Command line Image viewer?

[RaspiPaspi]

Hi,

I'm new to Linux but I've tried to get-apt some of the available command line image viewers.

The only one that compiled and installed was one called gqview, but it says it can't open a display.

Is there any way to view images in the command line on Rasberry debian?

I would like, for now, for the raspBerry to boot and display a slideshow of animated gifs.

[Licaon_Kter]

1: sudo apt-get install links2
2: links2 -g <picture.jpg> ?

also, FYI, apt-get just downloads the binary pre-compiled packages, you are not compiling anything on you Pi with it.

[paulk]

Also don't forget you still need to run up X to display any graphics. Although you don't need a display manager.

I use "pqiv" to display slide shows of images within a directory, it's pretty simple

To start your slide show when you type "startx" something like this in .xinitrc in your home directory:

#!/bin/bash
exec /usr/bin/pqiv -<bunch of options> <directory or list of files>
#exec startlxde
#exec xinit xbmc-standalone

[RaspiPaspi]

I downloaded and tried to 'make' something called 'image magic'. It didn't work

Links2 doesn't seem to work either. If I run it from the command line it says: Initialization error! Cannon open /dev/mem. Error opening /dev/lty0

Although it does run when I just start 'links2', doesn't show images though just dumps them on the screen as ascii.

[RaspiPaspi]

Ah, I see.

Both links2 and gqview work from command line if x is running. That's incredibly slow though and neither displays animated gif images.

And Paul, you say you can startx without actually starting the desktop?

[RaTTuS]

/me wonders if omxplayer does stills ?

[jojopi]

I downloaded and tried to 'make' something called 'image magic'. It didn't work

"sudo apt-get install imagemagick" should work. It is a collection of tools for command-line manipulation of images, however. And the "display" program that comes with it requires X.

"sudo apt-get install fbi" will give you an image viewer that works on the framebuffer console.

[paulk]

Yes you can start any random X program, without a window manager, you just don't get any "chrome", (close buttons, windows etc.) it runs full screen.

Look in .xinitrc in your home directory, it's the first file startx looks for when run from the command prompt. It may be running startlxde (if you have that installed).

The example I gave can be used, you just need to modify it to whatever image viewer you use, with command switches etc.

When the program exits, so will X.

[RaspiPaspi]

Thanks for all your suggestions, great stuff. Appreciate it!

I tried fbi, this would be great... if it supported animated gif.

I installed ristretto. It works in X, plays animated gifs but doesn't remove the mouse pointer in full screen mode.

PQIV has some great options, it just never shows an image for me. For example running "PQIV -f image.jpg" does nothing. Just dumps the help.

Thanks Paul, when I find an image viewer in x that does what I'm looking for I will follow your instructions. I don't see a file called ".xinitrc" in my home folder though. Is it possible I don't have one yet or that it's hidden?

[mdewey]

Thanks for all your suggestions, great stuff. Appreciate it!

I tried fbi, this would be great... if it supported animated gif.

I installed ristretto. It works in X, plays animated gifs but doesn't remove the mouse pointer in full screen mode.

PQIV has some great options, it just never shows an image for me. For example running "PQIV -f image.jpg" does nothing. Just dumps the help.

Thanks Paul, when I find an image viewer in x that does what I'm looking for I will follow your instructions. I don't see a file called ".xinitrc" in my home folder though. Is it possible I don't have one yet or that it's hidden?

You need to do ls -a to see files which start with a .
Apologies if you already knew that.

Michael

[Licaon_Kter]

don't compile programs, just install them with sudo apt-get <program name>
links2 -g works as a web browser WITHOUT the X server, and yes it displays pictures

run sudo raspi-config -> choose Start mode -> Graphical and don't mess with .xinitrc

[paulk]

It's entirely possible .xinitrc doesn't exist, it's not needed if you have a display manager, that start X on boot. It's just a bash script, the following example will start lxde if that is what you want:

Code: Select all

#!/bin/bash
exec startlxde

this will run pqiv as you described above (assuming it works!!)

