How to use a slideshow as a screensaver?

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sszindian
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How to use a slideshow as a screensaver?

#1 Post by sszindian »

When the computer reaches 10-minutes of inactivity in Puppy, the screen shuts down (goes blank).

Is it possible to have a script that would execute another program at that time in place of the blank screen?

If so, how would one go about it? or... is there an easier way than a script?

'Thanks in advance'

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greengeek
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#2 Post by greengeek »

Do you mean an actual program, or some sort of screensaver?

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sszindian
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Screen Blanking

#3 Post by sszindian »

greengeek wrote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do you mean an actual program, or some sort of screensaver?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I guess you could say it's both... but really it's Slideshow.01 (displays pictures, graphics in a nice format on almost every puppy from way back when up to the latest.) I've been using it for years now and it's not really a big deal to click on an icon to get it started but it would be much nicer if it started automatically on screen-blank.

>>>---Indian------>
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[url]http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=69192[/url]

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#4 Post by puppyluvr »

:D Hello,
Is that my old Slideshow-01.pet?
:D
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sszindian
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Screen Blanking

#5 Post by sszindian »

puppyluvr wrote:
----------------------------------------------------
Is that my old Slideshow-01.pet?
----------------------------------------------------

Surely is sir! Best one I've found since you made it! Would just like to see it turn into a screensaver/slideshow, it still works in just about everything thats come down the pike (Original Slacko... NO... but everything else - and i've tried tons of em - YES)

Do you intend to beef it up a little?

>>>---Indian------>
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[url]http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=69192[/url]

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#6 Post by puppyluvr »

:D Hello,
Thx. Glad it is being used!
Actually, in that thread is the exact idea you propose.
But, not knowing Puppies "guts" I was trying to write my own inactivity script (slock) somewhat unsuccessfully.. However, if you take the default inactivity script (guts...lol) and point it to Slideshow instead of exiting X, should do what I originally intended.. and you wanted.. Or finish Slock.. lol.. Or I can look at the inactivity script and post the modification necessary.. If I can find it.. lol..
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sszindian
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screen blanking

#7 Post by sszindian »

puppyluvr:

Over the years I've often wondered (since I use Slideshow.01 in all my puppy's)why you didn't go that one final step and make it the most perfect Screensaver/Slideshow that puppy ever had? I wanted so bad to dig into it and complete that task but... I just don't have the skill required to do that.

Now that BK's gone, new puppy's might be few and far between so my goal is to try to take the versions I have (and I might add, the latest ones are excellent) and tweak them to get the very most from them. I've tried lots (and I mean lots) of other linux distros and puppy is still by leaps and bounds easier to use and configure to ones own needs more-so than anything out there so, I'm keeping and using the ones I have and I hope other puppy users do the same. Right now, I'm using LxPup-13.10 from peebees and it is a great puppy... by the way, your Slideshow.01 is the ONLY Slacko build it ever worked right in!!!

EDIT: In LxPup... It won't display .jpg photos but it will display .png photos!

Yes... if you could put Screensaver.01 together (again) to do what I mention in this thread, I'm sure many many puppy users would be thrilled. I know I would!

Thanks so much for stepping in here....

>>>---Indian------>
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#8 Post by greengeek »

Keen to know if anyone had any further ideas to solve this issue. Is there a way to kick off a program instead of going into the power saver after x amount of time? Some sort of PupTimer?

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#9 Post by sunburnt »

greengeek & sszindian; Like so many things in Puppy, it`s buried in Puppy`s API somewhere.
But if anyone can do it, puppyluvr can...

Looks like the files /usr/bin/pupx & /tmp/pupx_screen.sh hold the key to the screensaver setup.
.

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#10 Post by greengeek »

Just adding a link here for later reference:
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 537#414537

goingnuts
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#11 Post by goingnuts »

xautolock should be able to trigger whatever you like - based on time of inactivity.

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#12 Post by Flash »

I'm confused. Puppyluvr makes a reference to a .pet here and sszindian seems to know what he means, but I can't find a link to such a .pet in this thread. :?

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#13 Post by ally »


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#14 Post by SFR »

Yet another to collection. :wink:
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 444#678444

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#15 Post by greengeek »

Some nice suggestions being put forward.

I am using Upup 3992 and it seems to have different menu options for screensaver settings so I will have to try various options to see what works.

In the meantime I have been trying various xset parameters in an effort to understand how "display options" fit together and I would be keen for any pointers or tutorials that explain some of the following concepts:

1) xset can be used to 'blank' the screen - is this just turning the LCD to its darkest setting so that actual windows are merely hidden, or is it 'switching off' the x gui so that x is still running but not outputting to the video memory? (the backlight seems to still be on when I use xset blanking - it's just the LCD pixels that seem to be flipped to black)

2) xset can also control the 'dpms' settings (standby, off etc) - should this allow it to turn off the backlight or should I be looking elsewhere for a command that allows this? (if I want to turn off backlight to save power)

3) What actually happens when puppy runs a screensaver that displays images? Obviously the screen is not 'blanked' - but it seems that the xserver is no longer displaying the OS output of various windows (although the windows themselves are obviuosly still running) - is this controlled by X itself, or is some other 'thing' interrupting the normal X video output and routing the screensaver images to video memory instead of allowing the X output to go there?

Also - a lot of the information I am reading talks about using xset to 'turn on the screensaver' - but I think what they really mean is that it 'turns on screen blanking' - which is not what most people mean by 'screensaver'. Does xset have the ability to turn on an actual screensaver (changing images) or does it just handle the blanking? I also read that if a monitor does not allow blanking then xset can switch on a 'screen image mover' which shifts the desktop image in small increments so that each pixel is at least getting variation of output. I guess this is a crude form of a 'screensaver' but would a "true" screensaver (changing images) actually be running completely outside of the X server, and completely 'unknown' to the X server and outside of the xset parameters? (or does it have to integrate with the X server and xset parameters in order to do it's job??)

Sorry if this is confusing. I'm struggling for clarity...
:-)

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