Wacom tablets in Ubuntu guide/howto

[RoseKnight]

In Ubuntu 9.04, the distribution will probably revert to using xorg.conf to set up wacom devices, since the HAL method used in Ubuntu 8.10 doesn't allow anything more than the stylus, and even that doesn't work for TabletPC, serial tablets, and users who need to calibrate the stylus.

I'd like to state that it isn't HAL that prevents Ubuntu from using more than the Stylus. It is in fact the way the driver is set up and requires you to define a separate tablet for each device you use for the tablet.

In the HAL declaration for WACOM if you change "Stylus" to "Eraser" you now can only use the eraser instead of the stylus.

Please stop posting everywhere that this is Hal's fault for only recognizing one-single tablet connected to your PC.

(Sorry, I'm not certain as to how the computer detects the Tablet PC settings, but Hal will probably offer better support and hardware setting in the future as more work is done on it.)

[albesan]

hello team,

I finally got my mouse working following the instructions on the wiki. Thanks very much.

Now, something I can't figure out is how to set the mouse to be used by a left-handed user.

I have been looking through this thread, the wiki and searching elsewhere and came across methods using xmodmap and xinput:

http://www.faqs.org/docs/Linux-HOWTO...#_Toc465765724
(ancient page I know)

I have even installed the wacon tablet apps:

http://alexmac.cc/tablet-apps/

But it does not seem to work.

Everything else does, even the wheel scrolls the right way.
I am using the drivers available on synaptic, the latest ones on the wiki would not enable the wheel.

Apologies if this has already been discussed in the thread and/or I'm missing something really obvious.

thanks for any feedback


a.

Extra info:

Output of xmodmap -pp

albesan@copituxredux:~$ xmodmap -pp
There are 32 pointer buttons defined.

Physical Button
Button Code
1 3
2 2
3 1
4 4
5 5
6 6
7 7
8 8
9 9
10 10
11 11
12 12
13 13
14 14
15 15
16 16
17 17
18 18
19 19
20 20
21 21
22 22
23 23
24 24
25 25
26 26
27 27
28 28
29 29
30 30
31 31
32 32

The tablet is an old USB Wacom Graphire. Just a simple tablet with stylus and 3 buttoned mouse with wheel.

xorg.conf attached.

Thanks a lot

a.

[emkeyen]

I'm trying to make my Wacom Intuos 3 work on Ubuntu 8.10. I've followed the instructions on https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Wacom, installed packages and latest drivers from Linux Wacom Project, then edited xorg.conf as I need eraser and tablet buttons as well.

Entering GIMP preferences for Configure Extended Input Devices lists no stylus/tablet but "Macintosh mousebutton emulation", "Core Pointer" and "HID 04b9:048e" (mouse). Wacomcpl has just an empty list, nothing at all. I've tried to remove /usr/share/hal/fdi/policy/20thirdparty/10-wacom.fdi, which makes no difference either.

lsusb shows:
Bus 001 Device 069: ID 056a:00b1 Wacom Co., Ltd
(where Device changes number after each hot plug)

more /proc/bus/input/devices shows:
I: Bus=0003 Vendor=056a Product=00b1 Version=0102
N: Name="Wacom Intuos3 6x8"
P: Phys=
S: Sysfs=/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:02.0/usb1/1-2/1-2:1.0/input/input228
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=mouse2 event5 js0
B: EV=1f
B: KEY=18ff 0 1f00ff 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B: REL=100
B: ABS=100 f00017f
B: MSC=1

ls /dev/input shows:
tablet-intuos3-6x8
wacom

Tried replacing wacom with tablet-intuos3-6x8 in /etc/X11/xorg.conf as well. No go.

So. It seems to be there. Almost. Help is very much appreciated. I have no idea what to do next.

[Loïc2]

Please stop posting everywhere that this is Hal's fault for only recognizing one-single tablet connected to your PC.

First, I'm not really sure we have the same definition for "everywhere".

Second, I don't get what your problem is. The sentence you're quoting clearly says :

the HAL method used in Ubuntu 8.10 doesn't allow anything more than the stylus

Indeed, the default method in Ubuntu 8.10 doesn't allow anything more than the stylus. For detailed explanation, please refer to the xorg and linuxwacom-devel/discuss mailing lists. For example, here are the opinion of two HAL developers:

Daniel Stone wrote
On Thu, Nov 13, 2008 at 01:45:03PM +0100, Danny Kukawka wrote:
> Second: it's IMO the wrong way to use HAL as a config store for X at all. Yes,
> there are ppl. saying: "Also other tools can use this information." but in
> fact there are no other tools, except X, which need them. X should do this
> task on it's own (maybe by using HAL or another tool to get some information
> about a device to identify it).

As I've told you before, I agree with you that using HAL as a random and
arbitrary config store is wrong. Most of it belongs in the kernel or
user-level configuration. I'm not happy about the patch to add
arbitrary option passthrough to HAL/Xorg: I think it's generally the
wrong approach.