Code: Select all

#!/bin/bash
exec /usr/bin/pqiv -f image.jpg

Not sure why pqiv doesn't work for you (as printed the command won't work, pqiv needs to be lower case). The fact that it's dumping the help indicates it doesn't understand the options being given to it. I'm assuming you have X running? You installed using apt-get?

Could you post the output of that command here?

[RaspiPaspi]

pqiv -f image.jpg

says : "usage pqiv [options] <files or folders>" and then it just dumps the help.

Maybe it can't find the image file but it's right there in the folder and it displays fine if I type "ristretto image.jpg".

Of course i am interested in playing back animated gifs full screen without clutter. That's why I wanted to do it from the console at first. Ristretto seems to full the display with clutter and buttons so it is not what I am looking for but it shows that the file is there and it can be displayed. Weird that pqiv does nothing but dump the help.

[RaspiPaspi]

And what part of:

"
#!/bin/bash
exec startlxde
"

do I type in to the console?

Or do I need to put that in this x init file? And what does it do? Start x but without the display (the icons and so on?).

[j3r]

I am also trying to get a light slideshow set up, pqiv looks awesome, but it just dumps the help file whenever it is invoked. I have no clue what could be wrong, I am in the dir with my images, I used

/usr/bin/pqiv 46.jpg

and I get

usage: pqiv [options] <files or folders>

It has to be a bug.

[mebepi]

If you are in the folder where the image is the right syntax is:

Code: Select all

/usr/bin/pqiv ./46.jpg

The ./ before the filename states that it has to look for the file in the current directory.
Or try to specify the full path to the file.

Give it a try.

[RaspiPaspi]

@ mebepi that doesn't work either, pqiv just dumps the help.

Pretty bizarre.

[paulk]

How did you install pqiv?

Link for background on .xinitrc

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc

[j3r]

I tried pretty much everything with pqiv. Giving it a directory, giving it a *.jpg, a full path, whatever. I installed it with apt-get. I am a long-time linux user and I am pretty sure a ./ is assumed when giving just a filename, but even if not a full path like /home/pi/Wallpapers/46.jpg also just dumps the help file. What I am not sure of is whose package this is, who do I file a bug with?

[paulk]

I've tracked down what's happening with pqiv, for some reason on armhf/raspbian, it's mis-counting the number of options on the command line and and in the last loop through the getopts/case statement it has no argument, triggers the help and exits!

If someone wants to recompile the package (I don't have a pi I'm doing this on a 'true' armhf debian system), I can probably give them a quick and dirty patch.

[j3r]

I can do this, I just compiled from source and the error still persists. I have no c knowledge though, so if you can come up with a patch I will compile and test it.

[j3r]

I still want to get pqiv working, but in case anyone is looking for a simple way to make a slideshow/view images - try out fbi (sudo apt-get install fbi) (there is also fim but I have yet to test this) - it displays images direct to the framebuffer and therefore does not need X running. It is quite simple, no effects really, but it works well and uses very little resources.

[paulk]

looking slightly more complex, so this might not work, worth a try though:

in pqiv.c find the bit that looks like

Code: Select all

                        case 'h':
                        default:
                               helpMessage(0);

change to

Code: Select all

                        case 'h':
                       /* default: */
                               helpMessage(0);

(basically comment out the default argument).This should stop the help message triggering, and force the program to run.

You can do all this from within the pqiv directory, just make (or make debug /make vdebug for more messages) and run from there.

Something weird is happening, compiling the same code on x86 works fine, even with the miscounted arguments. The code isn't that low-level, so I don't think it's doing anything that *should* be architecture specific, but like you I am right at the edge of my C knowledge. Fun-times!

I wish I had a regular debian arm file-system to try this on, to rule out the hf aspect. If anyone has an SD card with a regular debian on it's probably worth installing pqiv on that and trying it.

[j3r]

looking slightly more complex, so this might not work, worth a try though:

With that line commented out pqiv just hangs using all available CPU. Quite strange.

[nadir]

"sudo apt-get install fbi" will give you an image viewer that works on the framebuffer console.

I couldn't figure out how to enable framebuffer. Is there a how-to somewhere?