Chapter 9. GII Frequently Asked Questions

1. LibGII general topics
1.1. What is LibGII?
2. Installation questions
2.1. In which order do I need to install all that libs for a GGI system ?
2.2. How does one compile and install LibGII ?
2.3. What if autodetection of inputs fails somehow and compilation stops somewhere ?
2.4. I am not root here. Can I still install LibGII ?
3. Post-install configuration questions
3.1. My mouse does not work at all/properly
4. Using LibGII
4.1. Umm - I have installed it. What great apps can I run now ?
4.2. What's that environment variable stuff ? Why don't you have commandline switches ?
4.3. Why are the debugging vars called GGI_DEBUG[SYNC] ?
4.4. Why doesn't GII_INPUT work with the LibGGI programs I am running ?

1. LibGII general topics

1.1. What is LibGII?

See Chapter 8.

2. Installation questions

2.1. In which order do I need to install all that libs for a GGI system ?

Start with LibGII - the input handling layer.

LibGGI - the graphics layer - depends on it. Install it second.

After that order is usually not important, except for packages that depends on other packages. This would be documented in the respective README documents.

2.2. How does one compile and install LibGII ?

Reading INSTALL and INSTALL.autoconf should help.

2.3. What if autodetection of inputs fails somehow and compilation stops somewhere ?

Check if the input in which make fails should work on your system.

If yes, chances are, that you don't have some development package installed properly. If you can't figure out for yourself, please report to out mailing list metioned in the README.
If no, just disable it using the --disable flags to configure. You might still want to report that case to the mailinglist.

2.4. I am not root here. Can I still install LibGII ?

Yes. The GGI libs are usually relocatable. Just use --prefix. See INSTALL for details.

3. Post-install configuration questions

3.1. My mouse does not work at all/properly

Check that you have permissions to read the device /dev/mouse is linked to. PS/2 devices might need read/write access. Your mouse might be misconfigured due to earlier installs or an improperly configured SVGAlib. Please read doc/inputs.txt on how to do it right.

4. Using LibGII

4.1. Umm - I have installed it. What great apps can I run now ?

LibGII is rarely used on its own. Most applications will require you to install LibGGI (mind GGI vs. GII !) first. One useful application is delivered with LibGII, though: mhub. See its own manpage for usage information. If you don't know what it is talking about, chances are, that you won't need it.

4.2. What's that environment variable stuff ? Why don't you have commandline switches ?

Commandline switches require application cooperation. LibGII/GGI are intended to give the user full freedom. It allows to override stuff without the application having to care.

4.3. Why are the debugging vars called GGI_DEBUG[SYNC] ?

Convenience. LibGII is almost always coupled to LibGGI, especially when you need to debug stuff.

4.4. Why doesn't GII_INPUT work with the LibGGI programs I am running ?

GII_INPUT only influences giiOpen() calls with a NULL argument. LibGGI never does this. It determines the required inputlibs and calls LibGII with them in the argument. LibGGI has its own mechanism to add inputs. Have a look at its FAQ or documentation.