17

I'm currently playing with my brand-new raspberry with adafruit's touch-tft and raspberry Cam.

I noticed, if I run raspivid -p, it displays the preview in a frame on top of the bash.

How can I create an application (java, python, c++(preferred)) to display a GUI without having to startx?

I'd love to use adafruit's touch-tft for a project, but startx needs a lot of resources. Of course it would be cool to have the touch-functionality too.

Edit:

Maybe I expressed myself a little bit confusing: I would like to create an application that doesn't need startx but has some kind of GUI.

The answers below aren't 100% ready to go but they pointed me to the right direction. Since I saw many similar questions I will try to give a step-by-step solution:

  1. Setup your raspberry with adafruit's TFT: https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-pitft-28-inch-resistive-touchscreen-display-raspberry-pi/overview (you don't have to replace the TFT with HDMI as standart display)

  2. be sure FRAMEBUFFER=/dev/fb1 startx is running correctly on the TFT screen, I have my TV plugged in the HDMI port, this way I can use the bash on the TV screen and run x on the TFT

  3. Follow this tutorial to create your first pygame: http://www.pygame-doku.laymaxx.de/tut/intro/intro.html (you can just copy&paste, wget ball.gif)

  4. Insert this 2 lines at the beggining: (github.com/notro/fbtft/wiki/Pygame)

    import os
os.environ["SDL_FBDEV"] = "/dev/fb1"

  5. If you want to test the touch-screen to, you can change Line 15: From:

    if event.type == pygame.QUIT: sys.exit()

    To:

    if event.type == pygame.MOUSEBUTTONDOWN: sys.exit()

    This will exit the application if you touch the screen

  6. Save file e.g. pygame1.py and execute with $python pygame1.py

You should now see a bouncing ball on your TFT while the HDMI output still displays the BASH on your TV (but it isn't active of course) touching the screen will exit the game if you completed step 6

Why I'm doing this? This way you can display a simple GUI with e.g. buttons to do some action, like turn your lights on/off if you use your RPI for home-control.

Improve this question
3
  • I believe you would need some type of window manager to display an application like gedit. Commented Jun 10, 2014 at 17:37
  • Does this only work with pygame? I am running a kivy application. I want to run the program on boot and don't want to enter the app through startx as I am using a distribution with no GUI as I need to implement this on many raspberries. I will try your tip and if it works I will find you and buy you a beer as i've been bashing my brains out to port my application to the piTFT for days now. Commented Oct 21, 2015 at 21:28
  • It does not work. The most bizarre thing is that the application is ported to HDMI and yet the accepts touch events from the piTFT, so I can move the mouse on the piTFT but there is no graphical display. So frustrating. Commented Oct 21, 2015 at 21:35

4 Answers 4

Reset to default
11

You can use for example pygame library! check this tutorial http://archive.furtherfield.org/rp-resources/RP-workshop-handout.pdf pg. 17

Improve this answer
Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

3 Comments

This is definitely the solution I looked for! Aso a good ressource: pygame-doku.laymaxx.de/tut/intro/intro.html
The link is broken
@DjimOnDev fixed
7

Below, you will find a detailed description of how to be a minimal window manager to start a graphics program of your choice.

-Install Required Packages:

apt-get update
apt-get install xorg - no-install-recommends gdm3 matchbox-window-manager Iceweasel rsync-y

-The system in question, select Add a new user interface gdm3. The terminal is the default name will be used.

adduser kiosk

-Create-Xsession. This script will be executed when the user logs on.

xset s off
xset -dpms
matchbox-window-manager &
while true; do
rsync -qr --delete --exclude='.Xauthority’ /opt/kiosk/ $HOME/
firefox http://www.google.com (Replace your application!!!)
done

Save Ctrl + O; Exit: Ctrl + X

chmod a + x. xsession
cp / opt / kiosk / .xsession / home / kiosk

Set Auto-Login. Kiosk user will enter automatically after boot.

nano / etc/gdm3/daemon.conf
[Daemon]
AutomaticLoginEnable = true
AutomaticLogin = kiosk

We have chosen to configure, program, if necessary

-Screen calibration when not loaded up the whole screen:

/ Boot / config.txt file, clear the comment:
disable_overscan = 1

I hope I helped

Improve this answer

1 Comment

yeesh how do I do that so it won't autoboot? How can I invoke start-matchbox script from the console. (I also like the console)
1

Check out Urwid, a text-based ui that can run in a terminal, or, I assume, on a Raspberry Pi started up without startx.

Improve this answer

Comments

-1

In short you can't, applications like gedit are built atop of a desktop environment (e.g. Gnome, Kde).

Improve this answer

7 Comments

how is it possible that in Rasbian the logo is displayed top of the bash?
Because the raspvid library is completely independent from desktop environment. Refer to raspberrypi.org/documentation/raspbian/applications/camera.md for more informations
This is obvious, since it runs without startx. The question is: how can I achieve this with my own program?
@kei is not correct. Unlike DOS which runs terminal and command line in text mode, Linux runs terminal in graphical mode. Thus scripts and programs which use graphic drawing library CAN draw images and shapes on screen. For example pygame library is using underneath graphics library which can draw to screen. However you will not have access to windowing subsystem or task switching.
@both of you: if you read the title it says "Display GUI on Raspeberry without startx" so I'm asking if there is a way to display any kind of GUI, gedit was just an example for an application. PyGame is indeed a very good hint, also that Bash is running in graphical mode. Can you point me to a gfx-lib that can draw on bash?
|

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Start asking to get answers

Find the answer to your question by asking.

Ask question

Explore related questions

See similar questions with these tags.