Is Screenlight working in AntiX 19, 32bit?

[Member HJ]

I was trying to lighten the screen, but even with it set at 99, if anything it made it darker when applied??? Actually any settings seem to make it darker. Only way to make it lighter again (like it originally was) was to delete both settings and apply. So either it isnt working or I am not doing something correctly. And what is the default? When I first open both settings are empty.

[Member Xecure]

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Hi.

I am not sure if you are referring to screen brightness. If so, use the application “Backlight Brightness”
Applications > Preferences > Backlight Brightness
Use the arrow keys to increase or decrease brightness.
I learnt in a video by dolphin_oracle that on some devices the values are applied in reverse. That means decreasing the bar length increases brightness and the other way around.

Let us know if this worked or if I am confused about what you want to achieve.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by Xecure. Reason: Correcting words

antiX Live system enthusiast.
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[Forum Admin SamK]

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HJ wrote:

And what is the default? When I first open both settings are empty.

Empty files are correct. Screenlight does not provide default settings as they would be different for every system. The surest way to return to the defaults for your system is to delete the values, save the file and reboot.

HJ wrote:

I was trying to lighten the screen, but even with it set at 99, if anything it made it darker when applied???

What is the name of the text editor that automatically opens to edit the Streamlight conf files?

It should be the preferred text editor that is shown in Control Centre→Preferred Applications

If it is geany.desktop, change it to leafpad.desktop and press the OK button in the Set Default Application window to save the change.

If Screenlight is running, close it then open it again. Try changing and saving the Screenlight values. Does the screen change when you save the changes?

[Member HJ]

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I dont know if it requires a reboot to get Leafpad to be used as default, but after changing default to Leafpad, Screenlight still used Geany. So instead of rebooting, closed Screenlight and using ROX to get to Screenlight configuration day file, opened it with Leafpad. Set it to 99 and it still got darker when I saved the file.

I was trying to avoid setting things via xrandr in terminal, but that maybe easier. I assume Screenlight is gui frontend for xrandr… Again I understand this is a beta, probably been better to have downloaded the standard stable version. But the beta had couple features that sounded interesting.

[Member HJ]

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Xecure wrote:

Hi.

I am not sure if you are referring to screen brightness. If so, use the application “Backlight Brightness”
Applications > Preferences > Backlight Brightness
Use the arrow keys to increase or decrease brightness.
I learnt in a video by dolphin_oracle that on some devices the values are applied in reverse. That means decreasing the bar length increases brightness and the other way around.

Let us know if this worked or if I am confused about what you want to achieve.

I am using the beta AntiX19 and it uses Screenlight rather than Backlight Brightness. Backlight Brightness is still in menu but you click on it and get error that “controller not found”. If Backlight Brightness is like used in Lubuntu, then not sure Screenlight was an improvement. Assume maybe change was to use less resources? Honestly using arrow keys to increase/decrease brightness easier than guessing number settings.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by HJ.

[Member HJ]

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Painful to try and do this in terminal via xrandr. BUT, found script somebody came up with on this post: https://askubuntu.com/questions/1150339/increment-brightness-by-value-using-xrandr

Created it, made executable and cd to the file and then “./bright Up” or “./bright Down” and it works. This is simple and it works!!! You need to know xrandr name for your monitor (my monitor is VGA-1) and you can set increment to whatever you want.

There is a gui front end for xrandr called arandr, and I tried installing it, but guess what, its already installed, but AntiX doesnt have some files to use its built in display, I assume this is what Screenlight is trying to substitute for without those extra files.

Honest I like that script posted in link above. Its a way to make brightness adjustible EASILY from commandline. And since there are no values to enter, you could just make couple shortcut scripts on desktop, one for brightness up and other for brightness down. Then wouldnt have to use a terminal.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by HJ.
• This reply was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by HJ.

[Forum Admin SamK]

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Online FAQ
http://download.tuxfamily.org/antix/docs-antiX-17/FAQ/screenlight.html

HJ wrote:

…using ROX to get to Screenlight configuration day file, opened it with Leafpad.

Doing this guarantees Screenlight will not work correctly. The results you obtained are invalid.

For Screenlight to work as designed, the conf files must be opened via the Screenlight Menu and edited with the text editor which automatically opens.

antiX-19b1 ships with a different default text editor than antiX-17.4. I can recreate the symptoms you describe and suspect the problem is related to the new default text editor, geany.

It is imperative the preferred text editor is changed in the following test steps before Screenlight tests are undertaken.

Can you, or anyone else, test by conducting the following steps?
Note: The steps are overly simplified to help the OP avoid the difficulty with briefer guidance.

1. Close Screenlight to ensure it is not running

2. Delete ~/.config/Screenlight
This removes the folder and conf files. They will be recreated when Screenlight next starts.

