config file

config file

[Yoshinori K. Okuji]

I'd like to raise an issue about the config file.

In GRUB Legacy, the structure of menu.lst is ugly, because it has a 
strange state when interpretting it. The semantics is that commands are 
executed until the first "title" is encounterred. Afterwards, commands 
are only "remembered" as boot entries. I think it would be more 
straightforward if commands are always executed.

I'd like to redesign it in GRUB 2. One example is to write a boot entry 
like this:

entry "GNU/Hurd" {
  root=(hd0,0)
  multiboot /boot/gnumach
  module /boot/serverboot
  ...
}

This idea is to make a boot entry a kind of shell function.

What do you think?

Okuji

Re: config file

[Serbinenko Vladimir]

Yoshinori K. Okuji wrote:

>entry "GNU/Hurd" {
>  root=(hd0,0)
>  multiboot /boot/gnumach
>  module /boot/serverboot
>  ...
>}
>
>This idea is to make a boot entry a kind of shell function.
>
>What do you think?
>
>
>  
>
I would like to integrate this with function handling in my scripting 
engine and use the syntax like
register_menu_entry <name> { list; }
unregister_menu_entry <name>
and
clear_menu_entries
Let me please realise it as now I'm writing scripting and there is 
nearly no difference between functions and menu entries

Re: config file

[Vincent Pelletier]

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Serbinenko Vladimir wrote:
| Let me please realise it as now I'm writing scripting and there is
| nearly no difference between functions and menu entries

Maybe menu entries could be "exported functions", like entry points in
modules, which could call "private" entries which would automate some
tasks and could be shared among entries.

Vincent Pelletier
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Re: config file

[Marco Gerards]

"Yoshinori K. Okuji" <okuji@enbug.org> writes:

> In GRUB Legacy, the structure of menu.lst is ugly, because it has a 
> strange state when interpretting it. The semantics is that commands are 
> executed until the first "title" is encounterred. Afterwards, commands 
> are only "remembered" as boot entries. I think it would be more 
> straightforward if commands are always executed.
>
> I'd like to redesign it in GRUB 2. One example is to write a boot entry 
> like this:
>
> entry "GNU/Hurd" {
>   root=(hd0,0)
>   multiboot /boot/gnumach
>   module /boot/serverboot
>   ...
> }
>
> This idea is to make a boot entry a kind of shell function.

It looks nice to me.  How you you want to add the commands that should
be run before the menu is shown?  Just the same as it is for GRUB
Legacy?

Thanks,
Marco

Re: config file

[Yoshinori K. Okuji]

On Sunday 23 January 2005 16:13, Marco Gerards wrote:
> It looks nice to me.  How you you want to add the commands that
> should be run before the menu is shown?  Just the same as it is for
> GRUB Legacy?

They can be put in anywhere:

timeout=10

entry "foo" {
  ...
}

splashimage (hd0,0)/boot/image.png

entry "bar" {
  ...
}

This looks ugly, though.

Okuji

Re: config file

[Vincent Pelletier]

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Yoshinori K. Okuji wrote:
| This looks ugly, though.

What about a special block ?

entry "foo" {
~  ...
}

init {
~  timeout=10
~  splashimage (hd0,0)/boot/image.png
}

entry "bar" {
~  ...
}

Vincent Pelletier
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Re: config file

[Serbinenko Vladimir]

Vincent Pelletier wrote:

>
> What about a special block ?
>
> entry "foo" {
> ~  ...
> }
>
> init {
> ~  timeout=10
> ~  splashimage (hd0,0)/boot/image.png
> }
>
>
>
Bad idea. Because in syntax proposed by Yoshinori K. Okuji configuration 
file is parsed the same way as you would enter the same commands from 
shell that is our goal

menu variable

[Serbinenko Vladimir]

I have already written function and menu entries parsing an found out 
that passing menu as a parameter was a bad idea. Some examples: if I 
call other script from config file with source command it can't add menu 
entries anymore as command_script as any grub command doesn't receive 
menu as a parameter. Yes I can make separate handling of source command 
but I think it's ugly.
Can I declare menu variable as global one?

Re: menu variable

[Yoshinori K. Okuji]

On Saturday 29 January 2005 11:44, Serbinenko Vladimir wrote:
> Can I declare menu variable as global one?

No problem.

Okuji

Re: menu variable

[Yoshinori K. Okuji]

On Saturday 29 January 2005 14:37, Yoshinori K. Okuji wrote:
> On Saturday 29 January 2005 11:44, Serbinenko Vladimir wrote:
> > Can I declare menu variable as global one?
>
> No problem.

BTW, even if you make it global, please use a local variable or a 
function argument whenever possible. This makes the code modular.

Okuji

Re: config file

[chaac]

Yoshinori K. Okuji wrote:
> I'd like to redesign it in GRUB 2. One example is to write a boot entry 
> like this:
> 
> entry "GNU/Hurd" {
>   root=(hd0,0)
>   multiboot /boot/gnumach
>   module /boot/serverboot
>   ...
> }
> 
> This idea is to make a boot entry a kind of shell function.
> 
> What do you think?

