CamPhoneTab - USB interface for cameras/phones/tablets

[rcrsn51]

Update: The underlying code for CamPhoneTab has been incorporated into woof, so I am withdrawing the project to avoid conflicts. It is still available in Fred's repo for various Dog/StarterKit projects. Read here.

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CamPhoneTab mounts and views the contents of digital cameras, phones and tablets over USB. There are two connection methods: treat the device as a camera using the old PTP protocol or use the new MTP protocol. If your device supports MTP, it is the preferred choice. MTP can do seamless file transfers in either direction. CamPhoneTab uses simple-mtpfs and the newest version of libmtp.

Look for CamPhoneTab in the Filesystem menu. CamPhoneTab does NOT do plug-and-play auto-detection. To make a convenient shortcut, go to /usr/share/applications and drag the CamPhoneTab file onto the desktop.

To avoid conflicts with pupcamera, the CamPhoneTab installer disables it. To restore pupcamera, look in the folder /etc/udev/rules.d/disable. Move the ".rules" file back to its original location. Or uninstall CamPhoneTab.

This project is extremely hardware-dependent. Please test and report. State your device, connection method and any problems. For example, my Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 needs about 20 seconds after it reaches its desktop before it becomes visible as an MTP device.

If you get a LIBMTP PANIC error, wait several seconds and press Connect again.

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Update: CamPhoneTab v1.4 has the additional jmtpfs mounting tool. There are reports that it may sometimes work better than simple-mtpfs. It is built against the latest version of libmtp and is backwards compatible with Lupu.

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Update: CamPhoneTab v1.5 introduces support for iPod/iPad/iPhone devices. It gives access to your photos on new models that are not handled by Pupcamera. Thank you to rockedge for his help with this. Unfortunately, we were unable to achieve full support of iTunes music via gtkpod.

1. Plug in your idevice and unlock its screen if necessary.
2. Run CamPhoneTab from the Filesystem menu.
3. From the Connection Mode list, select Idevice.
4. Click Connect.
5. The terminal window may show a message about verifying the connection as trusted. Do this on the idevice.
6. Click Connect again. Now you should get a "paired" message. Your idevice is mounted at /mnt/CamPhoneTab.
7. Leave the terminal window open.
8. Click View. This opens a ROX window into the device.
9. With any luck, you can browse the DCIM folder containing your photos. You can move files to and from your Puppy filesystem.
10. When done, click Disconnect and Quit.

This feature needs testing. Its performance will vary with the type of device and its generation. Please report your success or failure.

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[davids45]

G'day rcrsn51,

Quick test with CamPhoneTab in slacko-6.0.5 (32-bit, full) on a HP desktop connecting to a:
Bauhn tablet model wl-101GQC, android-4.1.2
Bauhn SphereB5 phone, android-4.2.2

No problems:
- quick connect indicated by pop-up terminal window, then
- hitting 'View' brought up the devices internal memory and their micro-SD cards' files.

Viewed some image files OK, but did not try any file transfers either way.

I no longer have a regularly used camera as the phone's camera is too convenient, as is its large memory via the 32GB micro-SD card.

I'll try your pet in a 64-bit Puppy where the 32-bit-libs sfs works for at least some of my many 32-bit programs.

If CamPhoneTab was a simple scripting exercise for you(?), what about a 64-bit version for the several 64-bit Pups under development, if not already in use? I assume this won't work as-is in a 64-bit Pup?

Thanks for this handy new .pet.

David S.

[Semme]

Excellent! You da'man big GUY!

Aboard 528 my Samsung Galaxy S4 (MTP) connected quick. "View" opened ROX and both device and card folders were instantly visible. File transfers to & fro without incident. Nice!

I didn't have gphotofs installed to test my camera.

I'll get back..

[slavvo67]

I started to get triangles across my desktop using Quirky Unicorn 6.2.1. I connected a Kyocera phone. I panicked and did a hard shutdown. QU recovered nicely but I chose to uninstall the pet, for now.

Computer Specs, below:

-Computer-
Processor : Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 2.20GHz
Memory : 1291MB (98MB used)
Machine Type : Physical machine
Operating System : Quirky Unicorn
User Name : root (root)
Date/Time : Wed 13 Jan 2016 09:31:08 PM GMT-8
-Display-
Resolution : 1024x768 pixels
OpenGL Renderer : Mesa DRI Intel(R) 845G x86/MMX/SSE2
X11 Vendor : The X.Org Foundation
-Audio Devices-
Audio Adapter : EMU10K1X - Dell Sound Blaster Live!
-Input Devices-
AT Translated Set 2 keyboard
Dynex 5-Button Wired Optical Mouse
Power Button
Power Button
PC Speaker
-Printers (CUPS)-
CUPS-PDF : <i>Default</i>
-SCSI Disks-
ATA IC35L060AVV207-0
PNY USB 3.0 FD

[davids45]

G'day again,

Installed the CamPhoneTab pet into my 64-bit slacko which already had the 32-bit libs loaded in.

