW Another tweak to KOreader would be this

[Markismus]

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

For me the "Page Overlap" is too intense, I would like it more transparent. I seem to remember some talk of some way to adjust that.

It was discussed at github issue #278. Chrox commented a manual approach here.

I have been meaning to look at this again to make it an adjustable menu item....will take some time before I get to that, though.

[Ken Maltby]

Bump , for the fixed Koreader build.

Luck;
Ken

[ebrahimpak]

Are there any potential conflicts between Fmon and Start Menu?

[Ken Maltby]

Tshering, who authored and maintains the Kobo Start Menu, uses fmon for some of the functions the start menu adds to Nickel, including a means to exit it.

Luck;
Ken

[Alan_S]

Thanks for great guide, but just to comment on steps for installing KSM and two alternate readers.

I first installed KSM, after that Koreader and after that Cool Reader. In first post KSM is installed last.

Maybe it was before, when you created first post, but now it works just fine if we first install KSM and after that other readers.

I'm using H2O with 3.12.0 firmware.

[Ken Maltby]

Originally Posted by Alan_S

Thanks for great guide, but just to comment on steps for installing KSM and two alternate readers.

I first installed KSM, after that Koreader and after that Cool Reader. In first post KSM is installed last.

Maybe it was before, when you created first post, but now it works just fine if we first install KSM and after that other readers.

I'm using H2O with 3.12.0 firmware.

I have thought of changing it to KSM first for this guide, it does seem more like a logical progression that way.

Edit: OK, I changed the first post.

Luck;
Ken

[tshering]

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

** Embryo, Pointed out this fix for the Start Menu on some devices, ( Glo users have reported running into this issue) **

This information concerns only KSM 04. Therefore, it might be confusing for some new users. Maybe it would be better to remove it completely. KSM 06 has enabled this feature by default (In can be disabled in usersettings.txt).

[Ken Maltby]

OK, removed it.

Luck;
Ken

[Alan_S]

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

Edit: OK, I changed the first post.

Thanks, it would be very helpful for others. I also was thinking for a time what to do, as I already had KSM installed and I worried it might not work if I try to install cool reader last.

But, installing KSM first is really best move today and after that installing other readers in any way we like.

[Heiderose]

Thank you!

[elvenic]

So I've installed Kobo Start Menu/Koreader on my Kobo Glo. Koreader works OK; one question though: I've enabled 'follow links', now when I press a link, Koreaded jumps to the link's target location, but how do I jump back to the link origination location? I may be missing something, but I can't find 'Back' command in the menu.

[elvenic]

Originally Posted by elvenic

So I've installed Kobo Start Menu/Koreader on my Kobo Glo. Koreader works OK; one question though: I've enabled 'follow links', now when I press a link, Koreaded jumps to the link's target location, but how do I jump back to the link origination location? I may be missing something, but I can't find 'Back' command in the menu.

So I'm replying to myself.

I looked at the lua source code and found the 'readerlink.lua' file. After reading which I had a hypothesis that when you jump to the link, the Koreader will setup the screen so that on swipe 'east' (from right to left) you will go not to the previous page (relative to the page of the link destination), but to the origin of the link.

I've tested it on my Kobo, and it worked. So the conclusion is that there is no button in the menu to go back, but you should use swipe 'east' instead.

But that is useful only for links like to short footnotes, where, after reading the footnote, you most likely want to return back to the link origin.

It is useless for links like in the table of contents, because after you jump to a chapter, swipe several pages 'west' as you read the chapter, then want to go back one page in this chapter by swiping 'east', you will be suddenly thrown back to the table of contents because ReaderLink rememberes that you jumped to the capter through the link and interpretes first swipe 'east' as command to go to the link origin (table of contents in our case).

I personally think that better design choice would be, instead of using first 'east' swipe to go back to the link origin, to have separete command 'Back' in the menu, or something similar, to go back. For example, the CoolReader implements jumping back this way.

[Ken Maltby]

Sounds like a good thing to suggest over at Github .

Luck;
Ken