The information which I advocated storing was generally along the lines
of 'you can't really use this device without this information': things
like touchpad limits for Synaptics devices and so on, which can't be in
the kernel, but are required for the device to actually function in the
slightest.

(Sorry, I'm not certain as to how the computer detects the Tablet PC settings, but Hal will probably offer better support and hardware setting in the future as more work is done on it.)

As for HAL being the method for the future, see HAL developer Danny Kukawka here:

First: there are plans to replace HAL, which means it's to back the wrong
horse since the current stuff need to replaced by another, not yet developed,
tool to do the same like HAL. It need again adoptions in X and all the
drivers which deliver currently some info via fdi files.

Now, even though the point of your post is still lost to me, there's parts I find even harder to understand:

It is in fact the way the driver is set up and requires you to define a separate tablet for each device you use for the tablet.

The linuxwacom driver requires you to define each input device, where did you get the idea it requires defining a separate tablet for each input device?
As for needing to define each input device, how else could it know which input devices you're planing to use, since you can use multiple input devices with your tablet, and each has its own properties? As long as Xorg doesn't transmit to the driver the input devices and properties (which is not possible when Xorg relies on HAL for that), you don't get to use them.

In the HAL declaration for WACOM if you change "Stylus" to "Eraser" you now can only use the eraser instead of the stylus.

What was exactly your point in stating the obvious?

[Loïc2]

emkeyen, could you please attach (not copy/paste) your /etc/X11/xorg.conf in your post?
If you've only installed the packages in the repositories, deleted the .fdi file (no harm done) and modified xorg.conf, it should be trivial to get a working configuration, since Intuos 3 models have always been supported very well (I still have one).

albesan, we might need more information. Could you tell us the model of your tablet, attach your xorg.conf file, tell us the output of "xmodmap -pp", and if you're only using the Wacom mouse (no touchpad/USB or Serial mouse)? You can just edit your previous post if you want.

[emkeyen]

emkeyen, could you please attach (not copy/paste) your /etc/X11/xorg.conf in your post?
If you've only installed the packages in the repositories, deleted the .fdi file (no harm done) and modified xorg.conf, it should be trivial to get a working configuration, since Intuos 3 models have always been supported very well (I still have one).

Here it is. Renamed copy txt. Commented out other stuff I tried with no luck. Missed something maybe?

[RoseKnight]

The linuxwacom driver requires you to define each input device, where did you get the idea it requires defining a separate tablet for each input device?
As for needing to define each input device, how else could it know which input devices you're planing to use, since you can use multiple input devices with your tablet, and each has its own properties? As long as Xorg doesn't transmit to the driver the input devices and properties (which is not possible when Xorg relies on HAL for that), you don't get to use them.

Maybe I worded that wrong, The driver requires you to set-up a separate entry for each tool the tablet has. This in itself causes overlap errors in many systems.

If, for example, instead of the way the driver is now, It had entries like:

Section "InputDevice"
Driver "wacom"

Tools Stylus "on"
Tools Eraser "on"

EndSection


Instead of requiring multiple InputDevice entries Like the documentation portrays. http://linuxwacom.sourceforge.net/in...howto/inputdev

Hal would be able to configure it no problem.

I'm not saying anything about Hal being the right way to do things, because I don't know. I do know that from what I see of the way X has to be set-up to use the driver from the LWProject.

Besides, by posting in this article and the community Wiki about the Ubuntu reverting back "probably" for jaunty, is you specifically taking a side against hal than trying to note the real problem.
Although it would be beneficial after when Jaunty is released without hal, that these documents are Noted: "Hal was removed for Jaunty"

[Favux]

Sorry, double post.

[Favux]

Hi RoseKnight,

I'm very sorry, I do not understand what point you're trying to make about HAL either. If you're saying technically it could do what we tablet users need if the linuxwacom driver was different, OK. The developers I was reading seemed unsure of that. But anyway the point is moot.

David Zeuthen (a Fedora developer), who is a lead (if not the lead developer) on HAL has been planning to replace it with DeviceKit since at least May of 2008. Please see:
http://lists.freedesktop.org/archive...ay/011560.html
I think the plan was to have DeviceKit in Jaunty, but it doesn't look like it will make it. But they'll start phasing it in. Other links of interest:
http://people.freedesktop.org/~david...dz-aug2008.pdf
http://lists.freedesktop.org/archive...hment-0001.pdf
I got all this from gnomeuser on a Jaunty thread:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1042857

I hope this is helpful.

[RoseKnight]

I'm very sorry, I do not understand what point you're trying to make about HAL either. If you're saying technically it could do what we tablet users need if the linuxwacom driver was different, OK. The developers I was reading seemed unsure of that. But anyway the point is moot.

correct sir.

Also, the driver seems to provoke overlap errors without hal.