test

Solaris Handbook for Sun Frame Buffers

Changing Screen Visuals List

The X server screen visuals list can be altered through ffbconfig. The ffbconfig options in Table 2-3 can be used to configure the list of the exported visuals for the specified device.

Table 2-3 The Default Settings of the ffbconfig Visual Flags

Name 

Possible Values 

Defaults in Solaris2.5.1/ 

2.5.1 SHWP 

Defaults in Solaris 2.6 

linearorder

first/last

last

last

deflinear

true/false

false

false

overlayorder

first/last

last

last

defoverlay

true/false

false

false

expvis

enable/disable

disable

enable

sov

enable/disable

disable

enable

Changing the Visual List Order (-linearorder, -overlayorder)

By default, the nonlinear visual comes before the linear visual on the screen visual list. You can modify the order of the visual list by using the ffbconfig command.

Most 3D applications require a linear visual. Some 3D applications do not search for a linear visual using XSolarisGetVisualGamma(3). Instead, these applications search the screen visual list for the first 24-bit TrueColor visual they find. To enable these applications to run with the correct visual, use the -linearorder option to change the visual list order so that the linear 24-bit TrueColor visual is the first one the application finds.

The desired visual ordering in the screen visuals list will be available whenever the window system is restarted.

  1. To change the setting, enter the ffbconfig command with one of the -linearorder options.

    For example:


    ffbconfig -linearorder first

By default, the 8-bit PseudoColor visual comes before the 8-bit PseudoColor Overlay visual on the screen visual list. You can modify the order of the visual list by using the ffbconfig command.

Some applications that use the 8-bit PseudoColor Overlay visual, search the visual list for the first 8-bit PseudoColor visual they find. To enable these applications to run with the correct visual, use the -overlayorder option to change the visual list order so that the 8-bit PseudoColor Overlay visual is the first 8-bit PseudoColor visual the application finds.

The desired visual ordering in the screen visuals list will be available whenever the window system is restarted.

  1. To change the setting, enter the ffbconfig command with one of the -overlayorder options.

    For example:


    ffbconfig -overlayorder first

Changing the Default Visual (-deflinear, -defoverlay)

By default, the 8-bit PseudoColor underlay visual is the default visual of the screen. The default visual can be changed to either a linear underlay visual or an overlay visual through ffbconfig.

  1. To set the default visual to be a linear visual, enter the ffbconfig command as follows:


    ffbconfig -deflinear true

  1. To set the default visual to be an overlay visual, enter the ffbconfig command as follows:


    ffbconfig -defoverlay true

    Caution - Caution -

    Since there is no linear overlay visual, the user should not specify both "-deflinear true" and "-defoverlay true" simultaneously, or the result will be undefined.

    Caution - Caution -

    Note that the visual ordering options (overlayorder and linearorder) are independent of the default visual options (defoverlay and deflinear). Moving the overlay visual groups, for example, to the front does not automatically make it a default visual. Some applications make this assumption and hence receive a "BADMATCH" X error when they try to match the colormap created by the default visual and the first 8-bit PseudoColor visual they can find.

Changing OpenGL Visual Support (-expvis)

Solaris 2.5.1 SHWP supports the OpenGL visual expansion. With visual expansion, five visual groups: the 8-bit PseudoColor, 24-bit TrueColor (Linear and Non-Linear), 24-bit DirectColor, and 8-bit PseudoColor Overlay, are expanded from a single visual to multiple visual instances of the same visual type. Different instances of the same visual groups represent different GLX capabilities (e.g. single-buffer or double-buffer capable, monoscopic or stereoscopic capable, or a combination of both). The number of visual instances depends on whether the X server is started in monoscopic or stereoscopic mode, and also whether the device is a Creator or Creator 3D.

To Activate OpenGL Visual Support (Visual Expansion)

  1. Enter the following:


    ffbconfig -expvis enable

Changing SERVER_OVERLAY_VISUALS Support (-sov)

SERVER_OVERLAY_VISUALS is one of the root window's properties that contains the visual ID, transparent type, transparent value, and layer of the server overlay visuals (SOV) of the screen. You can toggle the advertisement of this property and the export of the transparent server overlay visuals using ffbconfig.

To Advertise SERVER_OVERLAY_PROPERTY and Export SOV

  1. Enter the following:


    ffbconfig -sov enable