CamPhoneTab (CPT) opened and ran as per 32-bit slacko.
I connected my Bauhn Sphere B5 phone and viewed some image and videos files off the phone's SD card.
I also test-transfered (copied) some photos from the SD card to my desktop.

Attached screen shot shows CPT windows plus the Rox windows during the file copying. And (via the weather widgets) that is now 40C outside - and I'm waiting for the southerly cool change to blow in later this afternoon/evening.

David S.

[Sylvander]

1. Got this to work with my wifes' Samsung Galaxy TAB2 10.1, running Android-4.2.2.
But...
I'll stick with the existing arrangement [gomtp-fs-20130628 & MTPconnect_0.9], because it auto displays the necessary as soon as the tablet is connected.

2. My wifes' Nokia smartphone running Windows-8.3 doesn't work with this.
Doesn't work with the alternative either.
Haven't come across anything in Puppy that works with this phone.

[davids45]

G'day rcrsn51,

In a 64-bit Pup (TahrPup64-6.0.4) without 32-bit libraries, I got the opening windows and connected my Android phone, but when I hit 'connect', the terminal window said it could not locate the simple-mtpfs binary (see attached screen shot).

As there is a file in /usr/bin/ called simple-mtpfs, I'm guessing it's a 32-bit/64-bit issue?

David S.

[rcrsn51]

@Everyone: Thanks for testing.

@Sylvander: I have posted a version [deleted] that is built with the 2015 release of libmtp. It is your best bet to work with your Windows phone. Click the small grey DOWNLOAD button on the LEFT.

@david: This package has 32bit binary components so it won't work in a 64-bit environment. But I have a 64-bit version that I will post shortly.

[Edit] The 64-bit version is [deleted]. Click the small grey DOWNLOAD button on the LEFT. This was only tested in Slacko64, so I don't know about Tahrpup64.

[Edit-Edit] It works with Tahrpup64.

Bill

[davids45]

G'day rcrsn51,

Installed your 64-bit version to my frugal tahrpup64-6.0.4 over the top of the 32-bit CPT version and found I could now connect to my Android phone and view files therefrom (see attached screen-shot).

Only minor concern (proving fruitless) was the same version number on the initial dialog box ("1.0" - see in screenshot) for both versions, when I saw your 64-bit version .pet had an extra couple of ".1".

And I see you've already found tahrpup64 is OK before I've finished this post (I'm getting distracted by the noise and darkness outside as the southerly arrives).

David S.

[Semme]

Aboard 528, my Nikon Coolpix S220 mounts and dismounts without issue.

File transfer from device to hard drive -- Seamless!

My gphotofs.. The 0.5 pkg provided by Tempestuous.

Browser dwnlds had trouble -- Use wget.

[Sylvander]

@Sylvander: I have posted here a version that is built with the 2015 release of libmtp. It is your best bet to work with your Windows phone.

DONE.
It works with BOTH...
1. Samsung Galaxy TAB2 10.1, running Android-4.2.2.

And...
2. Nokia Lumia 610, running Windows-8.3.
I'm surprised to see:
Only 1 folder displayed named "Pictures", with 4 sub-folders [1 empty] under that holding ONLY .jpg and .mp4 files.
No operating system folders or files.
Is this OK?
Why so?

3. I think I'll keep this new arrangement, since it works with the Nokia Lumia 610.

[rcrsn51]

It works with BOTH...
1. Samsung Galaxy TAB2 10.1, running Android-4.2.2.

I expect that all the modern Android devices should work fine.

And...
2. Nokia Lumia 610, running Windows-8.3.
I'm surprised to see:
Only 1 folder displayed named "Pictures", with 4 sub-folders [1 empty] under that holding ONLY .jpg and .mp4 files.
No operating system folders or files.
Is this OK?
Why so?

As opposed to the Android device, which shows more stuff? Here is my understanding of MTP. The host device decides what content it wants to expose. In the case of Windows phones, they may only show the content which would be accessed by a Windows computer.

BTW, this is how Android 4 is different. The old Androids exposed the entire unit as a USB Mass Storage device. Under MTP, there is more control over what gets exposed.

