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Portrait Display Drivers For X11?

Posted by Cliff on from the this-would-make-a-better-slashback dept.

helloRockview asks: "I have a MAG LT541C TFT, which I often use as a display for my Linux machines. Its best feature is that is has the ability to swivel into portrait mode, which works great when it's hooked up to a Windows box with 'Pivot' software installed. I'm wondering if there are any such utilities for X that will switch screen orientation from landscape to portrait on the fly." We did this question over a year ago and there didn't seem to be an answer, might there be one (or more) now?

7 comments

  1. Define a key to change the resolution by by+by · · Score: 3

    If I understand your question, switching between portrait and landscape mode should be easy.

    I would use XF86Config to define two resolutions: one for landscape, one for portrait. The dimensions you use should be porportionally opposite from each other

    Edit your /usr/X11R6/etc/keys.conf file to contain a line to define F12 to change the resolution. I'm not sure how you could go about this as I don't use X, but it should be easy.

    Alternatively, use Meta-Control-plus and Meta-Control-minus to change the resolution on the fly. In your XF86Config file, define only two resolutions, and M-C-+ or M-C-- will swap you between the two. Hope this helps.

    1. Re:Define a key to change the resolution by exitzero · · Score: 2

      How do these monitors work? You rotate it through 90 degrees to switch between portrait and landscape I presume.

      Is the image rasterized in lines left to right decending down the screen in both modes of operation? Or does it expect you graphics hardware to do the rotation for you so it can refresh the screen in lines bottom to top crossing the screen left to right once rotated.

      If the latter is the case. X would need to do this transformation for you, and setting multiple resolutions alone would not be sufficient.

      --
      Keep your programs tidy.

      Exitzero.

  2. MAME does this. by percival · · Score: 1

    I have the same question. I would like to be able to run one of my monitors on it's side, but I could not locate any information.

    What I did locate, was the information that MAME does this. It is a video machine emulator (actually it emulates several video machines). Because some video games used their monitors sideways, MAME does this as well. But I don't know how.

    -P

    1. Re:MAME does this. by billcopc · · Score: 1

      Sure, MAME does it, but since MAME is just a single application, it can do whatever it wants to its display. It's a piece of cake to swap the X and Y during each graphics op.. but when you're trying to turn the entire desktop sideways, you can't quite do it as trivially. It would probably require rotating each pixmap prior to calling any blit functions, so basically the graphics abstraction layer would be doing a helluva lot of work in software. You'd pretty much give up on most accelerator functions, except hardware blits. It's feasible, but kludgy.

      --
      -Billco, Fnarg.com
  3. maybe less cool, by The+Madpostal+Worker · · Score: 2
    but under x 4.0.1 my video card has a setting called Rotate. Heres part of the man page:
    Option "Rotate" "CCW"
    Rotate the display clockwise or counterclockwise. This mode is unaccelerated. Default: no rotation.


    /*
    *Not a Sermon, Just a Thought
    */
    --

    /*
    *Not a Sermon, Just a Thought
    */
  4. Full syntax of Option "Rotate" by commandant · · Score: 1

    Option "Rotate" "CCW" for counter-clockwise.
    Option "Rotate" "CW" for clockwise.
    You need to type the "Option", no quotes. It goes in the "Device" section.

    As of XF86 4.0, it only worked with a few video cards -- I don't know about 4.0.1 yet. Give it a try, it'll dump an error message in /var/log/XFree86.0.log (or whatever that log name is) if it doesn't work. (Plus, your display won't be in portrait mode!)

  5. Check X 4.0.1 by HoserHead · · Score: 1
    I notice in the XFree86 release notes:
    xf86cfg, a new graphical configuration tool for XFree86 4.0, and can be used to either write the initial configuration or make customizations to the current configuration. xf86cfg is a work in progress, and allows configuration of:
    • [...]
    • Server layout setup, allowing complex configuration of physical monitor positions, default color depth and/or rotated monitors.
    This may be what you're looking for - it seems that XFree86 4 has capabilities for this.

    ---