path: root/doc/gfxboot.xml

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<article>
  <articleinfo>
    <title>gfxboot reference</title>

    <abstract>
      <para>
        Creating bootloader graphics with gfxboot for syslinux/isolinux, lilo, and grub.
      </para>
    </abstract>
  </articleinfo>

  <sect1 id="overview">
    <title>Overview</title>

      <para>
        To make a graphical boot screen you'll have to write a small script. Optionally you
        might want font files, graphics files and sound files.
      </para><para>
        The script is written in a Postscript-like language.
        You must program everything related to graphics output in it. That does
        include e.g. drawing the background picture and in particular handling all kind
        of user input.
      </para><para>
        Font files have a special format. Create them using
        <link linkend="gfxboot-font"><command>gfxboot-font</command></link>.
        Maximum font file size is 512kB.
      </para><para>
        If you have written a script, convert it into byte code
        using <link linkend="gfxboot-compile"><command>gfxboot-compile</command></link>.
      </para><para>
        Debugging this script is rather tedious. For this, <command>gfxboot-compile -l</command>
        will give you debug information that is useful together with the <function>dtrace</function>
        command.
      </para>

  </sect1>

  <sect1 id="utilities">
    <title>Utilities</title>

    <para>
      Tools needed to build a boot graphics file.
    </para>

    <itemizedlist>
      <listitem>
        <para id="gfxboot-compile">gfxboot-compile</para>
        <para>
           Compile source into byte code. The result (together with any
           other files you might need) has to be put into a cpio archive. If
           you are using <command>isolinux</command> or
           <command>syslinux</command>, this is not required, as you can
           read files directly from the filesystem. The compiled byte code,
           however, always has to be put into the cpio archive.
           <example><title/><para><programlisting>
  # compile 'foo.ps' to 'foo', writing log to foo.log
  # Note: '-O' turns on the optimizer. You'll always want to do this.
  gfxboot-compile -O -v -l foo.log -c foo.ps foo

  # put it into a cpio archive
  # we'll assume you need a picture 'foo.jpg' and are using font 'foo.fnt'
  echo -e "foo\nfoo.jpg\nfoo.fnt" | cpio -o >bootlogo

  # 'bootlogo' is ready to use, e.g.
  # as 'gfxboot bootlogo' in isolinux.cfg
           </programlisting></para></example>
        </para>
      </listitem><listitem>
        <para id="gfxboot-font">gfxboot-font</para>
        <para>
           Build font file using the freetype rendering engine.
        </para>
      </listitem><listitem>
        <para id="help2txt">help2txt</para>
        <para>
          Convert html files into the internal online-help format.
        </para>
      </listitem>
    </itemizedlist>

  </sect1>

  <sect1 id="reference">
    <title>Reference</title>

  <para>
    Comments start with '%' and extend to the end of line.
  </para>

  <para>
    To include some other source file, do:
  </para>

  <programlisting>%% include file</programlisting>

  <para>
    Numbers are always 32 bit signed integer. Numerical and string constants
    are given in a C-like way (not as in Postscript).
  </para>

  <example><title/><para><programlisting>
    123, -456
    0x4567
    "Hi there\n"
    '\033', '\x1b', '\u20ac'
  </programlisting></para></example>

  <para>
    But: chars have values in the range 0 .. 0x1fffff.
  </para>

  <para>
    Strings are interpreted as utf8-sequences. Alternatively you can use
    '\uXXXX' or '\UXXXXXXXX' to include Unicode characters.
  </para>

  <example><title/><para><programlisting>
     "1 Euro = 1 €\n"
     "1 Euro = 1 \u20ac\n"
     "1 Euro = 1 \xe2\x82\xac\n"
   </programlisting></para></example>

  <para>
    Logical operations return values of type 'bool'. They are not identical
    with integers. There are no pre-defined constants 'true' and 'false'. But
    you can define them yourself if you need them, e.g.: <programlisting>/true 0 0 eq def</programlisting>
  </para>

  <para>
    Strings and arrays are effectively pointers. So duplicating them on the
    stack does duplicate the pointer, not the object.
  </para>

  <para>
    In addition, there is a unspecific pointer data type. You can use it to
    construct arbitrary memory references.
  </para>

  <para>
    Variable/constants/function names can consist of everything except
    whitespace.
  </para>

    <sect2>
      <title>Initialisation</title>

       <para>
          During initialization the config file in run. It must leave either an
          empty stack or a boolean 'true' value at the TOS (top of stack) to indicate
          the boot loader that everything worked fine. Otherwise the boot loader will
          assume that some error occured and not continue in graphics mode.
        </para>

        <para>
          If you want to handle input (as you probably do) you must define at least
          the callback function <link linkend="cb_KeyEvent">KeyEvent</link>.
       </para>

    </sect2>

    <sect2>
      <title>Callbacks</title>

      <para>
         Communication with the boot loader is done via callback functions. You are
         responsible to assign useful actions to them.
         See config file examples for more documentation.
      </para>

      <itemizedlist>

        <listitem><para><function id="cb_KeyEvent">KeyEvent</function></para>
        <para>
          Called if a key is pressed.
        </para>
        </listitem>

        <listitem><para><function>MenuInit</function></para>
        <para>
          Should draw boot menu.
        </para>
        </listitem>

        <listitem><para><function>InfoBoxInit</function></para>
        <para>
          Show message box (e.g. error messages).
        </para>
        </listitem>

        <listitem><para><function>InfoBoxDone</function></para>
        <para>
          Hide message box.
        </para>
        </listitem>

        <listitem><para><function>ProgressInit</function></para>
        <para>
          Initialize kernel load progress bar (syslinux/isolinux only).
        </para>
        </listitem>

        <listitem><para><function>ProgressDone</function></para>
        <para>
           Hide progress bar.
        </para>
        </listitem>

        <listitem><para><function>ProgressUpdate</function></para>
        <para>
           Advance progress bar.
        </para>
        </listitem>

        <listitem><para><function>PasswordInit</function></para>
        <para>
           Show password dialog.
        </para>
        </listitem>

        <listitem><para><function>PasswordDone</function></para>
        <para>
           Hide password dialog.
        </para>
        </listitem>

        <listitem><para><function>Timeout</function></para>
        <para>
           Timeout counter; called every 18.3th second until timeout occurs.
        </para>
        </listitem>

        <listitem><para><function>Timer</function></para>
        <para>
           Called every 18.3th second regardless of timeout.
        </para>
        </listitem>

      </itemizedlist>
    </sect2>

    <sect2>
      <title>Primary words</title>
    &reference.xml;
    </sect2>

  </sect1>

</article>