3. I think I'll keep this new arrangement, since it works with the Nokia Lumia 610.

Does it allow up/downloading? Or playing directly through a Puppy media player?

Thanks for testing. This is an important case.

Bill

[rcrsn51]

@Semme: Thanks for testing the Camera mode. I don't know where those "Loading camera drivers" messages come from. I was finally able to hide them in the newer Puppies I tried.

[Semme]

No probs Bill. It appears to be produced by /tmp/go.sh.

Code: Select all

echo Leave this window open ... use ROX Rescan if needed ...
echo
gphoto2 --quiet --auto-detect; gphotofs /mnt/CamPhoneTab &
read

[rcrsn51]

@Semme: Open /usr/sbin/CamPhoneTab in a text editor and go to line 21. Delete the "-geometry 60x10+10+10" option.

Run it again.

[Sylvander]

Does it allow up/downloading? Or playing directly through a Puppy media player?

Yes to both.
a. I copied 1 jpg file and 1 mp4 file [selected at random] to /mnt/home/00/00...
Then...
Using those copied files [right-clicked on the files displayed in Xfe, and chose the programs from the context menu = the "file-centric method"]...
b. Used Viewnior to view the jpg photo image...
And...
c. Used GNOME MPlayer to play the mp4 video.

d. Both were successful.
Then...
e. Successfully deleted the /mnt/home/00/00 folder together with the 2 files inside.

[Semme]

No good Bill, and I was careful with the edit.. That removal breaks the mount.

That dialog's no hardship anyway as it lets me know *when* the device is ready.

[rcrsn51]

@Sylvander: Just out of curiosity, how do you have your Xfe file manager set up? Did the MTP window open in ROX or do you have ROX linked so it opened in Xfe?

Can you manage the files on the MTP device directly from Xfe? ie. if you browsed to /mnt/CamPhoneTab.

[Sylvander]

@rcrsn51

1. "Did the MTP window open in ROX or do you have ROX linked so it opened in Xfe?"
a. When I run CamPhoneTab,..
I click the MTP radio button and then click "connect"...
An "sh" window opens saying:

Code: Select all

Leave this window open ... use ROX Rescan if needed ...

2016/01/14 18:14:53: Connected.

And...
b. No file explorer auto-runs.
Normally, I would manually run a chosen File Explorer...
Either ROX or Xfe, and then navigate to /mnt/CamPhoneTab...
But I now notice that I can click "View" in CamPhoneTab, and that will open a ROX window displaying /mnt/CamPhoneTab...
[I deliberately have ROX set as the default, not Xfe; there's a good reason which I have now forgotten]
However...
c. When I now do one of these...
The /mnt/CamPhoneTab folder is EMPTY!
I made sure the phone was plugged in and powered on prior to running CamPhoneTab.
d. It worked fine the 1st time, when...
d1. I booted into a session...
d2. Installed CamPhoneTab-1.1.10
d3. Connected the phone.
d4. Ran CamPhoneTab, clicked MTP, clicked Connect.
d5. Ran ROX and/or Xfe, navigated to /mnt/CamPhoneTab, and could see the "Pictures" folder, with its sub-folders, and could copy content from there to my internal HDD.

2. "Can you manage the files on the MTP device directly from Xfe?"
a. When it worked I could.
i.e. The 1st time I installed it.
I didn't save the session changes at the end of that [1st] session [to avoid saving other stuff I didn't want].
Instead, I rebooted without saving, and installed once again during the next [2nd] session, then SAVED the session changes, and closed down [this was the only change made during the session].
b. When I next booted [into the 3rd session = this one] I'm finding that the /mnt/CamPhoneTab folder is displaying NOTHING [empty].
Same [empty] in ALL = ROX, Xfe, and "View" in CamPhoneTab->[ROX].

3. I do remember, that...
There was a session [the 1st?] that FROZE after I installed CamPhoneTab, and I used Ctrl+Alt+backspace, then reboot.
Hence, no saved session changes.

4. Any ideas?

[Semme]

Correct! >> No file explorer auto-runs.

Correct! >> "View" opens the CamPhoneTab directory.

Doubtful >> "There was a session [the 1st?] that FROZE after I installed CamPhoneTab."

Though there was no activity light flashing from my box, I suspect the amount on data on your phone needed more time.

I experienced the same and let it play through to find it did eventually expose the phones directory structure.

==

You should be able to connect and disconnect (closes all related windows) by merely clicking the appropriate buttons.

Connect >> "View" and see files.

Disconnect >> "View" and see CamPhoneTab is now unmounted.

Are you running the updated build?

==

Bill, did you correct the apps version title-bar?