I think it is good. Here is my idea how configuration files could be 
used to define menus:

splashimage (hd0,0)/boot/mainmenu.png

entry "Entry in main menu" {
...
}

entry "Load another config and execute it" {
	loadconfig (hd0,0)/boot/custom-config
}

menu "Linux kernels" {
	splashimage (hd0,0)/boot/linuxmenu.png

	entry "2.4 series" {
	...
	}
	entry "2.6 series" {
	...
	}

	menu "Network boot kernels" {
	...
	}
}

menu "Other devices" {
	splashimage (hd0,0)/boot/devicemenu.png

	entry "Boot from Floppy" {
	...
	}
	entry "Boot from CD/DVD" {
	...
	}

	menuback "Back to mainmenu"
}

When someone enters to menu item it will execute commands specified 
there. Like loading a new splashimage or constructing new menu.

btw. is anyone working with that VESA support? :)... Last time there 
were couple of people that stated that they would work on it so as I had 
limited time then I didn't start.

I might be interested working on other GFX topics too.

Thanks,
Vesa Jääskeläinen

Re: config file

[Vincent Pelletier]

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chaac wrote:
|     menuback "Back to mainmenu"

Maybe that could be handled automaticaly (on each menu, add an entry to
go to the previous menu level) as we have a "nested" arg in menu
functions to know wether we are on root level or not.

Vincent Pelletier
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Re: config file

[Marco Gerards]

Vincent Pelletier <subdino2004@yahoo.fr> writes:

> chaac wrote:
> |     menuback "Back to mainmenu"
>
> Maybe that could be handled automaticaly (on each menu, add an entry to
> go to the previous menu level) as we have a "nested" arg in menu
> functions to know wether we are on root level or not.

On GRUB Legacy I just used configfile to get nested menus.

--
Marco

Re: config file

[Yoshinori K. Okuji]

On Sunday 23 January 2005 17:55, Vincent Pelletier wrote:
> Maybe that could be handled automaticaly (on each menu, add an entry
> to go to the previous menu level) as we have a "nested" arg in menu
> functions to know wether we are on root level or not.

However, I don't think you use it, because pressing ESC is easier.

Okuji

Re: config file

[Marco Gerards]

chaac <chaac@nic.fi> writes:

> btw. is anyone working with that VESA support? :)... Last time there
> were couple of people that stated that they would work on it so as I
> had limited time then I didn't start.

I planned working on it, but feel free to work on it.  Please tell me
if you do so.

> I might be interested working on other GFX topics too.

What do you have in mind?

Thanks,
Marco

Re: config file

[chaac]

Marco Gerards wrote:
> chaac <chaac@nic.fi> writes:
> 
>>btw. is anyone working with that VESA support? :)... Last time there
>>were couple of people that stated that they would work on it so as I
>>had limited time then I didn't start.
> 
> I planned working on it, but feel free to work on it.  Please tell me
> if you do so.
> 
>>I might be interested working on other GFX topics too.
> 
> What do you have in mind?

I haven't checked recently a code base, but better Unicode font support 
would be a nice idea. Maybe to add some kind of eye candy when 
processing or waiting something. If you look at SuSE's modified version 
of GRUB-legacy there are some animations on it and some menus to select 
language and help. In help there are some sub help pages with selectable 
links.

Thanks,
Vesa Jääskeläinen

Re: config file

[Marco Gerards]

chaac <chaac@nic.fi> writes:

>>>I might be interested working on other GFX topics too.
>> What do you have in mind?
>
> I haven't checked recently a code base, but better Unicode font
> support would be a nice idea. Maybe to add some kind of eye candy when
> processing or waiting something. If you look at SuSE's modified
> version of GRUB-legacy there are some animations on it and some menus
> to select language and help. In help there are some sub help pages
> with selectable links.

Such things will be neat, of course.  There is font support in GRUB 2,
I think it is unicode capable already, you could have a look at it.

Thanks,
Marco

Re: config file

[Nico -telmich- Schottelius]

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Yoshinori K. Okuji [Sun, Jan 23, 2005 at 03:28:59PM +0100]:
> [...]
> I'd like to redesign it in GRUB 2. One example is to write a boot entry 
> like this:
> 
> entry "GNU/Hurd" {
>   root=(hd0,0)
>   multiboot /boot/gnumach
>   module /boot/serverboot
>   ...
> }

Why re-invent the wheel?
I would propose the ini-samba-style:

----------------------------------------------------------------------

[global]

   timeout = 10
   hd0 = /dev/hda

[Linux 2.6]
   root = 
   kernel = (hd0)/usr/src/linux/vmlinuz
   kernel_args = root=/dev/hda12
   password = my-sha1-hash

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Nico

-- 
Keep it simple & stupid, use what's available.
Please use pgp encryption: 8D0E 27A4 is my id.
http://nico.schotteli.us | http://linux.schottelius.org

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Re: config file

[Yoshinori K. Okuji]

On Friday 04 February 2005 09:23, Nico -telmich- Schottelius wrote:
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>-
>
> [global]
>
>    timeout = 10
>    hd0 = /dev/hda
>
> [Linux 2.6]
>    root =
>    kernel = (hd0)/usr/src/linux/vmlinuz
>    kernel_args = root=/dev/hda12
>    password = my-sha1-hash
>

Quite incompatible against the shell syntax.

Okuji