3. Control Centre→Preferred Applications

4. In the Set Default Applications Window:
Change the text editor to leafpad.desktop
Press the OK button to save the change

5. Applications→Preferences→Screenlight
This opens the Screenlight menu and creates empty conf files

6. In the Screenlight window:
Select Change and apply the Day values
Press the OK button to open the configuration file in the text editor

7. In the text editor window
Help→About
This should confirm you are using Leafpad. If not repeat steps 1-7 inclusive.

8. Press the Close button in the About Leafpad window

9. In the text editor window
Input this value BRIGHTNESS_DAY=50
File→Save
The screen brightness should change automatically

10. Repeat step 9 using a different value, say 75
The screen brightness should change again

11. Enter a value for CONTRAST_DAY
File→Save
The screen contast should change

12. Close the text editor window and the Screenlight window

[Member HJ]

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I tried it again, this time Leafpad stayed as default. But when I entered settings and saved, nothing, no change. Hey at least it didnt get darker when I inputted 99! It just didnt do anything. Oh it does throw up error when I put first digit, then cancel that, then lets me enter second digit. Then error popup again when I click apply.

I still dont like the numbers guessing game, using a configuration file for this doesnt seem very newbie friendly. I prefer either the arrow thing mentioned for “Backlight Brightness” or else that script I found. Course this isnt something one changes very often, most likely only if you change monitors.

I might ask when does changing configuration file manually make it invalid? Way I have always changed most configuration files when the “automated” way fails. Course some exceptions, last version wvdial is really picky, you have to create it with wvdialconf and then you every so gently manually change contents, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt. The old days when I actually used dialup, you could create or copy and paste a wvdial configuration file out of whole cloth in a text editor without all the tiptoeing. Not sure why they changed that.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by HJ.

[Forum Admin SamK]

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HJ wrote:

I tried it again, this time Leafpad stayed as default. But when I entered settings and saved, nothing, no change.
…
Oh it does throw up error when I put first digit, then cancel that, then lets me enter second digit. Then error popup again when I click apply.

I cannot reproduce any of this behaviour. Here Screenlight works as expected when geany is not the preferred text editor.

The error when you put in the first digit seems extremely unlikely. At that time you are simply editing a text file with a text editor. Typing a character (number) then backspacing over it or deleting it producing an error message is far from normal behaviour. It would make editing any text file with any text editor impossible. Additionally, where and why are you clicking Apply? It is not part of the tests I indicated and is only used to open the conf file in the text editor. Taken overall the behaviour you report strongly suggests the symptoms are local to your system.

Perhaps if someone else follows the test procedure I posted in #23854 and reports the results we will have more to go on.

HJ wrote:

I still dont like the numbers guessing game, using a configuration file for this doesnt seem very newbie friendly. I prefer either the arrow thing mentioned for “Backlight Brightness” or else that script I found.

It is not a guessing game. When you save the conf file the screen presentation changes immediately. This allows you to leave the conf file open in the text editor window and enter another value to fine tune your setting. That procedure works for each of the 3 different types of settings Screenlight enables you to control, brightness, contrast, and colour balance. Backlight-brightness controls only the brightness level. Have a look at the FAQ http://download.tuxfamily.org/antix/docs-antiX-17/FAQ/screenlight.html

[Member HJ]

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Are you using 32bit version? Though not sure why that would make a difference. Just trying to think of why your system is showing different results. I suppose I can take and post screen shots if you dont believe me or if you think that would help. But honestly no reason for me to lie to you about it. And if I am getting wonky results, can bet there will be others.

Hey not my first rodeo with trying beta stuff. And yea for first experience with AntiX should probably downloaded stable release. But you notice it didnt scare me off. More seeing whats out there, not a newbie looking for first linux experience. Everything has its quirks. Different people can get different results on their particular install. Thats why its in beta. For this kind of thing to become cleared up before final release.

And we will have to agree to disagree on the guessing game part of it. Since there is no starting point, just blank, if I guess too dark or too light, then perhaps I can no longer read the screen to make changes. Course at that point suppose I can reboot and it should go back to default empty setting if setting hasnt been applied? Just doesnt seem most straightforward way to do it compared to slowly adjusting it one way or other on the fly.

[Anonymous]

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I might ask when does changing configuration file manually make it invalid?

perhaps not applicable to the current situation, but a frequently-seen example of “when”:

When a configuration file, owned by current user, is edited AsRoot… upon saving, due to its altered file permissions, it becomes inaccessable to, unreadable by, any user-owned processes.

[Member HJ]

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This error pops up with first digit entered.

[Member Xecure]

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SamK wrote:

1. Close Screenlight to ensure it is not running

2. Delete ~/.config/Screenlight
This removes the folder and conf files. They will be recreated when Screenlight next starts.

3. Control Centre→Preferred Applications

4. In the Set Default Applications Window:
Change the text editor to leafpad.desktop
Press the OK button to save the change

5. Applications→Preferences→Screenlight
This opens the Screenlight menu and creates empty conf files

6. In the Screenlight window:
Select Change and apply the Day values
Press the OK button to open the configuration file in the text editor

7. In the text editor window
Help→About
This should confirm you are using Leafpad. If not repeat steps 1-7 inclusive.

8. Press the Close button in the About Leafpad window

9. In the text editor window
Input this value BRIGHTNESS_DAY=50
File→Save
The screen brightness should change automatically

10. Repeat step 9 using a different value, say 75
The screen brightness should change again

11. Enter a value for CONTRAST_DAY
File→Save
The screen contast should change

12. Close the text editor window and the Screenlight window

Experience on my laptop (antiX 19b1 64 bits live USB environment, toram, no persistance)
Leafpad:
I open up the program (Screenlight menu). Then hit the “Change and apply the day values” (OK). If I don’t have any screenlight folder in ~/.conf, I first get this error:

Day values have not been specified. Either or both values must be set.

