footswitch3 Files

Manjaro (Arch)  / Fedora 34 linux installation notes

The standard package is a .deb file for Ubuntu/Mint Debian type Linux

Tested on Manjaro 20 with LibreOffice, pulseaudio and ladspa plugins loaded
Tested on Fedora 34 with LibreOffice, vlc, pulseaudio and ladspa plugins loaded
Note:
Currently on Fedora 34 you cannot install libgstladspa.so so the equaliser and audio effects
will not function. Fedora may get around to sorting this out in time.

These instructions are not completely detailed, as Arch users are assumed
to be seasoned users and this manual installation could break things if done
incorrectly. (Some detail is there as a reminder for me, as I don't use Arch)

A tar archive is available to install footswitch manually as follows.

copy the fs3_x.x.x_arch.tar.gz file to a directory other than / (root)

Extract contents

This will create a usr directory and a lib directory
copy the contents of these directories into these
/usr and /lib directories in your root directory (ensure you don't overwrite anything)

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# Create a symbolic link in /usr/bin for footswitch3 executable
ln -s -f /usr/share/footswitch3/fs3.py /usr/bin/fs3

( -s a symbolic link | -f force i.e. overwrite any existing fs3 in /usr/bin )
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If you are performing an update rather than a first installation, you may stop at this point.
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Install the following software:
For Arch
(Ensure that you have enabled AUR for pamac)
Use pamac the gui pacman to install most of them, it's quicker that using pacman or pip3

For Fedora 34 use dnf to install them:

    - sox [pacman -Syu sox ]
    - ffmpeg
    - evtest [pacman -Syu evtest ]
    - appmenu-gtk-module

    For audio manipulation/effects you'll need the ladspa plugins
    - ladspa
    - swh-plugins
    - caps
    - cmt
    - gst-python
    - gst-plugin-gtk
    - ladspa-bs2b (requires AUR enabled)

    Install the latest Java runtime environment (jre) for LibreOffice


    Install python libraries (use pamac or):
    pip3 install evdev
    pip3 install configobj
    pip3 install wxPython ( On Arch this takes an age as it will compile it - use pamac)
                          ( On Fedora34 use dnf install python3-wxpython4)

Note the full set of dependencies for debian systems is:
Depends: python3, python3-wxgtk4.0 (>=4.0.1), python3-configobj, python3-gi, gir1.2-gtk-2.0, gir1.2-gtk-3.0, gir1.2-gst-plugins-base-1.0, libgstreamer1.0-0 (>=1.2.4), gstreamer1.0-alsa, gstreamer1.0-pulseaudio, gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad, gstreamer1.0-plugins-base, gstreamer1.0-plugins-good, gstreamer1.0-x, gstreamer1.0-libav, gstreamer1.0-tools, gir1.2-gstreamer-1.0, libreoffice-writer (>=4.2), python3-uno, libreoffice-script-provider-python, libreoffice-gtk2, default-jre , sqlite3, pulseaudio (>=4.0), pulseaudio-utils, swh-plugins, bs2b-ladspa, python3-gst-1.0, wkhtmltopdf, python3-evdev, python3-requests, python3-notify2, ffmpeg (>= 2.6), sox, python3-xlib, python3-pycryptodome
Suggests: libreoffice-gtk3
So any issues, check if these (or their OS variants) are all present.

Once the software is installed you can run:

sudo /usr/share/footswitch3/fs3_setup.py which does the heavy lifting for you.

Alternatively, you can manually perform the following:

Add the plugdev group
groupadd plugdev

Add you login name to the input and plugdev groups
e.g.
gpasswd -a rolf input
gpasswd -a rolf plugdev

Rebuild the udev database

sudo udevadm hwdb --update
sudo udevadm trigger /dev/input/event*

Reboot the box

Ensure the /dev/input/event?? entries all belong to the group
input or plugdev

Use the evtest program to see which /dev/input/event?? is your footpedal (if it has 2 entries choose the keyboard event id)

Start footswitch by issuing the command fs3 on the command line. It should set the environment and install and register the LibreOffice macros for you.
If there is an issue with the footpedal event id you can override it in the footswitch Tools->Configure screen.

Restart footswitch

Use the Tools-> Define foot pedal codes screen to tell footswitch what codes the footpedal will be sending.

Restart footswitch it should now be work in tandem with LibreOffice Writer.

Troubleshooting details are in the pdf manual supplied.

Issues with input values from a footpedal may require that you run
sudo systemd-hwdb update
        or (sudo udevadm hwdb --update) if that is not available
sudo udevadm control --reload
sudo udevadm trigger /dev/input/event*

See manual for further details
Remember: if the pedal codes are changed you must use the Footswitch Tools-> Define foot pedal codes screen to tell footswitch what they are.


Tested and run on Manjaro 20 and Fedora34
Tested and run in a Virtual machine using Virtualbox
This requires the "Virtualbox extension pack" loaded on the host machine with the appropriate usb device for your footpedal activated.
This also requires that you have added your username to the `vboxusers` group, on the host machine, and logged off and back in again.

To add the footswitch icon to the desktop, simply copy /usr/share/footswitch3/footswitch3.desktop to your Desktop.

Removing footswitch:
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Remove the package by deleting the footswitch3 directory in /usr/share and /usr/share/doc
In LibreOffice Writer use the Tools-->Extension Manager to remove the footswitch extension
In your $HOME directory remove the fs3 directory