Exiting…
 (Cancel)

Edit: HJ just provided the screenshot. that is what I get.
I hit Cancel. I then proceed to write the first digit of the Brightness value, and the error pops up again. I hit cancel again and the error doesn’t pop up anymore.
Saving (via File > Save or Control+S): every time I save, the changes take place. I change the number again and save, the changes take place. I also change Contrast, and get the same results (saving changes the screen contrast).
Editing separately the screenlight-day.conf file (Screenlight menu closed), saving, then launching Screenlight menu again and selecting “Apply the currently configured day values”, and clicking OK makes the changes take effect.

Geany:
When hiting “Change and apply day values” (OK), geany opens and no errors pop up.
Saving (via File > Save or Control+S): adding a valid Brightness value and saving (first save), makes the change take effect. Changing again the value and saving the file does nothing.
When exiting Geany, the Screenlight menu comes up again. I hit “Apply the currently configured day values” (OK) will apply the changes I had written on the file with geany.
Again, editing outside of Screenlight menu with geany, saving and exiting geany, launching Screenlight menu and then applying changes (“Apply the currently configured day values”) yields the desired results.

So, the only different experience with geany is that consecutive changes don’t take effect, while with leafpad they do.

I must also say that Backlight Brightness was also working for me, so maybe it is related to the hardware. I will test on my on-desk computer. I will be back in a while with the results.

I would also like to try with the 32 bit version on the same hardware to check if I have HJ’s same problem. But first I will report with the desktop computer.

EDIT2: Returned.
Sorry for the delay. I always have trouble booting from the desktop computer. It is the only device that, after selecting to boot, it peeps and everyhting freezes. Anyway.

Experience from desktop computer (live-USB, 64bit no persistance).
Backlight Brightness: Doesn’t work. I get this error:
‘no controller found’
It is to be expected, as it is a desktop and I can only change the brightness with the monitor buttons.
Leafpad: Almost the same behaviour as HJ.
Any changes to brightness and contrast that are then saved don’t take effect. Applying changes with Screenlight menu doesn’t take effect.

Geany: The same as leafpad.

Perliminary conclusion: HJ’s problem is related to a missing controller for the screen brightness. If this isn’t a virtual machine (but installed), and changing brightness worked with a different distro, figuring out what the controller for the screen was and installing it could help with the problem.

EDIT3: Wait a moment. I have 2 monitors connected to my desktop computer! Maybe I cannot change the brightness because the Screenlight app can not handdle two monitors!
I will try again with only one monitor and publish in a new reply.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by Xecure. Reason: I just saw HJ's screenshot
• This reply was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by Xecure. Reason: Just returned from desktop
• This reply was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by Xecure.

antiX Live system enthusiast.
General Live Boot Parameters for antiX.

[Member HJ]

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Anonymous wrote:

I might ask when does changing configuration file manually make it invalid?

perhaps not applicable to the current situation, but a frequently-seen example of “when”:

When a configuration file, owned by current user, is edited AsRoot… upon saving, due to its altered file permissions, it becomes inaccessable to, unreadable by, any user-owned processes.

Permissions stuff can be nightmare. I got lazy using Puppy all these years as it runs in root by default. I have been playing with Lubuntu 19.04 and wow, talk about the ultimate “Mother, May I?” distribution. I finally got it calmed down giving default user root abilities, so now sometimes still have to sudo, but only rarely enter password. I mean I get it, on a shared computer heirachy permissions necessary, but on a personal computer nobody else has physical access, its a PITA. Course I am sure the Ubuntu family is aimed more at those that rarely open a terminal, but whatever. Now that they have eliminated 32bit support in future versions, never download a newer version in future.

Might mention on AntiX19, I have to start gnome-ppp from root terminal to run it. If run from menu, it will connect and you can ping or surf to a numerical address, but cant ping a www address, no access to DNS server. Run from root terminal, DNS server access is there.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by HJ.

[Forum Admin SamK]

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Xecure wrote:

So, the only different experience with geany is that consecutive changes don’t take effect, while with leafpad they do.

I must also say that Backlight Brightness was also working for me, so maybe it is related to the hardware. I will test on my on-desk computer. I will be back in a while with the results.

I would also like to try with the 32 bit version on the same hardware to check if I have HJ’s same problem. But first I will report with the desktop computer.

I can reproduce the behaviour using geany and leafpad. For ease of troubleshooting I suggest using Leafpad only.

Your report combined with the screen shot from HJ are helpful. It will be a few days before I can begin to look at it in detail.

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